New-York tribune., 1907-11-24

physician asked me some questions and ! an
s~ered them 10 the best oi my ability. He
did not smile At my fright; only shook his
head and gave me something which made me
sleep again. And SO tor week | lay there,
helpless, half asleep, and half awake. But
one day ! aWoke u clear consciousness, com
paratIvely free OF the torture OF the broken
ankle and myself again. Then the physician
and l discussed the matter At length
He listened respectfully as ! repeated il
all, and at the end shook his head
There Is no lnterSectng road between
the small store OF which YOU speak and the
outskirts Of Millen, he said positively.
But. man, was there ! protested.
turned into the other road, and ran along tIll
! saw the house IN the open field. ! tell YOU
But he let me 90 no further. | knew why.
He thought II Was some mental vagary, for
after awhile he gave me 81 pill and went away.
So ! resolved 70 solve the matter Tor myself. J
would go back along that road by day, and
find that silent old man, and, i not the house
itself, the charred spot where II had stood. !
would know that intersection would know
even the path which led from the mysterious
road of into the wood. u hen ! found these
knew tho maze would fade into some simple
plaln -perhal5 even IN absurd
one
So bided my time. in the course OF an
other week ! was able to leave my cot and
honble about with the aid oi crutches. i Was
then that ! took the physician n my car, and
we went back along the highway toward Pei
nam II NaH ali unfamiliar SID-llL 10 Il4t.
there was no road, and suddenly there ahead
Of me was the little store where had bought
the gasolene that night. would question tho
old man ! had seen there. but there was 10
old man. The little store was unoccuped II
seemed 10 have been unOCcuUIc1 for weeks.
turned back and traversed the road
toward MIllen again. ! recognized nothing
couldn't md d tTaCe OF bypath from the
highway n any direction. And once more !
went over the ground 1t night. Nothing
-t1TlI MT, T,4T1T
man. accompanied me a ! hobbled through
the forest on each side o. the road seeking
that house oT IT. ashes. ] never saw anything
10 lead me, L even suggest, single incident OF
that awful night.
know the country, every inch Of IL
the physician told me. There isn't any such
place You mention.
And-Well, that's all. ] know his opinion
Wa that my story was some sort Of delusion-a
dream. But how he accounts foT the broken
ankle don't know Then the condition Of my
clothing had been compelled to discard
everything ! wore for garments sent down
from the city. And 50 IL time | came 10 be
lieve the experience dream. ! growing
be wrong, because It brought mental rest, and
was beginning 70 be myself again.
Then one day had occasion TO search the
coat ] had worn that night Tor some paper
which had been misplaced. IL the course Of
the search ! thrust my hand into outside
pocket, and drew out-a little ivory god, sit
ting on his haunches, grinning hideously
Now am like this-and the little god SITS
up laughing IL me lie knows
When he had finished reading, The Thinking
Machine dropped back INTO the char, with
squint ewes turned steadily upward, and long
slender fingers pressed tip to tip. Hutchinson
Hatch, reporter, sat staring III silence at the
drawn, irscrutable face OF the scientist 4
And the writer OF this" demanded The
Thinking Machine at last.
His name IS Harold Fairbanks" the r.
porter explained. He was removed 10 all
asylum yesterday, hopelessly insane"
The a blanafion ot this mystery zoH aPpcar m
Hcx Sundays magazine.