The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-07-12
or Dead?'
The Strange Disappearance Of
Gerald Rathbone.
BY GUY THoRNE.
BY Y THoRNE.

toward the central object of my life.
And now, at last, I find myself in full
possession Of the truth of all my theo-
ries. In a month or two from now my
work will be perfected. Then the
whole world will know what I have
done. And the whole world will trem-
BILE, and there will be fear and wonder
they will look at each other as if they
recognized that humanity at last was
waking out of a sleep and a dream"
as it SO marvellous as all that" she
said, almost in a whisper, awed by the
earnestness of his +
81 am no maker of phrases he re-
piled, nor am l eloquent. cannot tell
you how marvellous it is. The one
great citidel against which human in
genuity and time have beaten in vain
since the days Of our first forefathers
is stormed at last! In my hands will
shortly be the keys of the human soul.
No man or woman will have a secret
from me. The whole relation Of socie-
ty will be changed, utterly.
"uoL l. LID ID I IL oohSu,
with a light in her eyes. Have you
! done what mother said in jest? Have
| you, indeed, finally conquered the
air?"
He waived his hand with a scorn-
full gesture.
Greater, far greater than that" he
answered. Such a vulgar and mechan-
ical triumph IL not one l would seek.
In a material age 1t is perhaps a great
thing for one or another scientist to
invent a means of quicker transit and
surer than any before. But what is 1t,
after ell? Mere accurate scientific
knowledge. supplemented by inventive
| power. No! Such inventions as the
steam engine. printing, gunpowder, are
great in their way, but they have only
revolutionized the surface of things;
the human soul remains as it was be-
fore. What I now know is a far, far
loftier and more marvellous thing"
In his excitement he had risen and
was bending over her. Now h also
rose and stared into his face, with
one hand upon his arm.
"Oh, tell me-" she said, what in life
can be SO strange, SO terrible in its
effects, as this you speak of"
"Listen!" he answered ono more.
"You know what Light is? You know
that 1t can be split up into its compo-
nent parts by al of the prism in
the spectroscope?"
Every child knows that to-day" she
answered.
Good" he replied. And he went
on: Il am putting this in the very
simplest possible language. want
you to see the %broadest, barest, sim
! plest outlines. Do you know Of the
human mind? What should you say
hypnotism was, for instance. in ordi-
nary words?"
Surely" she replied, ut Is the
power of one brain acting upon anoth-
err"
Exactly" he said; "and in what
way? How Is a brain not physically
touching another brain able to influ-
ence IT."
by magnetism" she replied; "by"-
she hesitated for a WORLDLY a sort of
current passing from n brain to an
other"
He held out both his hands in front
of him. They were clasped, and she
: saw that his wrists were shaking. He
; was terribly excited.
Eyes" he went on, his voice drop
ping lower and lower and becoming
5! even more intense, you have said ex-
actly the truth. The brain is a mar
velous instrument, a sensitive instru-
ment, an electric instrument which is
constantly giving out strange, subtle,
and hitherto uninvestigated currents.
It is like the transmitter at the top of
Signor Marconi's wireless t~elegraphy
station. Something unseen goes out
into the air, and far away over the
mother Of ocean something answers
to its influence. This is exactly what
happens With the human brain. Count
less experiments have proved It, the
scientists of the world are agreed"
Then she said.
"Supposing l had discovered how to
collect these rays or 'vibrations'-for
that is the better word-these delicate
vibrations which come from the hu
man brain?"
Il think I begin to see," Marjorie
said. slowly. painfully, as if the words
were forced from her and she spoke
them under great emotion. II think
l begin to see a little light"
"Ah," he answered, you are Away.
above ordinary m There is ne
one in the world like you. Your brai,
is keen, subtle, strong. You were des
tined for mi from the first"
Once more, ven in the midst Of he,
excitement, a shade passed over hel
face. She touched him on the arm
again.
Go on! Tell me! Not this, no
that. Tell me about the work."
H." he repeated-"I alone OF al
men In the world have learnt how t
collect the invisible vibrations o
Thought itself. Now, remember wha
I told you first. mentioned Light. tn,
way In which Light can be passet
through . prism, split up into its com
moment nArta. and give the secra< ~ n,