The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1908-04-11
tcopyrisht)
By BR0UCHTON BRANDENBURC

l remember II was Monday late In
May, and my stenographer had not ar
rived. In her place beside the door
did not see her Immediately, and
only her trembling efforts to rise at
tracted my attention. A whittier OF
more ghostly effect than that of her
snowy hair, pallid face and deep-sunk
eyes all In relief from a severe black
dress. 1t would be difficult to imag-
Inc, and / confess that / started the
merest trifle as she came forward out
OF the shadowy anteroom corner, her
thin hands extended toward me.
II hope this is Mr.. Lawrence RANDI
she said, In a low, eager voice.
mo. madam, these are Mr. Rand's
| Offices, and am Mr.. Duncan, one of
his partners"
7 am Mrs. Dwight Stokes Coleman,
and 1t is concerning a most important
and peculiar matter, which has to do
with my husband, DIR. Coleman, the
pastor of the Fifth Avenue Disciples
church, that l have come to see Mr.
Rand. l must have help at once or
shall go mad myself. My family physi-
clan. DR.. Bowles, in Seventy-second
street, came to us at our request yes
terday afternoon and recommended me
to Mr.. Rand. He says that it is a mat
ter outside the bounds of any profess
sion except Mr.. Rand's. which seems
to be the rendering commonplace of
things apparently most extraordinary"
Perhaps If you state the case may
be able to assist you, and can at
least restate it to Mr.. Rand on his
return from Boston tomorrow"
Relieved of her indirection of state
ment and put in the proper proportion,
her story was as follows: A most mys-
terious circumstance was weighing so
heavily on her husbands mind that she
feared he was about to lose his reason,
II 1t was not already impaired. He had
obtained metropolitan parish only
that year, was overcoming some bit
ter opposition among his church mem
hers, and was completing the last vol
ume of an important historical work.
Altogether, he was at the critical point
Of his career, and, with two sons and
two daughters not yet out of college,
everything was at stake.
On Sunday, the 14th of April, few
minutes after he had begun his morn
Ing sermon, he heard distinctly a
choir singing an anthem. He thought
IT a trfde unusual, there being no
church in the neighborhood from
which the music could come with such
clearness. The music was very good,
and, after the service, he mentioned
II to the organist, who sat in the organ
loft Immediately behind tAe pulpit.
The organist was certain that he had
heard no music, saying there had not
been sound to interrupt the sermon.
AS matter of curiosity. the organist
and DR.. Coleman together laughingly
questioned the members OF the choir.
All were positive that they had heard
no singing. A horrible fear struck a
chill to the old clergyman's heart.
Was his mind giving way? Were
the anthem and the unseen choir the
first hallucination, the harbinger of
coming mental confusion, and the first
sign OF the horrible night OF the mind?
On several succeeding Sundays the
same mysterious music was heard by
the doctor, but by no one else, and he
was now on the verge of nervous pros
tration.
/ assured Mrs. Coleman we would
take up the matter Immediately. wired
Rand to insure his return, and gave
him detailed account of the whole
affair. when he came in Tuesday night.
Bright and early on Wednesday
morning we we're at Dr. Coleman's
house. In going over the case again,
however. we found nothing to be in
any way different from the facts al
ready in hand. except that although
the voices were always the same, the
music was different each time. With
note from the pastor to the sexton.
We went to the church at IL O'Clock.
and. posing as an interior decorators
estimate clerks, we slowly inspected
every inch of the interior.
II was four O'Clock In the afternoon
when we left and all that we had
found can be told In a few words.
The church. more than 80 years old,
was deadly commonplace In its de-
tails.
l was tired. disguised. and quite
ready to believe the old clergyman
mentally unbalanced. Rand was bit
tsrly determined to go on Said he:
Duncan, / am going to fly In the
face of facts in this matter. / pur-
pose to hunt for the impossible. Kind |
ly arrange to have the Callahan agency
send me so men at the studio to- |
morrow morning to gather data on all |
the other churches"
I did not see Rand that evening. 1t |
fact did not catch a glimpse Of him |
till Saturday evening. Then he was