Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-07-11
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bRIAN HOOKER


- .et}.sa 80 DA\X'A
Copyright. 1874. The Boil
CHAPTER xxIv.-Continued.)
"She was interested In spiritua1ism
carelessly and as sort of fad before
Miriam's MARRIAGE Mr.. Tabor an
swered, "but so far as know, she
never actually attended any sittings
then; and she hasn't spoken of 1t for,
years. She might, of course, have
kept it secret all along; it's only with
in the last few months that we have
tried to follow all her movements
Doctor Paulus settled heavily into a
arm Of it. Lady stood beside her.
father, her arm resting upon his shout
der; and Reid paced nervously up and
down the room. A chirp and rustic
made me notice the canary. hanging
Paulus looked up.
do you prefer to have my opinion
In private?" he asked,
Mr.. Tabor was looking older than
had ever seen him. Your opinion
means a great deal to all of us, Doc
tor" he said. Reid stopped moment
in his pacing.
"Well, my opinion Is not quite posi-
tive, because I have not certainly all
the facts. That is the fault with all
our opinions, that we never can base
them upon wholly complete data Mrs.
Tabor we have thought insane, and
there was much to bear that out. So
If had been certain that all her illus
ions proceeded from within her own
mind, should have said that it was
surely so. But now Mr.. Crosby makes
known to us this external suggestion
OF spirits, with It's continual remind
ing Of her trouble and the unnatural
strain. He argues also-and am not
at all certain but that he argues right
ly-that this practice, this supersti-
ton of hers, may be the cause of her
deterioration. SO that by removing 1t
she will grow better or perhaps we'll.
Is it SO far clear?''
quite SO, exactly" Reid broke in.
Perfectly clear, Doctor, perfectly.
But why not effect rather than cause?
Another symptom, that's all. Fixed
idea, unnatural craving for communi-
cation with the other world, because
the mind is unbalanced by loss"
!. II. think that Is to place the horse
after the wagon. as we say. It is GER
tainly vicious circle, but still
Precisely exclaimed Reid, "but
the impulse comes"
Doctor Paulus held up white hand.
"Wait little. l do not come to con-
illusions hastily. Now I conclude that
Mrs. Tabors is thus far no more than
historical, and what we have to do is
first to remove entirely from her this
superstitious influence" The shrill
voice took suddenly sharper edge.
Moreover, Doctor Reid, will say to
you that only two other men in the
world know more than know Of my
specially, and of those unfortunately
neither one Is here" He waited until
Reid subsidized into a. seat, then wenl
slowly on: Now the question is how
this harmful belief is to be removed,
and that is the difficult matter
IF she were In q sanatorium-"
Reid began.
Shed worry herself to pieces"
Lady. interrupted; and Doctor Paulus
nodded heavily. Shed feel imprison-
ed, and imagine and brood and worry,
and the atmosphere of impersonal re-
straint would make her worse. We
can at least help to keep her mind off
herself and make her cheerful"
1--WE can prevent from now on, l
think, any further communications"
said Mr.. Tabor.
But the troubles inside her >own
mind snapped Reid; and the shrill
voice of his colleague added:
has now hallucinations and re-creates
her own harm Suppose then we held
her from seeking harm elsewhere, that
| L. he'd 90 oh
feels restraint, and still her misbelief
goes on. If we could reach that-but
how to make her not thus believer"
ne fell silent, and the white hand be-
gan it's drumming again. felt irri-
tably that he was the most deliberate
man in the world.
Suddenly l found Lady's eyes upon
me. II think Mr.. Crosby has some
thing to suggest she said, and with
her words suggestion came to me.
Reid snorted.
Doctor Paulus smiled very gravely.
THAT busy mind of FIR. Crosby has
before been useful he said. What
is this idea, then?"
at sounds wild and theatrical, said
I, "but couldn't we reach the root O..
the trouble by making the cure come
from the same source? We might tell
her for ever that her ideas were false
and harmful. and she'd only feel that
we were profane. But if the medium
herself denied them-these visions
and voices must be at least partly a
fake. Now, if we can persuade or
force her to show Mrs. Tabor how it's
done-and think know how TO exert
pressure upon her-then might not
the illusion be dispelled once for all?
mean, whether Mrs. Mahl is fake
or not, can't she be made to undo the
work she has done, and discredit the
dangerous belief she has taught?"
Mr.. Tabor was leaning forward in
his chair as I finished. Reid was walk
ing the floor again and Struggling his
shoulders; and Lady was looking at
me with eyes of absolute belief.
"Fake?" asked Doctor Panlus, unex-
pectedly.
Sham, trick, fraud I explained,
and he nodded, frowning
ooh, but this whole things absurd, =
Reid put in. "Crosby's a good fellow
and clever. and all that, but he's a
layman and this is complicated prob