Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-07-06
whats the best chanceg what can

Whats the best chance? What can
we dor"
Were doing all we can. We've
called the best man in the country.
You can't depend on any prognosis,
you know. We don't understand these
things perfectly, at best. There's
no rigid line OF demarcation between
insanity and hysteria. Nervous and
mental diseases run into each other.
You can't tell"
"Just what does Doctor Paulus say?'
"Paranoia. Says If there were con-
tinual external suggestions Of Miriam
he'd call 1t only hysterical; but we
guard her as far as possible from any
thing Of the kind. II she originates
the Authorizations herself, it's mental.
Nothing to do but keep her quiet,
avoid all reminders, avoid excitement,
lead her mind In other directions,
suggest normality. Nothing more pos
sible, unless We take her abroad for
hypnotic treatment and that doesn't
seem advisable. Nothing else to be
done. Question of time"
Then it's just a question Of getting
rid Of this fixed idea?"
"Well, but that's begging the whole
question, Crosby, don't you see? The
fixed idea Is the disease. You're a
layman, you know, and you look at 1t
with the simplicity of ignorance. No
offense meant, but that's the plain
fact. you know. Paulus doesn't call
1t hopeless, but Rome wasn't built in
a day. Nothing to do but wait
"I'm going to find something to do, I"
I said, because something has got to
be DONE"
Right spirit. Right way to face q
difficulty. Always best to be optim-
istic.s But Of course, you mustn't risk
any private experiments You under
stand that Might do harm. Hell's
paved with good intentions, you know,
and we've got an expert on the case.
Where there's any work for you, we'll
count you In. but you mustn't butt in. /"
rose from my chair. .."Of course
I've no idea Of putting in my oar with
out authority. Give me credit for that
much sense-and thank you for max
ing me understand the facts. Tell
Mr.. Tabor OF this conversation, will
you? I'm off to New York
Certainly. Certainly. BY the way
ulate you. Fine. Fine. Well, we've
all got to be patient and hope for the
best. IT'S hard, Of course. But LIES
hard struggle. A hard struggle
Good-by. Can you see your way
down."
AS Reid had intelligently observed
1t was hard. And the hardest part OF
it was the waiting. saw .Maclean
that same night, and without evincing
more than an ordinary curiosity about
spiritualism, arranged to be taken to
the next of the seances After that
there was nothing to do until one
should be held. The slender thread OF
coincidence between Sheila's ghost
stories and my experiences at the last
one was my single chance of discover
ing remedy Of which the doctors
did not know. Probably should dis
cover nothing of any use; but until
could contribute some definite help,
would not go back to Stamford. had
made more than enough trouble there
already. s,
It was another week before th<
chance came. And was q little sur
Eprised when Maclean conducted M
| not to the closed house we had before
visited, but to the house on Ninety
| second street to which | had followed
Doctor Paulus on his way home.
oh, they meet around at one an
others houses" Mac explained as We
went up the steps. TITS gang Of
social lights that's runnin' these stunts
as fad, you see? An the psychic
researchers, they ring in. Now this
fvr,e h In n
on your stomach besides your hand
You missed q pile of fun last perform
ance."
1t was Z very different sort of house
from the other; wide open and full OF
the sense of family inhabitance, {
house full of silk hangings and new
mahogany and vases of unreasonable
flowers, an orchid of q house. a house
where people would be like their owr
automobile, polished and expensive
and trifle fast. Professor Shelburgt
was there, looking little out of hi
element; and the others. by what
could tell were mostly the same peo
pie as before; but there were more o.
them, twenty or twenty-five all told
chattering.in groups about the brilliant
room and giving 1t almost the air of {
reception. 1t was evening, and the
electric light, and the formal dress o
most Of the guests added to the i'm
preston. had my flrst good look al
the medium before the proceeding
began; fattish, fluffy woman with
large eyes, pale-haired and slow-mov
ing. whose voluble trivialities of con
versation and dress exaggerated both
vulgarism and convention. For {
moment or two, wrestled with an un
canny certainty OF having seen hel
somewhere before, cropping abou
among recoIlections. Then all at once
remembered; she was the woman
who had been with us in the trolley
accident, the woman who had so cur
icusly discovered the whereabouts Of
the chain.
AS before the circle formed about
the center table consisted of only q
dozen or SO, and the rest of us were
left sitting about the walls. The
doors were closed, and the extinguish
ing of the lights left the room in al
most utter darkness. The greenisl
na1lOr about the cd oes If th<, yuind0vvs