The Detroit times., 1912-06-26
M.MAN IN M...
BROWN DERBY
&,
Wells HASTINGS
~ Author Of Geo
The Professors Mystery
(0grishtl9llby BobbI1enl "a
CHAPTER XIV.
(Contlnued.)

thing | felt In my pocket for my
matches. only TO find that | had lost
them. Sullenly thought back until
remembered. | had struck one
match when first found the room In
darkness, but, In my surprise al the.
barrenness its flare revealed, | must
have dropped the box which held the
others. So now | went down on my
hands and knees, and becoming the
creeping thing ! already felt myself,
fumbled the door In search OF them.
and by the light OF the first one FOUND
the fixture and lit the jet
This really was the room which
had been Nancy's. That my first
glance in the jumping fiickerlng light
showed me. Every trace of her occu-
pancy had gone. except the great
chair with its tattered covering, which
/ had distinguished her room from tue
others. But even in my cropping in
the dark had known II 10 be Nancys
room Humanity. in spite OF the ma
terialists, Is a strangely spiritual
thing, which leaves, even In passing,
certain invisible radiance, an intanS-
ible, nebulous train OF personal aura
faint and mystical, but still softly vi
brant and perceptible. at least TO one
other human being, whose receptive
senses are attuned by love. To limit
mankind 10 five senses is as obviously
superficial as are most or the dog
matte dictums OF science. really
knew before lit my first match that
Nancy was gone, and as certainly /
knew now that this had once been
her room.
For a while | was so selfishly abb
sorbed in the thought OF my coming
shame when | should find her that
even my curiosity was deadened; but
with the bare little room so lately
hers. and now so plainly before me
in the jumping gas light, began 10
wonder, at first In faint, suocon-
scious sort OF way and then with a
sudden leaping apprehension, where
they had taken her suppose that
had felt, even without full reallza-
ton. that she was only somewhere
else in the building. that in moving
her from this room, they had simply
put her in another; and that. once /
was QUIZ | should find her wherever
she was But now as my vague dis
quietude took a more concrete form
and sprang In a moment from numb
speculation TO positive dread, the
thought OF that menacing figure OF
the man in the brown derby came be-
fore me, and | found myself stand
| ing stark afraid, cold with dread aud
a consuming, murderous rage; for, OF
I a sudden. | had remembered the
dark room"
! IL was at this moment that the door
swung open, and the man in all the
world whom | most desired 10 see
stepped in | had not heard the bolts
undone, but now | heard them slip
softly into place behind him.
| think he had meant 10 meet me
with some hooking commonplace, but
he must have seen the murder in my
eyes, and like wise man determined
TO biGe his time; for almost as the
door shut | found myself looking into
the mouth of a revolver.
sit down." said Doctor Morrison,
very quietly.
Very reluctantly turned and took
the great, tattered chair which had
once been Nancy's. | wished with all
my heart to remain on my feet; for
standing, | could better watch my op-
| portunity, and when II came, take al
vantage OF it. But this was probably
the reason he desired me sitting, and
| II was perfectly evident that he wish
| ed nothing better than some excuse
+. for pulling the trigger. When | was
once seated, however. he began 10
laugh.
Your particular form Of insanity"
he began, interests me extremely. |
assure you that we have very few
patients who come here OF their owl
accord. In fact, in all the time that
have been connected with this insu-
tuition, | do not remember any one,
who realized that he must stay here
for life, voluntarily seeking such
lengthy course OF treatment and con-
finement."
Where have you put herr" ! asked.
Well" he said, this is another pc
culiar feature OF the case, one OF the
rarest condolences, in my Judgment,
In all psychopathic history You
doubtless believe, and | suppose will
calmly assert, that you were married
short time ago. and that some one
has taken your wife away from you.
You will say your name is Ellsworth,
and that you were married TO Miss
- what's her name? - Bond.
I believe. Is the same. That wouldn't
be SO funny, except for the coIncl-
dence; and that, TO my mind, Is
screamIngly humorous. You may not
believe it,-but. | forget, that, OF
course, is exactly what you do be-
llieve-but we have young lady here
whose name really is Bond, whose pc
culiar form OF hallucination is much
like yours; that she was married
short time ago land this will amuse
even you, incredible as II may SEEM 1,
to a man named Ellsworth. really
must write paper about it. or
course the thing may be simply
coincidence, and yet | can not believe
but that have discovered new form
OF hallucination. which | propose TO
call telepathic insanity
I watched him very carefully as he
spoke. He was evidently much pleased
with himself, and the cold, closest
ewes almost sparkled with pleasure
Once or twice he even waved the re-
volver In a sort OF. explanatory ges'
ture, a gesture which | soon hoped
TO make him repeat. | saw him at
close quarters. a man almost as tall
as I am, whose thick. sloping shout
ders. long arms, and broad, muscular
hands promised a strength beyond the
raFhA oh