The Winslow mail., 1913-02-01

desired my servant to announce Or
Schonenhauer, but he never really
came. | left the room, and watched
you from the passage. I heard you
cry out to that man and saw YOU take
an impression of that key. All during
today / kept you by my side. although
| did not need your services. I went
away to blind vou more completely. I
came hack when I thought | had
given you enough time to enter the
laboratory. All has happened as I
expected; not for an instant did YOU
deceive me, Now I will tell you my
secret.
1T Is a well.known fact in phvsi
elogy that in the dark the retina of
some animals displays a pigment
called visual purple If, for instance
a frog is killed in the dark and the
eye after death is exposed to an object
in the light, the image Of this object
becomes stamped on the retina. and
can be fixed there by a solution of
alum. Proceeding on this basis have
further discovered that by fixing my
own gaze for heightened time on an
object and then going into a. dark
room and gazing at an exposed pho.
tographic plate, the object I have been
looking at appears on the negative
when developed. Then | concluded
that even thought itself could be thus
photographed. This is what really
takes place, Subjective impressions
of thought cause molecular changes in
the cells of the brain. Why, then, may
these not also be capable of decom.
posing this visual purple and then
giving q distinct impression on a neg.
atiFe when exposed sufficiently long
to its influence? | have made expert.
ments and discovered that such is the
case. In dreams especially this i'm.
preston becomes terribly vivid. Nc
more fascinating problem has ever alb.
sorhed scientist. Ought not my vic.
tim congratulate himself on suffering
in such q vast cause? Night after
night I fasten back his eyelids with
specua, and as he sleeps his eyes are
wide open, staring at an exposed plate
for many hours in the dark. This
plate is destined to receive the i'm,
pressions made by his dream. Night
after night ] make different expert.
ments. These can be easily done by
giving my victim certain drugs, such
as cocaine, Indian hemp, opium and
others. The action of these drugs
causes extraordinary dreams This is
my secret. During the daytime | am
merciful. I feed my patient well: he
is not likely to die, although there is
possibility that he may become in.
sane through the sufferings undergone
by his nervous system Now, would
YOU like to see some of the developed
photographs ?"
No" I screamed You are q devil
in human shape: l will not listen to
any more"
Or. Chance came close to me.
Women are representative" he said
You wished to know. | warned YOU
that the secret was fraught with ter
ror. | had hoped that you would rise
above this horror, but I see that you
are distinctly human. Well, it would
Interfere vastly with my experiments
were you to proclaim my secret to
anyone else. Women. even the best
of them are not to he trusted with
such important matters | have no in.
tention of having the great dream Of
my life DESTROYED by the caprice of
girl. ] propose therefore. having i'm
parted to you my secret, to seal it for.
ever on your lips by death In five
minutes you will die"
Five minutes repeated. mechan.
iCa11y. A small clock standing on a
bench by my side showed me that in
five minutes more it. would be nine
o'clock. the hour when the consul
should arrive.
You are really most interesting
study, Miss Rennick." continued the
doctor. It is a sad pity that YOU can
not devote your life to the science you
might greatly benefit. Give me your
hand. ] want to walk around this dun
geon with you"
Ile stretched out his hand and took
mine. 7 did not refuse to walk with
him. He took me from end to end of
49,
denly sounded nine strokes in a sill.
very chime.
Your time is up said the doctor
He turned and then walked quickly
across the room. still holding my hand.
] strained my ears to listen, but there
was no sound the consul must have
failed me. ] was standing exactly I'M.
der the dome in a glass roof. had
Just put out my foot to ascend the
stairs, when a sudden noise startled
me. Before l could move a huge bell.
shaped glass had descended complete.
ly around me, and sunk into circular
groove on the stone flags at my feet.
Or. Chance was looking at me from
outside the wall of glass and grinning
with an expression of iendish tri,
umnh. He turned and pressed lever
beside the wall. There was a loud
humping as of piston working to
and fro, and q valve at my feet
opened and shut rapidly With suck.
no co!1nd Tho truth flo ,por, r,,o