The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1914-01-16
A Liar or
A Lunatic
By F. A. mitchell

around "A table in the cafe Of a New
York club. The subject turned on the
marvellous leatS that are said to be
performed by the fakirs Of India. A
number OF these feats were described,
each one more wonderful than the last,
when Ned Garland told the following:
You've hit on a subject that comes
very near home to me" he said, 'for
one OF my family was operated on by
one OF these Indians many years ago
with a result that has recently made
my hair curl.
During the last var with England
in 1914 or thereabouts-my ancestors
lived on the family estate or farm. for
that's all 1t was. not half q mile from
where we are now sitting. one day
my great-grandfather, Timothy Gar
land, Il young bridegroom. had Il quar-
rel with his wife and told her he Wisl.
| ed he might not see her again in 4 nun
dred years. Then he left the house
with a bang Of the door and, mounting
n horse, rode down to Fraunces' tavern,
where he proceeded to get gloriously
drunk.
The next day. when he was sober,
he was beside himself with remorSc
and rode back home to beg his wife's
pardon. He found her lying in a com
atose condition. from which it was i'm
possible 10 arouse her. she had left
with the servants Il paper for him on
which was written:
"You have wished YOU might not SEE me
again In a hundred years. You won't see
me az l was till that time has passed.
1.-The upshot Of it was that when he
had gone down to the tavern one of
these Indian hcattens came along. OF
fering TO tell my sreat-SrandmOthcr'S
fortune ard do many wonderful things.
She was full of anger at the time ana
told him size would give him all the
gold she had in a stocking if he would
put her TO sleep for n hundred years.
The rascal took her at her word and
performed the trick.
Her husband kept watching for her
to come to herself. He said nothing
about her condition. not caring to have
1t known that 1t was through his
%harshncss that she had come into it.
But she remained as she was. and aft
er awhile he locked her up in a room.
and since he made no mention of her
she was ut last forgotten.
when the farm was sold the family
vault was retained and the ground un-
ln-,Nant1 ,nIfnI, - ,t-nr ax-.A,,,tAI a,
seconded to me. When | came of age
a few weeks ago and took possession
OF 1t with other property | concluded
20 inspect 1t. | found IA grewsome
place full OF collins, some of which had
partly rotted away. One that had been
made OF marble interested me. From
Ii crack in the lid protruded Il paper.
! pulled it out and found that it had
been written in Il language l knew
nothing about.
II took the thing TO Il professor of I'M
known tongues In Columbia college.
and he told me it was written in one
Of the languages OF India and | had
to get M Indian OF that province to
interpret 1t. | hunted all over the east
side among the slums for such Il per
son and at last found one. 1t read in
English:
"Ihis lady is to be brought to life at the
expiration Of a hundred years, or in No
vember, 1913.
81 was told by the translator that
only an Indian fakir could do the job.
but luckily one had just arrived from
Bombay. and | was informed where
he was to be found. He read the pa
per and said he would try to bring my
great-grandmotber to life if | would
pay him 500 in case he succeeded. |
agreed to the terms. had the sarcopha-
gus removed 10 the top floor Of n
building I owned. paid in advance.
and the Indian went TO work.
"He wouldn't permit me- to be pres
ent during his manipulations. but call
ed me in after six hours. On Il lounge
was a woman about twenty-thrcc
| years OF age. She seemed only half
alive. but was sufficiently resuscitated
| to speak feebly.
"'.Iim.' she said, how could you|
"'I'm not Jim | said. I'm Ned
"'Oh. dear. What's the matter with
you, or is anything the. mQtter with
me? I feel so weak '%:"4T9
'She had evidently taken me for her
husband. my great-grandfather. who
! was Just my age in 1913.
II looked about for the Indian. and
he had gone. 1t struck me that I'd
better have some one about, and said
to my Observation-Disclosures:
please Gus me a moment. You
are not we'll and need attention. am
| going to summon assistance.
do you know That while | was
looking at her. even during. this short
time. she seemed to have grown older.
Without waiting for her consent | ran
downstairs. but as ! Went ii occurred
to me that I had better not be in a
hurry about the matter: there were
many dangers connected with it. l
paused. pondered and went back TO the
room. / suppose | had been gone
twenty minutes. And yet while | bad
been absent the resuscitated bride of
twenty-three had grown to be an old
woman OF l23. And ais I hooked she
- - L. IAl