The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-05-22
which the freight family played and

which the freight family played and
flickered. did see clearly large fish
which lay beside him on fagstone
close to the fire. To Judge by his atti-
tude, he appeared to be gazing intently
into the heart of the blaze. Once he
stopped forward little as if to feed the
fire. Still shouting questions, sprang
from my bed and rushed toward him,
intending to lay my hand OH his Shout
der. Then I came violently into csl-
lision with something solid; it was
wardrobe which stood against the wall
of the room in front of my bed. Re-
covering myself, l could see the vision
still before me as clear and distinct as if
I saw it with my eyes; indeed l have
not the least doubt that I did see it
with my eyes. Then soft arms were laid
around me, and l was raised up. 1t was
my mother, who had run up stairs, hear
ing my cries. She put me back in bed.
All the whole family had rushed to the
room greatly frightened by my scream
ings and loud. excited talk. Though
there were candles i'll the room, still
saw the apparition, vision or whatever
it might be called, and still urging my
mother and brothers to see it, too, was
deposited in bed and even forcibly held
down; then when was again able to
look in the same direction the vision
was gone.
Of course my mother concluded at
once that was ill, laboring perhaps
under all acute gastric attack, the COM
mencement Of Il gastric fever, and was
treated i'll the assumption that was
suffering from that common child S
ma]ady and dosed with the usual medi-
cines. My mother was surprised in the
morning to find no sign of illness upon
me and still more SO when the doctor de-
clared that was perfectly WELL
Though was kept in bed, my broth
ers We're admitted to see me. OF course
l told over and over again the whole
story of the vision.
Jack is alive somewhere, kept
saying, land must be searched for"
why do you go on like that, Char
ley?" they said. Don't you know that
he is dead? 1t was n dream.'
ut was no dream" answered. IL
was as broad awake as you are. saw
him, and how could l see him if he
wasn't alive:"
But how could he he in the room?
There is no trace of fire here. How can
you he SO foollsh?"
mo, replied, "he wasn't in the
room, of course. When l struck the
press, which stands against the wall
here, l could SEQ him still beyond me.
So of course he wasn't in the room.
But he was somewhere else. and saw
him, and he is alive"
On the following night, shortly after
the big mahogany clock in the lobby
struck 8, continued to watch in
tently for the reappearance of the vi
sion. Nothing came, however, though
heard the clock strike o. But on the
following night l had an experience
quite us surprising to myself, though not
to others, as that vision of the fire and
my brother sitting between mo and it.
A few minutes after the clock struck !
seemed to grow suddenly and curiously
cold, and while still staring out into
the darkness l was aware of the words
the Devils Parlor" coming into my
mind. did not hear the words ut all
with my ears. 1t was as if my mind
had ears and that heard the words in
that way, very clear and distinct. but
not Mt all MS if spoken by any audible
voice. l did not cry out or make any
noise on this occasion, but resolved to
stay awake and tell my brothers when
they came to bed. l fell asleep, how
ever, before they came up. In the morn
ing l awoke them and told what had
happened. They treated me as little
Joseph was treated by his brothers;
nevertheless saw them look signiti-
cantly at each other. After breakfast
and before school hours they went off
together, Ned bringing his cornopean
with him. The DEVILS Parlor" was I'M
awe inspiring cleft, the opening to some
deep and mysterious subterranenn hol-
low In the side of u long hill which
lay about mile westward from the
rectory. AS l afterward learned, my
two brothers went to the cleft, shouted
down into it both together, and Ned
blow his cornet-a-piston, mouth down
ward. awaking huge echoes and rever-
berations there. Then they listened, but
heard no reply. They hardly spoke tn
me at all after this and never about my
mysterious visions and experiences.
The an,na Inv tr.,1y fro,,, <l,o a.; ,1nl,on.,7
i'll the dining room a great homemade
brown cake, and going off by myself
rolled it down tho DEVILS Parlor. "
Two days afterward l took and rolled
down another and continued to tell cv-
cry ono that Jack was alive and in the
"Devil's Parlor.' had rolled down
some half dozen cakes in this manner
when my mother, who was aware of the
rapid disappearance of her cakes, dis
covered me in the act of making off with
one.
That night she and my father had a
consultation on my case, and tho fol-
lowing day was sent off to an uncle
and aunt who lived in an adjoining
county. OF course my parents thought
that my mind was affected, and my
mother attributed it to excessively long
school hours and too much brain work
At my uncle's l had nothing to do but
amuse myself, and gradually came to
think that perhaps what my uncle and
aunt said was true, and that these ex-
periences were only dreams or lively
imaginations, which was the expression
they used. l was to come home at
Christmas, but early in November a