The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1915-01-15
PORTRAIT With
A LIVING EYE
Weird Experience In a De-
serted House.

July, and the weather was delightful.
One evening after | had been out a
week | was riding on beach. looking
for a house in which to put up for the
night. On point of land standing out
into the ocean saw an octagon shaped
building and rode toward it. When l
reached the place | was disappointed
to fiEd it deserted. | cast my eye
northward along the beach for an in
habited dwelling, but could see none.
As it was growing dark. | determined
to dismOunt and see if / could effect an
entrance and spend the night there. |
found the house securely locked. Ait
er examining every door and window
on the ground floor l went down to the
waters edge to look again for another
habitation. While there | noticed Il
stone built opening that had evidently
been used for a sewer. Bending, | en-
tered it and walked till | came to Il
trapdoor. which I removed, and came
out into what had been the kitchen.
To my surprise, found a house that
had evidently been shut up for many
hogany chairs and sofas and four post
bedsteads. Pictures, all old fashioned
one was an engraving of General
Winfield Scott, labeled "Our Next Pres
ident" hung on the walls. Some of
them were oil portraits, one of fine
looking old gentleman who might have
been the owner of the place.
In the kitchen pantry was food that
had crumbled to dust. I found a candle
on the shelf, which | appropriated and
took with me into the principal bed
room. Opening the curtains, saw that
the bed was made up, though the bed
ding was yellow and had musty
smell But was tired and concluded
to cover it with a blanket | carried
with me and sleep there. Before doing
so I amused myself for few minutes
examining the furniture and the pic
lures. That of the old gentleman IN
tereSted me most.
A deserted house is not SIumber
winning place, and after a futile effort
to get to sleep | opened my eyes, glanc-
ing from one article in the room to an
other till they fell on the old mans
portrait Great heavens! The right
eye was not painted at all! 1t was
real; not only real, but it was looking
straight at me. I sat up in bed and
stared at it, as it was staring at me.
The other eve was still painted eye,
with the same expression | had noticed
in both before went to bed. l glanced
from one eye to the other in vain ems
deavor to detect the cause Of the diff
| ference.
No effort of self control could keep
me from looking again. 1t seemed to
me five or ten minutes at least-it was
doubtless the fraction of a minute
when | threw off the blanket. There
were the two eyes, the one of paint,
the other of reality. forming gro
tesQue contrast, the right eye looking
straight at me. Then suddenly there
was quick side glance and return to
the same position as before.
This was too much for my already
overstrung nerves. I gave cry of
agony and buried my face again under
my blanket.
1t occurred to- me that there was but
one chance of my retaining my reason
that was to occupy my mind till
morning l had often put myself to
sleep by repeating the multiplication
table. and after many Intellectual eff
forts to repeat the multiples Of 2 !
succeeded In fixing my mind on the
table and went through with it to the
end. As soon as I had finished l went
over it again and continued the process
till I at last fell asleep.
The sun rising out of the ocean cast
his first beams upon me and awakened
me. He was very beautiful to look
upon. but I was no sooner awake than
I remembered my experience of the
night before and turned to the por-
trait. Both eyes were painted and har-
monious as the night before. | got up
and stood directly beneath the picture
There was something like a line cir
cling the pupil Of the right eye Draw
ing the table to a position where |
could stand on it and face the picture.
/ mounted and put my finger against
the pupil of the uncertain orb. To my
surprise. my finger went through it
without assistance. / withdrew the
finger, and the pupil was again in place.
Then l saw that it had been cut so that
it swung from the upper edge by few
threads of the canvas. Some one had
used it for peephole
There has never been Il moment in
my life of such exquisite mingled joy
and relief as the discovery that l was
not on the verge of insanity. So inter
ested was l that / resolved to probe
the matter till l had discovered a com
plete explanation. In the adjoining
room l found hole in the wall coy
cred by picture and under it stand
on which l mounted and. lifting the
pupil of the old mans portrait. looked
down upon the bed in which | had
slept. Then / explored the house and