Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-04-12

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house. only at the last did 1 realize
the desperate nature OF the man.
She stopped and shivered slightly.
Tell us what happened" | said.
ut was on Sunday afternoon" she
continued, that | went to Senior Silva
and told him that | had decided to
carry out my fathers wish. renounce
the world, and become Il priestess OF
silva. l shall never forget the fire in
his eyes as he listened-they fairly
burned into me-"
"Ah.' said Godfrey. $50 that was
She looked at him inquiringly.
Except upon on hypothesis he eN-
Planned. that action ON your part
would have embarrassed Silva. and he
would have tried to dissuade You. He
had left him by your ather's will this
valuable place and 81, 600. 900. If money
mad been all he sought, that would
nave satisfied him. and he would have
tried to get rid of you. That he did
hot-that his eyes burned with eager
ness when you old him of your decis-
ion-proves that he loved YOU and
wanted you also"
A brighter color swept into Miss
Naughan's checks, but she returned his
gaze bravely.
II think that is true" she assented,
IN a low voice. lit was my suspicion
or that which mad me hesitate-but
llhaliy decided that there was no
reason why l should spare him and let
an innocent man suffer for him"
Especially when YOU loved the in
nocent man." l added to myself. but
managed to keep the words from my
lips.
AS soon as I old him of my decis-
ION, Miss Vaughan continued, ''he led
me to the room where the crystal
sphere is. placed me on the divan. sat
down opposite me. and began to ex-
plain to me the beliefs of his religion.
Medltatlon, 1T seems, is essential to it,
and 1T was by gazing at the crystal that
enc could separate ones soul from
found meditation."
was that your first experience of
crystal gazing?" Godfrey asked.
Yes; both he n my father had
oIten tried to persuade me to join them.
Ihey often spent whole nights there.
but 1T seemed to me that the breaking
down of fathers will was due to it in
some way; l grew to have a fear and
horror of 1T, and so I always refused"
Inc change in your father was UNI
doubtedly directly traceable to it,"
Goo1fey agreed. During those periods
state of hypnosis, induced by Silva,
with his mind bare to Silva's sugges-
tlons: and as these were repeated. he
became more and more a mere echo of
Si!va's personality. That was what
Silva desired for you, also"
Il felt something of the sort, though
never really understood it," said Miss
Vaughan; land as 1 sat there on the
dlVan that Sunday afternoon, with his
BURNING eyes upon me, l was terribly
afraid. His will was so much stronger
than mine, n besides, 1 could not
keep my eyes from the crystal. In the
end, l had a vision-a dreadful vision"
Sha nrQCcod how hor5c %0 l,..
though it was still before her.
The vision of your fathers death?"
l questioned.
She nodded.
With Swain as the murderer"
How did you know?" she asked. as.
tonished.
Because he induced the same vision
in me the next evening. But don't let
me interrupt"
Il don't know how long the seance
lasted h continued; some hours, l
suppose, for it was dark when l again
realized where 1 was. And after din
ner, there was another; and then at
midnight he led me to the roof and
invoked what he called an astral bene-
diction-a wonderful, wonderful thing.
Godfrey smiled drily.
You were overwrought, Miss
Vaughan" he said, land straight from
a spell of crystal gazing. No wonder it
impressed you. But it was really only
a clever trick"
II realize, now, that it must have
been a trick she agreed; but at the
time it seemed an unquestionable proof
of his divine power. When it was
over, 1 had just sufficient strength of
will remaining to tear myself away
from him and gain my w room and
lock the door"
you mean he tried to detain you?"
Not with his lands. But 1 could
feel his will striving to conquer mine.
feel him calling me. In the morning, 1
was stronger. 1 lay in bed until nearly
noon. trying to form some plan, but I
began to fear that / must give it up. I
realized that, after a few more nights
like the night before, / should no
longer have a will of my own-that
what 1 was pretending would become
a reality. 1 decided that 1 could risk
one more day-perhaps two, but 1 felt
very weak and discouraged. You see.
1 did not know what to look for. or
where to look. I wanted evidence
against him, but I had no diea what
the evidence would be. 1 wanted to
search his room, out I had not been
able to, because he was scarcely ever
out of it, except when he was with me,
and. besides, Mahbub was always
squatting in tie little closet next to it.
Il got up, at last, and after break
fast he. met me here in h library. He
suggested another seance, but 1 pleaded
a headache, and he walked with me
about the grounds. 1 remembered that
you were to come in the evening, Mr..
Lester. and 1 determined to leave you
with him, on some pretext, and search
coming, that 1 had asked you to take
| charge of my affairs. and it was then