The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-04-13

reason why I should spare him and LEI
an innocent man suffer for him"
Especially when you loved the. In
nocent man." I added to myself. but
managed to keep the words from my
lips.
AS soon as told 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.
Meditation, 1t seems, Is essential to it
and 1t was by gazing at the crystal that
enc could separate ones soul from
ones body and so attain pure and pro-
found meditation"
Was that your first experience OF
crystal gazing?" Godfrey asked
Yes; both he and my father had
often tried to persuade me to join them
They often spent whole nights there
But 1t seemed to me that the breaking
down of fathers will was due to 1t in
some wa; l grew to have a fear and
horror of it, and so 1 always refused
The change In your father was un-
doubtedly directly traceable to It,"
Godfrey agreed. During those periods
of crystal gazing, he was really in a
state OF hypnosis, induced by Silva,
with his mind bare to Silva's sugges-
tons: and as these were repeated, he
became more and more a mere echo of
Silva's personality. That was what
Silva desired for you, also"
Il felt something of the sort, though
| never really understood it," said Miss
Vaughan; and as l sat there on the
dlvan that Sunday afternoon, with his
burning eyes upon me, I was terribly
afraid. His will was so much stronger
than mine, and besides, l could not
keep my eyes from the crystal. In the
and hn1 FAH1 e..I .l-NTzw
She pressed her hands to her eyes, as
though it was still before her.
THE vision Of your fathers deathr
questioned.
She nodded.
with Swain as the murderer"
How did you know" she asked, as
tonished.
In me the next evening. But don't let
me interrupt"
II don't know how long the seance
lasted" she continued: some hours, I
suppose, for 1t was dark when l again
realized where l 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
spell Of crystal gazing. No wonder 1t
impressed you. But 1t was really only
clever trick"
Il realize, now, that 1t must have
been a trick" she agreed: but at tho
time it seemed an unQuestionable proof
of his divine power When 1t was
over, 1 had just sufficient strength OF
will remaining to tear myself away
from him and gain my own room and
lock the door"
you mean he tried to detain your"
Not with his hands. But could
feel his will striving to conquer mine
Even after l was In my room, could
feel him calling me. In the morning,
was stronger. lay in bed until nearly
noon. trying to form some plan, but |
| began to fear that l must give 1t up.
realized that, after a few more nights
like the night before. I should no
| longer have a will of my own-that
what I was pretending would become
| a reality l decided that l could risk
one more day-perhaps two, but felt
very weak and discouraged. You see.
| l did not know what to look for, or
| where to look. l wanted evidence
| against him, but 1 had no diea what
the evidence would be. l wanted to
! search his room, but l 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 te little closet next to 1t.
IT got up, at last, and after break
| fast he met me here in the library He
| suggested another seance, but pleaded
| q headache, and he walked with me
about the grounds. l remembered that
| you were to come in the evening, Mr..
Lester and l determined to leave you
| with him, on some preteXt, and search
his room then. 1 told him you were
| coming, that l had asked you to take
| charge of my affairs, and it was then
he told me of the legacy he believed
my father had left him, adding that
whether the legacy should stand or not
was entirely in my hands. Then be-
gan to feel his influence again, and
managed to excuse myself and go in
doors
You know what happened in the
evening, Mr. Lester. AS soon as I left
you, l flew to his room, determined tc
search it at any cost. But l was
scarcely inside, when I heard the out
er door open, and had just time to get
behind the curtains in one corner,
when someone entered. Peering out,
saw that it was Mahbub. He looked
about for moment and then sat down
on the divan, folded his feet under him,
and fell into a contemplation OF the
sphere. l scarcely dared to breathe.
was always afraid Of Mahbub," she
added; far more so than Of Senior
Silva About Senior Silva there was at
least something warm and human; but
Mahbub impressed me somehow as a
brother of the snake, he seemed so cold
and VenOmOus."
You knew he was dead?" I asked,
as she paused.
Continued next week.)