The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-02-26

IuWu AEAMlOIQ WIS CRISES .LQEI
3 are generally known as nervous" HeI
was courageous and versatile, as most
small town doctors have to be. Eel
would go his rounds fourteen hours
out of the twenty-four during epidem
les; would 60 with steady nerve
Though operations that would have
Died more celebrated surgeon; he
would listen patiently TO the queries
of young mothers over their infants
teething difticultes-all that sort OF
thing. But when patient said
nerves DR.. Laurence wished to give
mn.
Mrs. Laurence, however. had been
reading upon modern methods OF
treating nervous disorders IN the doc
tors medical journals aud in tho popu.
lar magazines. Ps.chopathic was he:
latest hoboy, and somehow In spite
% the five little Laurenc,s. Mrs. Laur-
ence always had tiue for some hobby
or anoth.r,
II really feel" she told the doctor
one evening, while the mothers help.
er, Vera, was patiently putting the
younger two Laltrences to bed and
the older two were dancing an Indian
war dance as preliminary TO putting
Themselves TO bed. II really think that
would have positive talent for psh-
chic healing. You. know reputable
doctors are taking 1t up now. There
is g wonderful future for 1t. ! don't
see why you don't go in for that sort
OF thing AL the best doctors are do
ing 1t. Take Robert Ludwel for In.
stance. His case is purely psyche
Z pathic- perfectly absurd for you to
look at the case in any other way.
What You want to do is to get down
deep at the root of the matter. He
doesn't sleep and he's losing weight,
not because he has overworkel on
that book Of his, as you tell him, but
because OF some fear image that turks
In his mind. It Is your duty TO probe
down till you find II and then, through
the force Of your mentality over his,
to dispel that fear image"
$50 you said" commented DR..
Laurence; and then-'perfect bosh,
perfect bosh. (" He paced back and
forth before the living room open fire.
u wish i could do, something for
Robert, however"
There was suddenly an unusual
note of pleading in Mrs. Laurence's
voice. viii you let me try?" she
said, and apparently DIR, Laurence
agreed, although il he did agree It'll
was surely not because he had any
interest in his wife,s theory of psy.
chic healing.
The first step! In Mrs. Laurences
campaign to cure Robert Ludwell took
place the next evening, when the doc
AT asked him to spend the evening
at his house, without, of course, sug.
costing to him that Mrs. Laurence was
going 70 administer her first treat
ment in psychic healing.
There was considerable confusion.
Vera, the mothers helper, had been
away on her very rare afternoon off.
: The twins refused to be put to bed
by any one, else and their. rebellion
gave the cue to the older child to fall
down stairs, with considerable injury
TO his tired feelings, but no great
bruising So dinner was late and the
confusion still was discernable when
Robert arrived.
There were intermittent walls from
the nursery, a slanming of dishes In
the kitchen and glimpses of the rather
nush-faced, distracted Vera as she
pursued the older children through the
living room In her effort to pack them
of to bod. But Mrs. Laurence was
Ivy 1AAGa W bG NY SUCH
mild domestic confusion and :eventu-
ally She managed to. sit beside MI.
Ludwel1 alone before the fireplace ana
make the first probing.
She discovered one thing. He had
a horror Of boarding houses. He dis.
liked boarding house coffee. He like
wise had5a horror OF any sort of con.
fusion. He intimated when Mrs.
Laurence asked him point. blank why
he had never married that possibly it
was because he was a recluse by ma
ture. He had to have quiet for his
writing.
So Mrs. Laurence decided to invite
Mr.. Ludwell to leave his boarding
house and to spend month at the
Laurence establishment. There he
would have no more boarding house
coffee, there would be no more con.
fusion, she was sure.
She was surprised when he accept.
her and the doctors invitation. She
hadn't expected he would come so
willingly. And the doctor was even
more surprised.
He says he wants to be away
from confusion?" gasped the doctor.
am sure you. don't think there
is ever any confusion here" said Mrs.
Laurence, .and the coffee Is Certainly
better than the kind one gets in al
boarding house" Mrs. Laurence was
planning now for her system of psy.
chopathic treatment on Mr.. Ludweli,
Il she succeeded with him she might
take the work up as career-she
might become quite a specialist.
Meantime DR.. Laurence had been
making observations, and he had al.
served q pair of pretty blue eyes which
he had come to regard with some.
thing akin to fatherly affection. He
noticed that at times those eyes turn.
ed q very soft limpid blue and then
dropped in confusion. And then he
would glance across the room, only to-
find pair Of supposedly melancholy
dark eyes suddenly delve deep in a
book or newspaper.
sH At times Mrs. Laurence was profuse
IN her apologies to Mr.. Ludweli. AT
breakfast, she would ask him how he
slept. hope you didn't hear the
twins" she would say. aThey were up
earlier than usual, and Richard fell
out Of bed. You may have heard him
screaming in the night; mot hurt.