Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-09-03

1t was this incident of seeing the
chain hanging down and Of going to
the door that suggested cure for my
unpleasant restlessness after the nap
in the library. / opened the door and
went outside for walk.
The moon in its last quarter was
rising in a cloud-filled sky. There was
light one instant and then dark | ex-
pected the dogs to join me, but none
came.
A challenge arose within me-tO go
down by the way toward the haunted
pool 1t was the moral taunt of a sug-
gested cowardice. / thought of the
place and of all had been told Of 1t;
and the instructive apprehension, per-
ceptible as I stood on the steps to the
entrance, provoked the challenge.
1t seemed imperative. 1t would have
been a moral retreat to go back into
| the house, as would have been sensible,
! lock the door and go to bed. That
seemed like backing down in the face
Of an inviting danger. These chal-
lenges are inconseQuential, but~they
seem important to character.
| did not have the real moral cour-
age, which was to turn my back on the
invitation and go indoors. I went down
the steps to prove to myself my conf
dence In myself-thereby disproving
/ it.
AS neared the pool, the moon went
| behind a cloud. | came to clump or
bushes. The moon came from behind
its cover. There was gentle food
of returning light. / was in, or rather
behind. a screen Of trees and brush.
The pool was fifty feet away.
At the edge of the pool man was
revealed in the moonlight. He leaned
on a stick.
The moon went behind another
cloud. and the figure on the bank be-
came indistlnct. 1t almost disappeared.
/ stood still, with apprehensive shud-
ders working up and down my spine.
The phenomenon was outrageous and
/ unbelievable. The moonlight flashed
out again for an instant. / saw the
figure again but persuaded or tried to
persuade myself that did not see it,
/ to say to myself that it was bush
/ twisted into extravagant shape by my
Imagination.
The moon went under great dark
| cloud. I made moral and physical
retreat. I did not run. That would
j have been an honest confession and
expression Of desire. I was hypocriti-
cal and walked, but my moral defeat
was complete.
There was a man at the haunted
pool.
1 had seem him and something had
i deferred me from speaking to him
finding out who he was or why he was
there.
A really violent change came into
our lives. A suggestion that Mr.. Sid
ney go to the South for the winter was
acted upon, and within month was
separated from the place and people
so important in my affections. Doc
tor Brownell had been called to Hart
ley house by Mr.. Sidney's discourag-
ing condition. Our invalid had over
taxed himself the evening he displayed
such activity in bis room, such IN
usual strength and agility. The fol.
lowing morning he was almost in col
lapse. was alarmed and telephoned
Doctor Brownell, who came out at
once.
"You will see his will pull him
through" he said. "If it were not for
that, I should be alarmed. He very
low"
"I blame myself for permitting the
unusual exertion," I said. MY judg-
ment was deluded, think, by my hap
piness at seeing him so strong. He
really seemed strong. It did not seem
fictitious or unnatural"
i ! Doctor Brownell said that the phe-
nomenon was not new in his expert
ence with Mr.. Sidney's case.
j 81 have had it six years." he said,
"and this is the sixth time he has gone
from unexplained and unnatural
strength to extreme and dangerous
weakness. And always in the fall
j somewhere about this time. Each time
! I have seen his will assert itself and
strengthen him in his exhaustion"
The day | called Doctor Brownell /
! had been too concerned and alarmed
to pay much attention to anyone but
Mr.. Sidney and did not observe until
toward evening that Jed was malig-
nantly unfriendly again in his attitude
toward me. Finally he made it appar-
ent by a bit Of vicious insolence.
had determined never again to take
hold Of that nettle gingerly but to
clutch it.
"What do you mean by that?"
asked.
'There is a plague Of off1ciousness
about here, or has been since you
came" he said. "You locked the front
door last night some time, didn't your"
81 found it open this morning, and
| after had walked about the grounds
for a while came in and threw the
bolt" I told him.
He seemed unpleasantly astonished
| -jolted and disturbed.
''You were abroad last night !" he
exclaimed.
"You had locked me in, know"
said, cor thought you had. / found
my door bolted when I went back to
my room. l wasn't In it when you
bolted it," I added 81 was asleep in
the library. When awakened went
outside for moment. The door was
vxyhn