Year: 1879

nance had become familiar to me, as in
vision, appeared and sought to rally
my dependency with words of hope
and encouragement.


You have had a long, bad spell,
Harden" he remarked, ''but you are
coming around all right now, and will
soon be out in the world again"


Then l was not in prison, but an in
sane asylum. Thank heaven, my wretch
ed guilt had not been discovered.


And then learned from the old man
the circumstances of my arrest as a lu-
natic, and the nature of my afaiction.
In the operation of trepanning at the
hands of unskilled surgeons, small
splinter of the fractured skull had been
left adhering in position to irritate
the membrane of the brain, and this
triiing oversight had caused the insan-
ity attended with such sad results, to
blast the happiness of my life forever,
and stamp my memory with the igno-
miny of murder.


The arrangement had been effectively
repaired by the skilled surgeon of the
asylum, and my mind now rapidly re-
covered its original power. But what
availed it, reflected bitterly; and why
had been restored from peaceful luna
cy to a consciousness to which death
would be q relief.


One morning the old attendant of
whom 1 had spoken interrupted my
gloomy meditation with countenance
more than usually cheerful, that
seemed to radiate the light of some hid
den hope.


Harden" he remarked, you are
growing vigorous again in both body
and mind. 1 have a message for you
that may excite you little. Do you
think you can stand an agreeable sur
priseP'


"Any thing agreeable to hear would
indeed be a SURPRISE" replied. "But,
my dear friend, fear the world could
now hardly afford message to me suf-
ficiently pleasurable to inspire any ap-
preciable excitement


"Well, if you are confident to that ex-
tent, will permit the bearer of the mes
sage to impart it directly to you.''


The old man withdrew and presently
returned with companion. A thrill,
premonitory of some great surprise,
startled me as heard the approaching
footsteps.


1 raised my eyes. Great heavens!
they met the old love-look of my wife,
ready to advance into my arms.


The ardor with which I returned her
embrace was assuring that my power of
nerve was restored.


The last great hallucination was dis
PEELED, and a ray of gladness burst in
upon my heart, streaming through the
dark cloud of despair that had hung
over me those long and wretched years.
1 laughed and wept by turns. And then
drew the recovered treasure of my life
more firmly to my breast, fearful 1 was
still in my dream, that might vanish
and leave me again in misery and
despair.


"And how did you follow me herep"
1 demanded, when sufficiently collected
to make the inquiry.


"There is your address" my wife re-
piled, handing me an Eastern paper
containing the following paragraph,
copied from San Francisco paper.


FOR SToCKToN.-An unknown man was
taken from a boarding house on Sansome
Street yesterday, aud brought before the
Commissioners of Lunacy, and by them COM
mitted to the asylum at Stockton. From
what could be gathered from his incoherent
talk, his name is Charles Harden, from New
York City, and he imagines himself to have
committed some serious crime. His insanity
is caused by fracture of the skull, which had
been improperly trepanned.


"And who was it that I struck down
and killedP"


"Your own reflection in our pier
glass mirror, which was shattered to
atoms the night you disappeared"


"And SO it was my own second self,
and none other.


1--WE remain in California, my wife
and I, for the air is genial, and its skies
blue and bright; and if at time recall
the recollection uf those long years OF
wretchedness and despair, it is that the
contrast may render the present more
peaceful and happy. ."-1Ae Argonaut.