Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 September 1920 — THE MAN WHO WASNT HIMSELF [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE MAN WHO WASNT HIMSELF

By ROBERT AMES BENNET

SYNOPSIS. CHAPTER I.—Alighting rrom a train at Denver a well-dressed traveler in familiarly accosted by a man about bls own age. The traveler Ignores the advance. A few minutes later he Is greeted as "Will” by an elderly lady and gentleman, Who stop their auto to speak. He imagines it a case of mistaken identity and announces himself as “Richard Clinton," on his way to the coast. The couple appear greatly surprised, and learning he is to be In town until midnight, the lady, introducing herself as Mrs. Kirkland, and her husband as Doctor Kirkland, Invites him to explaining the action by his truly remarkable resemblance to a friend of theirs. He accepts. At the Kirkland home he meets a young lady who greets him as her fiance. She is Ellen Kirkland, and plainly 1? greatly hurt by bls assertion that he Is "Richard Clinton. CHAPTER ll.—At dinner "Clinton” learns that his host is a medical specialist and that he is believed to be Will Lowrie, a young man who had been suffering from a nervous breakdown and had gone east for medical treatment. Lowrie bad had in his possession bonds of the Value of >IOO,OOO, belonging to the bank Where he was employed, which have disappeared and of which he has no recollection. With Dr. Kirkland "Clinton” goes to the Lowrie home, the doctor bettig satisfied that Amy Lowrie, Will’s sister, will convince "Clinton” he Is really Lowrie, suffering from loss of memory. CHAPTER lll.—Amy declares at once be Is her brother, and insists on treating him as such, to his great embarrassment. CHAPTER IV.—Doctor Kirkland arranges to send a telegram to the sanitarium where Lowrie Is undergoing treattnent, Inquiring as to his whereabouts. CHAPTER V.—Ellen and Amy try is vain to convince "Clinton" he Is Will Lowrie, brother of one and the fiance of the Other. He visits the bank with Doctor Kirkland and cashes a draft. Bemm tells the president of the bank he is sure "Clinton” Is Will Lowrie and agrees to find out the whereabouts of the missing bonds CHAPTER Vl.—With Bemm "Clinton" visits the athletic club and there Bemm discovers that a birthmark, familiar to Lowrie’s friends, has disappeared from "Clinton’s” arm. Bemm Is somewhat disconcerted but unconvinced. That evening an answer to Doctor Kirkland’s telegram arrives, with the Information that the superintendent of the sanitarium is away, and the matter is left thus. CHAPTER Vll.—Bemm Is very much in love with Amy Lowrie. Her brother has discouraged the Intimacy, and Bemm Chirrs he can prove to Amy that her baßer has made away with the bonds laJKls in danger of prosecution, from j only Bemm can save him. VIII.—That evening Amy 4Kitsvfier “brother" In his room, in sisterly playfulness insisting he brush her hair. She tells him part of Bemm’s conversation and he is indignant. To convince her he is not her brother he shows ber his arm, from which the birthmark is gone. Amy, believing at last, hastens from the room in maidenly shame, and ••Clinton" at once leaves the holise. CHAPTER IX. —"Clinton," about to leave town. Is arrested, and Doctor Kirkland and the ladies visit him at the police gtaUon. The doctor arranges for his reCHAPTER X—At the Kirkland residence, where the party goes, Bemm, still certain "Clinton” is his former acquaintance, Lowrie, makes a proposition to him to return the bonds, promising Immunity from prosecution in return for his Inducing Amy to accept him as her fiance. ••Clinton” throws him out of the house. Doctor Kirkland makes up his mind to have the young man remain In his sanitarium for observation and probable cure. CHAPTER Xl.—Arriving at the sanitarium "Clinton” finds he is practically a prisoner. In hot indignation he denounces the doctor, and Ellen gives him back his ring, declaring their engagement at an •nd. "Clinton” assures Amy he will really go Insane if confined, for any length of ume, and she shows him how he can •scape that night, promising to have an auto across the road to take him to her bouse.

CHAPTER XII. — "Clinton” escapes from the sanitarium, as arranged, meets Amy, and they drive home safely. At the house he endeavors to make Amy see, once for all, that he is really "Richard Clinton,” declaring his affection for her as a lover. The girl realizes that her fondness for him is more than sisterly, and, almost convinced, leaves him and takes refuge with Tillie. CHAPTER XHI.-In the taomlng EHen and Bemm arrive with the announcement of "Clinton’s” escape, Bemm practically accusing Amy of complicity In the matter. Circumstances indicating that the fugitive Is in the house, he proceeds to make a search, but is Interrupted by a message from police headquarters that Lowrie has been seen In City Hall park. । He laughed at the absurdity of the confession. “What? You funny little Toodlums. Who was so anxious last year for me to be the lucky man?” He kissed the blushing forehead of his .blissfully happy fiancee. “I don’t care,” Amy sought to defend herself. “You’ve been jealous of •Charlie. You know you have.” He frowned. “You’ve not encouraged .that fellow? I warned him —” “Don’t worry,” she Interrupted. "Ellen has settled him.” “Ellen?” he queried. “My dear boyI” Interposed Mrs. Kirkland. “You aye still leaving us out’ "Never!” he gaily rejoined. “It’s only that I’ve already got my arms full. If I had a third arm —and an extra hand to grip Doctor’s!” He beamed back at ■ them; but suddenly turned to cast an Inquiring look arqund him, and demand: “But Where’s Momsey?’’ “Why, you’re still muddled,” remarked Amy. “Don’t you remember?” twitched with apprehension. what? They refused to give me any letters! I’ve %not heard a word all these fearful Utapifths! What is it? Has Momsey P" «No, no, dearest,” Ellen reassured him. “She is all right.” ’ i ‘ “Then why Isn’t she here?” “But She has not yet returned from

the Springs," replied Mrs. Kirkland. “She is down at .the Springs?” “Don't you remember?” “My dear,” said the physician, “you and the girls forget that he knows nothing of what has hapifened to his other personality, nothing whatever." “Other personality?” sharply queried the young man. “What do you mean, Doctor?” “Keep calm, my boy. It is a not unusual occurrence —nothing to worry about a condition easily curable with proper treatment. You may find it difficult to believe, but ever since we met you at the station ” “Met me? I didn’t see you. I ” “la your other personality,” explained the physician. “And took you home to dine with us,” added his wife. “You didn’t remember even me,” reproached Ellen. “Nor me, when doctor brought you home,” chimed in Amy. He stared at Doctor Kirkland in consternation. “Heavens! You all talk as if — Delusions! more delusions, when I was so sure!” “Now, now, my boy? there is nothing serious about your condition,” replied the physician. “It is only that —” “More delusions!” muttered the frightened young man. “It’s all a daze —a dream —ever since I gave that attendant the slip . . . caboose, sleeper, daycoach—a blurred jumble. Yet it seems —yes, I did take the Park Hill car. Then the park; then —but that’s all dark —nothing till I was lying there in the old brick-yard pit, the blood trickling down my face, but my head clear —” “Oh ! you fell! you hurt your head!” cried Ellen. “Let us see! Papa, look at it!” “But It’s nothing, nothing at all, darling,” replied her loVer. “Or rather, it’s everything—the luckiest bump that ever happened. I don’t know, but it must have jarred loose something in my brain. Ever since I came to, my head has been as clear as crystal. The very first moment I recognized the pit as the place in which —” “Bump! shock!” boomed Doctor Kirkland. “Proves my diagnosis; functional lesion, or possibly a blood clot — physical shock— My boy, you’re all right now —nothing to fear. All that is past —your amnesia, dissociation, this secondary personality that has caused you to fall to recognize us all these days.” “But I have not failed to recognize you. I knew you all at once.” “Why, Will,” replied Amy. “Don’t you really remember? You’ve been with us ever since two evenings before last.” At the statement his face became

vivid with renewed alarm and consternation. He thrust the girl from him, to grope desperately Inside his waistcoat. The others stared apprehensively at these signs of frenzy. From his bosom he jerked out a large bulging earth-stained envelope and waved It frantically at Doctor Kirkland. “Look! look!” he panted. "Quick! Is it—hallucination? Tell met” . The physician seized and ripped opeh the envelope. “Hey? what?*’ he exclaimed —“Bonds. . . . The bonds!” “A-a-hl—Then they are real . . . real as you, darling Ellen!” The girl qjet the eager lips that bent down to her upturned face. "Yes, yes, dearest,” she whispered. “Now you’re your real self—all is real!” I The physician’s lips were moving In rapid count of the bonds. His voice became audible: " —seven, eight, nine, ten —ten! ... everyone for ten thousand—” voice boomed joy-

ouHy: “One hundred thousand! AD there! the full amount! not one lost!” “Thank Heaven!” cried the young man. “That saves me! . . . All those months, those dreary awful months —worry, worry, w’orry; groping? trying to remember. Yet it was there, the memory, down under.- 1 knew it was there. It was that which compelled me to keep trying to escape from them —time after time. Anti when at last I did, It led me in thai half-blind daze all the way home—it led me to the pit." “The pit?”, questioned Mrs. Kirkland. “In the abandoned brickyard beyond City Park. . . . The moment I came to, and looked around. I recognized the place. I went straight to the hole where I had hidden the bonds.” “You hid them out there?” exclaimed Ellen. “Yes. All flashed back into my mind —all about that day when Bemm brought me down from Pueblo —the fear that drove me half insane when he flippantly suggested that we might get away with the bonds by smashing and setting fire to the car and pretending the bonds were burned up in the wreck.”

“He did that? Charlie did that?” cried Amy. "But he is a detective!” "Yes, I found that out afterwards, Toodluins. I suppose he was trying to test my Integrity. I can’t believe worse of him. But I was then in a bad way, and what he suggested completely unbalanced me. I was certain he meant to steal the bonds from me. I must have been half insane. To save them from him, I rented a safe deposit box and pretended to him that I had put them In It; but instead I want out past City Park and wandered about until I found the hiding place In the clay pit.” "So that was it,” remarked Amy. He did not reply. He was engrossed In gazing into Ellen’s tender gray eyes. The fond parents beamed upon the blissful couple. Amy sighed and stole out of the room, unheeded by the others. Ellen snuggled closer to her lover. “You fell into the pit,” she rec: ’led the mishap. “Your poor dear head!” “Only a little cut,” he reassured her. “I wiped the blood off my face, and hurried home with the bonds to see Momsey and Amy before rushing down to the bank. I did not wish to see you until I could tell you I had restored the bonds. There was no one in the front of the house; so I went direct to the bathroom. I my head and started In to my room—Who Is the man visiting here?” “Visiting here?” repeated Mrs. Kirkland. “What made you think that? There has been no man staying here except yourself, Will.” “No one!” he cried. “You say no one? Then I’m not cured! —it was an hallucination!” “Here, here, keep quiet I This won’t do,” ordered Doctor Kirkland. “What was it? Explain.” The young man sought to repress his shuddering. “I—when I—when I opened the passage door there was a—a something across at the mirror—lt—it—” “Pooh!” ridiculed the physician. “Your own reflection." “Then why—why was it’s back to me?” »*lt’s back?” quavered Ellen. “Oh, Will!" “Pooh! pooh! Nothing to it, my boy,” insisted the physician. “Merely a freak of vision. Think no more about it Amy—What! Where is Amy?” i - “Indeed, where —?” murmured Mrs. Kirkland, gazing about the room. “She has gone out . . . Perhaps she has gone to call Tillie. Would it not be well to telephone the good news that Will is safe home?” “Yes, yes, to be sure—police, bank, sanitarium —all!” shouted her husband, and he rushed out to the telephone. “They’ll come here, dearest,” whispered Ellen. “You ehall qot leave me!” “How could I?” he rapturously replied. Mrs. Kirkland sank Into a chair to dab her tearful eyes and smile upon the lovers. (TO BE CONTINUED.)

“Quick! Is It Hallucination? Tell Me."