Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 July 1881 — A Cure by Imagination. [ARTICLE]

A Cure by Imagination.

Chamber's Journal. At a large hotel the not uncommon dilemma arose of there being only one room in the house vacant when two visitors required accommodations for the night. It was a double bedded chamber, or was soon converted Into .such, aud the two guests—who were both commercial travelers—agreed to share it. One of these gentlemen was a confirmed hypooondrlao, and greatly alarmed his companion by waking up in tbe middle of the night, gasping for breath. “Asthma,” he panted out; “I am subject to these spasmodic attacks. Open the window quickly. Give me air.” . Terrified beyond mea|ure, the other Jumped out of bed. But the room was pitch dark; he had nojmatcbes, aud he had forgotten tbe position of the window. “For heaven’s sake, be quick!”gasped the invalid. “Give me more air or I shall cnoke to death!”* At ledgth, by dint of groping wildly and upsetting half the furniture in the apartment, the window was found, but it was an old-fashioned casement, and no hasp or catch was to be discovered. “Quick, quick! air, air!” implored the apparently dying man. “Open it, break it, or I shall be suffocated!’’ Thus adjured bis friend lost no time but, seizing a boot,smashed every pane and the sufferer immediately experienced great relief. “Oh, thank you, a thousand thanks. Ha!” drawing deep sighs which testified to the great comfort he derived, “I think in another moment I should have been dead!”

And when he had sufficiently recovered and had expressed his heartfelt gratitude, he described the intense distress of these attacks and the length of time he had suffered from them. After a while both fell asleep again, devoutly thankful for tbe result. It was a warm summer night and they felt no inconvenience from the broken window; but when daylight relieved the pitchy darkness of the night, the window was still found to be entire. Had invisible glaziers been at work already, or was the episode of the past night only a dream? No, for the floor was still strewn with the broken glass. Then, as they looked round the room in amazement, the solution of the mystery presented itself in the shape of an antiquated book case, whose latticed flass doors were a shattered wreck. 'he spasmodically attacked one was cured from that moment.