Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine — page 63: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

WHOSE was even one case on record which told of a death caused by suggestion pure and simple. : ‘The realization that he was the last of his line,” the physician continued, “ to- gether with the old prophecy, undoubtedly fostered the seeds of insanity in De Char- leu’s mind. He, in turn, planted like seeds in Mammy’s credulous, superstitious mind, and she naturally thought she saw the hands in Mme. de Charleu’s cup. And so it was, that De Charleu’s constant sugges- tion, backed up by Mammy’s confirmation, preyed continuously on Mme. de Charleu’s mind. “This, together with her husband’s threats, and her fear of him, was unques- tionably sufficient to compass. the tragedy the three of them had expected and dread- ed. It was De Charleu himself who con- ceived his dreadful end; then by syste- matic reminder and accompanying threats, he pushed it toward fulfilment, and finally, at the point of a knife, drove his wife to the desperate consummation of his own suggestion!” Dr. Richard sat down quietly, without question or objection from either side. Jus- tification! But— “ Jedge, you shore is gwine to be sorry if you don’t let me speak up! Mah baby done tole de prezactly truf, up to one p’int, and dat am where she say Mars’ Amédée snatch de hatchet out of her hand., How she know who snatch dat hatchet when she cot her arm over her eyes and ain't never look up?” She blurted this out before any- body could stop her. And Randolph at ence put her on the stand again. “Ah was soun’ asleep,” she said, ‘‘ when mah baby come runnin’ a’screamin’ to mah room, him after her full tilt wid dat big knife. Mah lamp was turned low. As Ah hit de flo’ mah chile grab de hatchet and struck out at de air, and Ah snatch de hatchet away from her and let him have hit, just as he reach her. Ah tried to keep her out of hit. Dat’s why I tole dat about de shirt, an’ dat’s all, an’ hit’s de Gawd’s truf!” Randolph and Nita looked at each other for the first time. (The HANDS? "405 “Mah baby done run to me foh pertec- tion, an’ Ah pertected her,” Mammy went on, ‘Ah done sont dat debbil whah he belong; an’ de good Lawd doan’ never pun- ish nobody foh killin’ a pizen snake; but Ah reckon a _jedge ain’t ’spected to hab no mussy, even if Ah ‘is nuss him when he was a baby. ‘“But doan’ you believe hit, jedge, what de fambly doctor say. He Is a smart man, but dey is things he don’t know; and one of ’em is dat de De Charleu’s cuss is more dan any congestion. It is a fac’, Ain’t mah folks always belong to de De Char- leu’s? Don’ dat make me a De Charleu— but not of de blood? Well, den! Ain't de cuss come true? An’ Ah shore did see dem hands in de cup, an’ Ah thought dey was Mis’ Nita’s. Ah mought hab knowed better, cause dey was—black hands!” For the space of a deep-drawn breath there was dead silence. _ When the judge’s gavel finally brought order, and both sides rested, he cleared his throat and turned to the jury. V. A RELUCTANTLY sinking sun illumined Nita’s lovely, tear-wet face as Randolph helped us into the family carriage. And out of the deeps of a weeping willow a mocking-bird sang his love-song in joyous abandon. : Mammy, sitting beside Uncle Jesse, nodded condescendingly.to those of her color fortunate enough to get near her. Henceforth she would be a personage. She lad been acquitted of the terrible charge of murder. Looking into Randolph’s eyes, I saw the dawn of a great hope. And as we drove away, far down the sun-flecked, shadow- Cappled street, above the autumn clatter of metallic palms, and the laughter of folk to whom past tragedy is present romance, there came to us a weird, tuneless music— the muffled negro holler that is like no other sound in. nature. It is the forest song of freedom from his savage ancestors. And I echoed the suggestion that lay therein for Nita, last countess of the house of De Charleu. End.) conmiclooolkks.conn