Effects of the Imagination.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4545, 17 November 1882, Page 3

Effects of the Imagination.

A cure by the imagination is thus graphically described by a correspondent : At a largo hotel the not uncommon dilemma arose of there being only one room in the house vacant, when two visitors required accommodation for the night. It was a double-bedded chamber, or was soon oonverted into suoh, and the two guests, who wore both commercial travellers, agreed to share it. One of these gentlomen was a confirmed hypochondriao, and greatly alarmed his oompanion by waking him up in the middle of the night, gasping for broath. " Asthma," ho panted out ; "I am aubjeot to these spasmodic attacks ! Open the window quiokly ; give me air !" Terrified boyond measure, the other jumped out of bed. But the room was pitch dark, he had no matches, and he had forgotten the position of the window. " For Heaven's sake bo quick!" gasped the invalid. "Give me moro air, or I shall choke ! " At length, by diet of groping wildly and upsetting half tho furniture in the apartment, the window was found ; but it was an old-fashioned caiemoct, and no hasp or catoh was to be dissovered. " Quick, quick! Air, air!" implorod the apparently d-fin^ man. " Open it, break it, or I shall be smffocated ! " Thus adjured, his friend lost no more time, but seizing a boot, smashed every pane; and the sufferer immediately experienced great relief. " Oh, thank you— a thousand thanks ! Ha !" ho exclaimed, 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 tho intense distress of these attaoka and the length of time he had Buffered from them.' After a time both fell asleep again, devoutly thankful for the result. It was a warm summer night, and they felt no inconvenienco from the broken window; but, whon daylight relieved the pitchy darkness of tho night, the window was found to be still entire. Had invisible glaiiers been at work already, or was tho episode of the paßt night only a dream f No ; for the floor was still strewn with tho broken glass. 1 hen, as they looked round the room in amazement, the solution of the mystery presented itself in the shape of an antiquated bookoaso, tho lattice glass doors of which were a shattered wreck. Tho spasmodically-attacked one was cured from that mom ont.