“I agree with you. God pity those who have no other belief than spiritism.” “Amen!” replied Nathan. “It has been weighed in the balance and found wanting. Poor Lissa keeps herself and every one around her wretched by constantly talking of her lost one. I feel at times she is losing her mind. She seems to care for nothing but what she calls ‘communing with her child.’ I can see that she is failing in health as well as mind. I hoped when the first outburst of grief was over she would, like other mothers, become resigned, but if anything she is becoming more absorbed in it. I cannot blame her friends for staying away from her. They do not want to hear the same story continually. If I propose that we go away for a time she looks alarmed and refuses to leave the house, because of the nightly visits of her little one. Surely, surely, Mark, it is a delusion. It cannot be that she _does_ see her?” he questioned. “I certainly believe, Nate, that she is self-deceived and that unless her mind can in some way be diverted and given other food she will die or become insane. I was surprised to-day to see the change in her, even in the short time I have been gone.” “If she would only take some interest in her household affairs, but she leaves everything to Neoka, who is poorly fitted for such responsibility. I might send for her mother—” Mark shook his head. “I am afraid her mother gives too much credence to this wretched fallacy that is making all the trouble,” he said. “Well,” groaned Nathan, “I’m to blame for all this! If I had never brought that man Russell into the neighborhood this need never have happened.” “Possibly not, but you don’t know. The Devil usually has some way of finding victims. He might have sent along some other of his emissaries. I suppose he has plenty, even of _this_ kind. But I will think about this and see if I cannot find some way of deliverance.” “Heaven grant you may, and soon!” “I’ve often wondered,” said Mark, “why you ever had anything to do with this belief. I always supposed you too sound a man to be deceived easily, and yet you have half seemed to accept the doctrine.” “I never told you of an experience I had, a number of years ago, while I was railroading, did I? You know I ran on the road three or four years. At the time the incident happened I was acting as conductor on a freight train running between R—— and Council Bluffs. I had a friend, George Marvin, who was also a railroad man, and we were close chums. He was a splendid fellow and supported a widowed mother, who idolized him.