Page:In defense of Harriet Shelley, and other essays.djvu/139

 MENTAL TELEGRAPHY

saving of this lady. Come along; let s not lose any time.&quot;

So I went along, but I had a program of my own. When I was introduced to the gentleman I said: &quot;I have some superstitions, but they are worthy of respect. If you will cable San Francisco immediately, you will hear news of your son inside of twenty-four hours. I don t know that you will get the news from San Francisco, but you will get it from somewhere. The only necessary thing is to cable that is all. The news will come within twenty-four hours. Cable Peking, if you prefer; there is no choice in this matter. This delay is all occasioned by your not cabling long ago, when you were first moved to do it.&quot;

It seems absurd that this gentleman should have been cheered up by this nonsense, but he was; he brightened up at once, and sent his cablegram; and next day, at noon, when a long letter arrived from his lost son, the man was as grateful to me as if I had really had something to do with the hurrying up of that letter. The son had shipped from San Fran cisco in a sailing-vessel, and his letter was written from the first port he touched at, months afterward.

This incident argues nothing, and is valueless. I insert it only to show how strong is the superstition which &quot;letter-crossing&quot; has bred in me. I was so sure that a cablegram sent to any place, no matter where, would defeat itself by &quot;crossing&quot; the incom ing news, that my confidence was able to raise up a hopeless man and make him cheery and hopeful.

But here are two or three incidents which come

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