u had been in charge of the case?"

"Perhaps. I hope to save Mrs. Wells."

"How?"

Leroy hesitated, frowned with a nervous squinting, as if he were trying
to solve a baffling problem.

"How? I wish I could tell you, doctor, but you would not understand.
That is the sad part of my work, I am all alone."

His eyes burned somberly, then he spoke with intense feeling.

"Not one of you orthodox physicians will join me in my effort to save
millions of unfortunates from the tragedy of our state hospitals. You
won't lift a hand to help me. You all say there is nothing to be done.
What a wicked evasion of responsibility! Nothing to be done? I tell you
there is everything to be done. Suppose you had a daughter or a sister
or a wife who was suffering from such an affliction--how would you feel?
God grant you may never know how you would feel. Why do you doctors
scoff at miracles when the Bible is full of them and we all live among
them? What is life but an unceasing miracle? Tell me how you move your
finger except by a miracle? What is vision? What is death? How do you
_know_ that spirits of the departed, good and bad, do not come back to
help us--or to harm us? Many great men believe this and always have.
Many fine women know that this is true. Mrs. Walters has actually _seen_
an evil spirit hovering about a girl who was called insane. How do you
know that insanity is not caused by evil possession?"

"Hold on! I can't answer all those questions," laughed Owen and now his
manner changed quite charmingly as he made an _amende honorable_. "I'm a
stubborn old fool, doctor. I ought to have had more sense than to get
into this argument. What I care about is to have this dear lady restored
to health and happiness. There!" He held out his hand. "Forgive me! The
more miracles you can work for her cure, the better I shall like it."

At this Leroy relented in his turn.

"Dr. Owen, I will not conceal from you that Mrs. Wells is in great
peril. I have no more doubt that she will die tomorrow night, unless she
consents to do something that I have already indicated to her as
necessary, than I have of your presence in this room."

"Extraordinary! Do you really mean that? What is this thing? Is it a
definite thing, or is it some--some spiritual thing?"

Dr. Leroy sighed and shook his head.

"It's hard for you to believe, isn't it? I suppose you want me to give
Mrs. Wells a dose of medicine or put a hot water bag at her feet. No,
doc