Read Ebook: The Diary of Philip Westerly by Compton Paul

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Ebook has 265 lines and 31484 words, and 6 pages

Transcriber's Note:

The Diary

of Philip Westerly

It has been ten years since my uncle, Philip Westerly, disappeared. Many theories have been advanced as to why and how he vanished so strangely and so completely. Many have wondered why a man should vanish and leave nothing behind him but a smashed mirror. But none of these theories or wild imaginings are half so fantastic as the story I gathered from the diary which some whim prompted him to keep.

But first a word about Philip Westerly. He was a wealthy man, and also a cruel, selfish man. His wealth was attributed to this same cruelty and selfishness. He also had many whims. One of them was keeping a diary. Another was his love for mirrors. He was handsome in a cruel sort of way and almost effeminate in his liking to stand before them and admire himself. This eccentricity was borne out by the fact that covering one whole side of his room was a mirror of gigantic size--the same mirror that is linked with his disappearance. But read the excerpts from the diary of Philip Westerly.

I extended my hand to touch the reflection and encountered nothing but the polished surface of the mirror. Then I noticed a truly remarkable thing. The reflection in the mirror wore no tie! I stepped back aghast. Was this an illusion? Had my mind and vision been affected by some malady that I was not aware of? Impossible! Then I regarded the reflection with a more careful scrutiny. There were a number of differences between it and myself. For one thing it wore a stubby growth of beard on its face. I was positive that I had visited the barber that very day and passed my hand across my chin to verify this. It encountered nothing but smooth skin. The lips of the man in the mirror drooped in a display of gnarled, yellow fangs, while my own bared nothing but two rows of gleaming, well-cared-for teeth.

I was filled simultaneously with a feeling of disgust and fear, and looked for further discrepancies. I found them. The feet and hands were abnormally large, and the clothing of the thing was old, baggy, and covered with filth.

I dared not stay longer. I tied the tie as best I could and descended hurriedly to dinner.

"Good morning," I said, rising.

When I moved, he moved. As I advanced toward the mirror he drew closer to me. I stopped and surveyed him. He resembled me only remotely--I hope. I smiled, and he responded with a wolfish twist of his mouth. I extended my hand as if I wanted to shake hands with him, but he drew back as if from fire. I can't understand the terror which he holds for me. I try not to show my fear in front of him, but I feel that, animal-like, he senses it. I refer to the reflection as "he," "him," or "it," for I cannot bring myself to admit that the thing in the mirror is my reflection. But I scarcely dare write what I do believe it to be. I have always been skeptical about such things as "soul," but when I look into the mirror--God help me!

Aug. 5th. There has been little or no change in our relationship. He still remains aloof.

Today my wife came to my room to see how I was feeling. She stood in such a position that looking into the mirror was unavoidable. She stood before the mirror arranging her hair. She noticed nothing out of the ordinary, but he was still there. Damn him! He was still there, and this time he snarled in triumph at me.

One other remarkable thing. My wife hadn't seen the thing there in the mirror, but neither had I seen her reflection. It was the same with Peter, my valet, and Anna, the maid. Anna would have dusted the mirror had I not stopped her. I must take no chances. A close scrutiny might reveal him to them, and they must not know--they must not know!

Aug. 6th. Three days. Three days of hell! That's what it has been since I discovered that damned thing. How he tortures me! He has begun to mock me. When he thinks he has given an extraordinarily clever impersonation he shakes with laughter. I can't hear him laugh. But I see him. And that's worse. I can't stand it much longer!

Aug. 7th. We never know how much we can stand until we go through some ordeal such as I am now undergoing. But I feel that my nerve is near the breaking-point.

I have locked the door of my room. Anna leaves a tray outside my door. Sometimes I eat the food she brings, but more often I don't. My wife begs me to let her in, but I tell her to go away. I'm afraid to tell her--I'm afraid to tell anyone. I know what they do with people who have "hallucinations". No, I can't tell. Neither can I leave. God knows why, but I can't.

Aug. 8th. It was the day before yesterday that I mentioned his mocking me. Today--I tremble at the thought--he is beginning to resemble me! This morning I looked in the mirror and discovered that he had discarded his rags and was now dressed in one of my suits. I ran to the wardrobe and discovered his clothes hanging where mine had been. I turned and faced him. He laughed and pointed toward my hands and feet. They were bloated beyond recognition. I dare not guess how far this change has gone. I can write no more today.

Aug. 9th. The change is complete. He looks more like me than I do myself. He has grown more cruel with the change. He taunts me with my ugliness. Finally I could stand it no longer. I fled from the room. At last I found the thing I was looking for--a mirror. When I came face to face with what I now am I nearly collapsed. Yes, he has taken my form. God pity me! I've taken his!

I slunk back to the room in horror. Back to his laughter and the hell that is now my existence. God knows what to-morrow will bring!

Fats ordinarily supply from twenty-five to thirty per cent of the total calories of a well balanced dietary. On the basis of two thousand five hundred total calories a day, about seven hundred fifty should be fat. At two hundred sixty-four calories to an ounce, we have about three ounces as our daily need of this food element.

Fats are also stored in the body as a reserve of energy. Every one has more or less of this sort of reserve, unless he has been starving for some time, or is suffering from a wasting disease. This reserve of fat also acts as a protection, and gives shape and symmetry to the body.

Recently methods have been devised for changing the unstable vegetable oils into stable, lardlike, solid fats. This process is called hydrogenation, so named because the process is really one of adding hydrogen until the fat becomes saturated and less likely to undergo decomposition into fatty acid and glycerin. The fats thus formed seem to be equal to the animal fats so far as digestion and utilization are concerned, and hence are of considerable economic value at the present time.

Certain fats, including those of butter and milk, are rich in the so-called vitamines, and have been shown, by recent experiments upon animals, to be efficient growth stimulants.

The classification of the carbohydrates is comparatively simple; and part of it is given here, as it will help in our discussion of the properties of the group:

/ 1. Cellulose / 1. Starch Group | 2. Starch | 3. Dextrin | / 1. Cane Sugar Carbohydrates | 2. Cane Sugar Group | 2. Malt Sugar | 3. Milk Sugar | / 1. Glucose 3. Glucose Group | 2. Levulose 3. Invert Sugar

TABLE A--CEREALS AND LEGUMES

Bread, white 35.3 9.2 1.3 53.1 1.1 10.7 3.4 61.6 75.7

Bread, whole wheat 38.4 9.7 .9 49.7 1.3 11.3 2.4 57.7 71.4

Corn bread 38.9 7.9 4.7 46.3 2.2 9.2 12.4 53.7 75.3

Corn flakes 8.5 9.3 .5 78.7 2.6 10.8 1.3 91.3 103.4

Hominy, cooked 79.3 2.2 .2 17.8 .5 2.6 .5 20.6 23.7

Macaroni, cooked 78.4 3.0 1.5 15.8 1.3 3.5 4.0 18.3 25.8

Oatmeal, boiled 84.5 2.8 .5 11.5 .7 3.2 1.3 13.3 17.8

Peas, green, cooked 73.8 6.7 3.4 14.6 1.5 7.8 9.0 16.9 33.7

TABLE B--FRUITS

Bananas 75.3 1.3 .6 22.0 .8 1.5 1.6 25.6 28.7

Blackberries 86.3 1.3 1.0 10.9 .5 1.5 2.6 12.6 16.7

Dates 15.4 2.1 2.8 78.4 1.3 2.4 7.4 90.9 100.7

Figs 18.8 4.3 .3 74.2 2.4 5.0 .8 86.1 91.9

Grapes 77.4 1.3 1.6 19.2 .5 1.5 4.2 22.3 28.0

Oranges 86.9 .8 .2 11.6 .5 .9 .5 13.5 14.9

Peaches 89.4 .7 .1 9.4 .4 .8 .3 10.9 12.0

Raisins 14.6 2.6 3.3 76.1 3.4 3.0 8.7 88.3 100.0

TABLE C--NUTS

Brazil nuts 5.3 17.0 66.8 7.0 3.9 19.7 176.4 8.1 204.2

Chestnuts 5.9 10.7 7.0 74.2 2.2 12.4 18.5 86.1 117.0

Coconuts 14.1 5.7 50.6 27.9 1.7 6.5 133.6 32.4 172.5

Hickory nuts 3.7 15.4 67.4 11.4 2.1 17.9 177.9 13.2 209.0

Peanuts 9.2 25.8 38.6 24.4 2.0 29.9 101.9 28.3 160.1

Pecans 3.0 11.0 71.2 13.3 1.5 12.8 188.0 15.4 216.2

Pine nuts 6.4 33.9 49.4 6.9 3.4 39.3 130.4 8.0 177.7

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