Case of Gertrude Pennington - Playing while asleep - Case of Mr. varies Gardner - Put the baby to sleep - Couldn't wake the baby - Mothers naturally hypnotize their babies - Case of Marguerite McAllister - Hypnotizing restless patients - The crucifix used to concentrate the thoughts.

Very many persons realize their hypnotic powers by accident, and are unable to even attempt to explain their actions. Not infrequent cases of children exhibiting marvelous powers of this kind have been reported, and they manifestly performed their work without giving thought of how they did it. CASE OF GERTRUDE PENNINGTON.

Gertrude Pennington, of Pennsylvania, born and reared in the mountains, with but few companions and most meager conditions for mental development, was, by accident, observed to possess the most remarkable hypnotic powers, which her parents had never before known to be possible to anyone, having never heard of hypnotism in any form. One day her father, while working in the barnyard, noticed his four children and three others enter the barn. They remained for some time and for awhile he could hear their noise made in romping and playing games. Suddenly all became quiet and remained so for so long a time that he became alarmed lest some accident had befallen them. He entered the barn, and climbing quietly to the loft, he was so amazed at what he saw before him that he stood motionless for some time before demanding an explanation.

Gertrude, fourteen years old, the oldest of the children, stood erect with bandss outstretched toward the others, who were lying in various positions in a deep sleep. She frequently repeated the words, "Sleep, children, sleep." After awhile she said: "It is time to get up." They all arose and made motions as though they were dressing and then washing their faces and combing the hair. Then she told them, "Breakfast's ready," and they sat down around a large box and acted precisely as though they were eating a hearty meal.

Mr. Pennington could not restrain his curiosity any longer and made his presence known by exclaiming: "What on earth are you children doing?" Gertrude at once cried out in a shrill voice: "Children, stop it, stop it," and loudly clapped her hands. The others seemed startled, stopped their imaginary meal, and assumed an air of guilty sheepishness. Gertrude then said to her father, "We were only playing, we won't do it again."

This unusual form of play and their evident discomfiture at being discovered, led to the father and mother both making investigations and doing a great deal of questioning, from which they found out that for some time Gertrude had been "playing" this way with the children, and that they stood in great awe of her in consequence. Sometimes she would let one or another watch the others act, and those who performed their parts declared they did not know what they were doing after Gertrude put them to sleep. They called their sport "playing in our sleep." Mr. Pennington did not fancy this kind of play and ordered them to "never do it again," but nevertheless he had frequent occasions afterward to punish Gertrude for disobedience on this account. She enjoyed the play and so did the children and at a mere nod and suggestion they would follow her to some secluded spot to "play in our sleep."