Miss Ludington's Sister

d been ordered at seven o'clock, and soon after tea, of which neither

g and foolish," said Miss Ludington, feebly,

early two hours not a

and there was no sign of the business pursued within, except a small white card on the doo

bout a pale face, gave her an elfish look quite in keeping with the character of the house. She at once ushered the callers into the

which a high forehead, a pair of gold-bowed spectacles, and a long white beard consid

, and her eyes were surrounded by noticeably large dark rings, giving an appearance of wretched ill-health. Her manner was ex

in your theory, that the souls of our past selves exist in spirit-land? If my séance to

same whatever the result may be

grand languidly; "but I feel that we shall be s

me over Paul a

versation, and the silence which fo

son why the séance should

lady in lifeless tones. "Pleas

mselves that deception is impossible by an examination of the apartment which Mrs. Legrand occupies

double sliding-doors into a front and back parlour, the form

r size and appearance to the front parlour, except that it contained no furniture whatever.

ent, about six feet by five, which had been taken out of the right-hand rear corner of the back parlour, and was separated from it by a partition reaching to the ceiling. This was the cabin

ate of trance, during which the spirit is mater

ard-finished white plaster, quite bare, and the ceiling, l

unbeliever very uneasy in the quiet confidence of these people, and the business-like way in which they went to work to make it impossible to account for any phenomenon that might appear, on any other but a supernatural theory. No doubt whatever now remained in the mind of Miss Ludington or Paul that the wonderful mystery which they had hardly dared to dream of was ab

illing to concede the medium all the machinery she desired. There was no danger that they could be dece

e cabinet as desired, but she whom they loo

r. Hull proceeded to close and lock the hall-door, that being the only exit connecting this suite of rooms with the

ord to any one passed through the back

that was drawing near, whose beautiful feet might even now be on the threshold, but the sense of its awfulness overcame her. She felt that she wa

, and facing the former. He asked Miss Ludington to occupy the middle chair, and, trembling in

appeared to be the daughter of Mrs. Legrand, meanwhile

re were two jets in the back parlour, fastened to the wall dividing it from the front parlour, one on each side of the door, so as to throw light on any figure coming out of the cabinet. The light

in the back parlour were of a bluish tint, which l

lta began, with a wonderfully soft touch, to play a succession of low, dreamy chords, rather than any set composition-music that thrilled the listeners with vague suggestions of the u

d slower, trickled, fel

n appeared in the door-way of the cabinet the figure of a beautiful girl, which, aft

cient to bring out every line of her face and form. Or was it

had known that she was dying he could no

him; no counterfeit of the pai

ing contours of her young form, the enchanting sweetness of her expression. The golden hair fell in luxuriant tresses about the face

full of recognition and a tenderness that seem

e of an angel, but of a woman. The light of her violet ey

his senses. Forgetting all else, in an agony of love, he was about to

wind over a field of rye, and slowly, as if reluctantly obeying an unseen attraction,

but a few moments, and when she ceased, Mrs. Legrand's voice was heard faintly calling her. She glided b

wall by his side, turning on the gas in both parlo

sed," he said. "The conditions must have been unusual

the brisk business-like tones of Dr. Hull, was quite too much for the poor lady, and with a piteous gesture, she buried

agerness with which he peered into the corner of the cabinet, and the disappointment which his face showed when he perceived no trace of any person there save Mrs. Legrand and Alta, might naturally have suggested to

inted, the medium rose, and leaning on her daughter, returned to the front parlour. She looked completely overcome. Her face was deathly pale, and the

surprise at her condition, it was appa

nd more than all, she had dared dream of. Dr. Hull, in a very enthusiastic manner, went on to describe the manifestation more partic

the field of speculation which it opens up. The spirits of our past selves-? And yet why not, why not? Like all great discoveries it seems most simple when once brought to light

ium aroused Miss Ludington's sympathies, in

rostrated in this manner

, somehow, and just how, I know no better than you, is woven the veil of seeming flesh, yes, and even the clothing which the spirit assumes in order to appear. The fact that Mrs. Legrand suffers from heart disease

"What do you fancy would be the effect on the spirit if a medium sho

theory," replied Dr. Hull; "th

might

t might

edium for dematerializing and resuming the sp

medium should die during a materialization, the spirit might be le

id as much to lay aside their bodies as to assume them. If the medium died mean

it-world, shutting it out in this life with us henceforth? More than that: would not the already materialized spirit be in a position to succeed to the physical life which the med

y body like ours?" exc

on earth where it had been left off, ceasing to possess a spirit's powers, and know

nothing will ever seem impossible

ialize, and might even succeed to the medium's earth life, as you suggest. The trouble with the theory-and it seems to me a fatal one-is, that death is almost never, if indeed it is ever, absolutely instantaneous but only comparatively so; and it seems to me that the least possible interval o

y right," said Paul; "it

giving séances if she is not in a

almost indifferent which way they are drawn; besides, you see, she is recognized as the most fully developed medium in the United States to-day, and many spirits, which cannot materialize through other mediums, a

e. Dr. Hull went, out with them to the carriage, and was obliged to remind them