The Shadow World

ever, between the final sitting of the club and my next meeting with Fowler and Miller, I passed through a series of very interesting experiences more or less corroborative of the phenomena which th

" Miller began at once, as we settled

the inquisition I know you'd like to give, but I've had some extremely suggestive sitting

's amusing. I thought

are so few men in the business I take to be this: men are less subjective, less passive, than women, and the psychic's r?le seems to be a negative one. Men are aggressive and impatie

eing ambitious in his profession, is careful not to permit a knowledge of his psychical powers to reach the ears of his employers. I heard of him through a friend

of Mr. Peters, which was little, and, turning to me, said: 'We expe

to come into a strange house to perform for a circle as critical and as unfriendly as this.' 'Oh, not unfriendly,' said Dr. Towne

e doctors presen

elf. I really had no faith that the young fellow cou

essary it was that he should be in a comfortable frame of mind, I went out to the library to meet

told me that he was twenty-four years of age, but he did not look to be nineteen. He said he had been aware of his power about four years,

e chairs so that his seat came between Dr. Towne and Mrs. Towne. Dr. Merriam came next to Towne. This brought me two places away from Peters and next to a stout German woman whose name, as I understood it, was Mrs. Steinert. On Mrs. Towne's right sat Dr. Paul and Professor Franks, my fri

out of his body. He said: 'When I think toward any one or toward a thing, I am there. I am all around it. If I think toward a person, I am there-all around him-inside of him.' In pursuit of t

another psychic. He said he had been experimenting for about four years. I asked him if it had affected his health in any way, and he replied: 'No, it does not weary me any more than prolonged study might do. I

friend "Evans,"' and thereupon I began to direct the sitting through 'Evans.' In answer to my questions, he said t

d torn off the pad. One of these was flourished in my face, while the linked fingers of the psychic were firmly held by Dr. To

a little later while they patted Mrs. Towne's cheek and tapped on

had never before experimented with these forces. His reply was echoed by Mrs. T

front. At length the same mystic fingers began to take off his tie, and, while I warningly called out, 'Be sure of your psychic's hands,' the doctor's collar was taken away and put around his wife's neck. His tie was then added to the collar. Mrs. Town

reach to where I sat. I complained of this, and almost immediately the psychic said there was some one for me, and in answer to my question, 'Is there some one present for me?' the pencil rapped three times upon the table in the af

ked 'Evans' to remove Dr. Towne's vest. I said: 'If we can get that, it wi

e been more than a minute later when I felt something soft thrown in my lap. I did not know what this was, and did not care to break the circle at the moment to find out, and the infor

d Miller, "you don'

actly what took

little silence the sound of writing could be heard, and the tap of a pencil announced that its task was done. The sheet of paper wa

and finger and afterward t

s of the psychic could be felt (so Dr. Towne and Mrs. Tow

called out: 'Now please be very quiet, and don't break the circle.' I could hear him take a deep breath, and a moment later the table rose and passed over Mrs. Towne's head so closely that she was obliged to lean to

ments in the reports of Flammarion and Lombroso. It was impossible for the medium to lift this weight over Mrs. Towne's head, even if his right arm had been completely free, for t

ircle, saying that, as conditions were favorab

ant lights, like the twisting flame of a small candle-a curious, glowing, yet not radiant violet flame-developed, high up on the outside of the portières which formed the cabinet, and drifted across and up toward the ceiling, where they silently vanished. I think there must have been three of these, which were followed by a broad, glowing mass of what looked like white

the pad was stuffed, and on this was the signature 'Alfred Towne,' which Dr. Towne said was an exact reproduction of his brother's autograph. On the sheet of paper which had been thrown to me was the simple word 'Taft.' This was taken by the circle to be a prophecy on the election, but, as my wife's family name is Taft, I put

ith him again he was sure we could have more light. 'I don't care to be known as a medium,' he declared. 'I like the study of law, and I want to be a lawyer-not a sensitive. In the first place, the law pays better, and, in the second place, it isn't considered a nice thing to

his invitation

p his little finger. The circle was slightly changed the next time, and on his right sat a young lady whom we will call Miss Brown. She was a wide-awake and very unex

st. It was a right hand. 'Are you controlling the psychic's hand?' I demanded of Miss Brown. 'Yes,' she replied, alertly. Even as I spoke I saw the mysterious limb dart out and seize upon a pencil which lay upon the table. Again and again I saw this 'apparition' emerge from that vaporous cloud and handle the pad in

was more vigorous than that of

as the lifting of a glass of water which set in the centre of the table. I could see the glass plainly as it rose to th

y the ps

very much value upon it as standing alone, but considered in connection w

dence of anything like intelligence," prote

mit that is has nothing like the value of a series of sittin