The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-09-29

= hiACA4 SHt ilcttlG ctilt itllc AbOut
their peculiar views" she wouldn't
believe them, for she said, they are
real nice folks, and ! don't believe
one word ofit.'
But the talk about them incrcas-
ed, and then q new actor appeared
on the scene. 1t was young woman,
"a medium and now the little
{ village was alive with interest. The
girl was watched and commented
upon as if she had been an escaped
"What-is-it, . and the school children.
all who dared, went to and from
school that way. Everything about
the plain little white house was so
mysterious, although it was Ike
/ several Others in town. II the cur
tains happened TO be up they Won
( dered why they were not down, and
/ if one Of the curtains happened to
be down or the blinds to be closed,
then il was very strange,-although
the neXt-door neighbors might have
one or two or three without being
particularly noticed.
At first Aunt Jane wouldn't be
lieve what she heard, bat when she
saw they never went to "meetinn
and took no interest in either Of the
two churches, she suspected their
might be some truth in the gossip,
and when she heard about the inc
dium, she made up her mind she
Wonld know whether they were spir-
itUalists or not SO she went over
to make a neighborly visit, with her
knittin2-work in @ BAG on her arm.
She was gone o long while IL was
almos. ;ca-timc when she came
home, and when she came she was
very silent,-wc called it cross and
wondered what had happened. She
|s0.emuiv announced at the ten Ia
BE that they were spiritulists. and
mo mistake. 1t seemed th3t they
had been explaining some of their
views" to Aunt Jane and she was a
littlCvoEed that she had listened SO
graciOUsly; her conscience troubled
her for not telling them rightupand
down what she thought of it all.
They had given her a very polite
invitation To- a "seancc, which she
had emphaticsliy declined, and now
she felt sorry she hadn't accepted it,
so that she might know how far
they carried their 'nonsencc."
She had anotheropportuuity how
ever, a few weeks aEter-shc WAS in
yited again to ''seance, and this
time she accepted.
The man Of the house, Mr. VII
kins, was away from home. and the
''seance' was a very private on.
There was no one in the room when
Aunt Jane went in, but Mrs VIII
kins and the medium" a slight
young girl about 16 years old Ia
niece of Mr.. Wilkins. and q boy
who had lately come to live in the
Wilkins family. Soon after Aunt .
Jane arrived the light was turned .
down to a properly solemn pitch,
and they all sat in stately silence. +
Presently Mrs. Wilkins asked -
DO you feel anything strange ~
No" said Aunt Jane sharply Il
don't"
Presently she noticed that the girl
acted strangely. and she became
wholly absorbed in watching her.
She would rub her hands wildly and
Jerk from one side of her chair 20
the other and go through various
motions which Aunt Jane thought
were all done for effect. But as she
watched her she grew startled, for
the girl seemed in pain, and when
she finally settled back in her chair
Aunt Jane sprang up with Turn
up that light instantly :.
The boy instinctively obcycd bat
Mrs. Wilkins hurried up to the table
to turn it down again. Why = said
she, 1T Is a trance. In moment she /
viii begin to talk"
Trance or no trance, said Aunt
Jane. that's dreadful sick girl.
Il tell you there is nothing the
matter with her. She Is a medium,
and an uncommon good one" i
Il tell YOU that's q dreadful sick
girl, and you must bring me some +
hot water as soon rs you can
y shall do nothing Of the kind.
She is not sick.
We'll, said Aunt Jane she is
very sick girl, 20 right down to my
house, James, and bringm a pail of
hot water and some cloths and some L
and q bottle of brandy" d
While James was gone she loosed
the girls clothes and rubbed her
hands, which weTe as cold as Ice,
and rs soon as James came back she
got the girls feet in warm mustard
water and after she had brought her
back TO consciousness anough to
make her swallow anything, she
gave her some brandy, and as soon
Is possible helped her to bed
When Mrs. Wilkins saw she
couldn't help herself she left the
room, and Aunt Jane was allowed to
perform her missionary work alone.
She STAYED with the girl all night,
and had a talk with her, advising
her 10 go home, which she was viii
ling TO Go. She seemed to be under
the control of her uncle while she
stayed there, and said she had these
attacks every night when She was
home.
Well, Aunt Jane arranged with ,
her to take one Of the afternoon !
trains if she was able. She sent !
James after some breakfast for her
self and stayed and dressed the girl I
and took her home with her to din t
ner. and went with her to the train ,
and bought the ticket with her own :
money. And so ended Aunt james ,
first. and SO far last, seance.
Why Should They.