River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-01-08

the latent forces of the medium may be
working within your own psychological
anatomy, if may dare couple the gross
expression with the purely spiritual.
How do you snow, say, but at this
very moment it remains within your
power to summon and control the un-
seen spirits h0yering about us even as
we speak?"
Glow do know l amt "a medium
Is that what you mean?" gasped Mr..
DingThiff, with a shudder.
"How do you know that you are not
medium p repeated Mr.. Hunchley,
with most solemn elaboration
GLOW do / know it?" said Mr.. Ding
Whit, reckleesly. "W'y, | know ]
ANT
prove it!'' said Mr.. Hunchley, with
an air and tone of irony most thorough.
ly metallic.
"Ho@ prove it," queried Mr.. Ding
Whit, in hoarse whisper.
by trial row and here" replied
Mr.. Hunchley, rising. "Heres table
here, too, are non contending persons
to form q circle. Will you make the
test, Mr.. Dlngwhiff? Dare you make
the test?'
Mrs. Dingwhiff had mechanically
cleared the table, and the lady visitors,
from sheer force of habit, were already
arranged in such respective positions
as left vacancies at either hand for the
admission of the gentlemen.
"Dare you make the test !" repeated
Mr.. Hunchley 20 the still irresolute Mr..
Dingwhif.
"Dare you make the test?' said Mr..
Wray, laying down his book and seating
himself in latitude most alien to Miss
Miller's chair
He darsen'r make the test!" said
Miss Miller, almost savagely.
/ "That settles i'll" said Mr. Dingwhiff,
doggedly, as he anchored with a jar
that shook the room.
Now, Percy" said his dear wife, OPP
posite, rest your fingers on the table,
ike this-barely the tips of your fingers
see and don't bear down like that
why, look at the man! You'll tilt the
table over :"
81 amt a-bearin' down." said Mr.
DiDgwhiA, cts you a-tiltin' the table
up p
Why, Percy, you know-Iust look
at you There it goes agin !"
"Oh, come rJw, Myrtle, amt it your
said Mr.. Dlngwhiff; and then the table
again dipped violently.
1t amt me, and you know it amt
me. And if it amt you," continued
Mrs. Dipswhif, turning a trifle white
about the corners of her mouth, ''if it
amt you it's th4 spirits"
"Ah, bah p said Miss Miller, cheari-
ly, Its the spiri;s!'
Don't it, said Mr.. Dingwhif, bra.
zenly, although the table at this juno
| ture made terrific lunge at Miss Mil
| Ter, nearly carrying her from her seat.
ANY pecul" r sensations, Mr.. Ding
whiff?" queried Mr.. Hunchley, with
deep concern.
"Nothin' Particular" said Mr.. Ding
Whit, with a painful swallow; "kind o.
feel a-buzzin' inside-somepiu' like a
battery o some kind. Listen there"
Rat-ta-tat went the table.
"Oh, he's fetched 'em!" said the little
widow, with an admiring glance upon
the flushed face and perspirlng brow of
Mr.. Dingwhiff. "Ask 'em what they
want, Mr.. Dingwhiff-ask 'em what
! bLlGJ Ndut
"Ask 'em which one of 'em ii is, first"
suggested Mr.. Wray.
And then Miss Miller, glibly adopt-
ing the alphabetical order of interroga
| ton, at last brought out the name.
esprit of Sandy Briggs is present;
anybody know Sandy Briggs?'
SANDY Briggs?" exclaimed Mrs.
Dingwhiff, with emotion. ooh, Percy,
it's Sandy Briggs! You knew Sandy
Briggs, didn't you, Percy?'
Little fellow fused TO clerk in Thorn
ass livery stable?' asked Mr.. Dingwhilf,
pantingiy.
Eyes, Percy. yes" cried Mrs. Ding
Whit.
"Kindo bow-leaged, and wore cross
barred pants, ana red-throat whiskers ?"
continued Mr.. Dingwhiff.
Eyes, Percy. On, you do remember
him "
Green spot On his neck, where his
! collar-button rubbed?" still queried
Mr.. Dingwhiff, with peculiar twitching
! of the right arm.
"Oh, Percy -"
'Look OUT" cried Mr.. lIunehiey,
seizing the nov violently jerking arm
OF M. Dingwkiff. Keep your arm
still, Mr.. Dingwhiff-keep your arm
still y
az can't keep it still y said Mr.. Ding
Whit, in evident alarm. 81 can't keep
it still But don't believe it's the spir-
il of Sandy Briggs a-doin' it"
"Give him pen and ink p exclaimed
the little widow. lodging vicious swoop
of the eccentric member. "Give him
pen and paper-hes 81 writing medi-
um p
"Don't believe !" said Mr.. Ding
Whit, wildly stirring up the atmosphere
in the near proximity OF MS aged mo-
Their in-law.
Cry it," said Mr. Wray, "here's y
| pencil
"And here's paper" said Mr.. Hunch-
ley, hurriedly tearing halfdozen sheets
| from his note book, and thrusting them
beneath the gyrating hand of Mr. Ding
Whit.
"Sandy Briggs can't write, nor never
could write - exclaimed the still per.
verse Mr.. Dingwhif, with wild flourish
of the pencil. "Got his mark on note
for FIVE dollars in my pocket-book this
minute :" and even following the words
came an indignant flourish of the PEN
Gil, and before him ON the table lay the
| scrawl--
you're a liar, and my name is
Briggs -
Mr.. Dngwhilf looked actually awed.
cit must be Briggs" ne muttered trem-
ulously lit must be Briggsl"
'Ol, Percy Percy" moaned Mrs.
DingwhitT, covering her eyes. 'Of
course it's Briggs-poor Mr.. Briggs"
Look outl" cried Mr.. Hunchley,
again Selling the lunging arm OF Mr.;
Dingwbitf. Here, take the pencil
again; there is evidently something
more to communicate" The pencil at
once slashed at the paper; q zig-zag line
of explanatory was the result; this be-
ing interpreted read, Don't be afeerd
to ask me who am"
"Where are you, them" asked the
TREMBLING voice of Mrs. DingwhiT
"In the summer land Iwait for thee!'
came the answer, in full, round hand.
Mr.. Dingwhif angrily threw down the
pencil and pushed up his sleeves. IT'S
a covert insult to Mrs. Dingwhitfl' he
exclaimed angrily. She asked Briggs
where he was, Briggs answers back, III
wait for thee Waits for henry wife,
AZ, D;,,,,y,b Tisf q nd here the flaming