Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-11-01
CHAPTER II.

Nv HFN uiuN" Hf tht eNtft Suhy't tS
paragraph .hioh had oaussd her g'isf.
The prciicament was distressing In
itself. and rendered actually eiAsrsrai.
ing by the unsympaihetic conduct of
tho>s who. discovering my plight.
swArincd about aud jccrcd me. From
the malicious "elementAls" could not
of course expect anything better. but ]
Was pained by s-eing among them and
emulaiing their heartlessness some
astraiised visitors from the material
plane whose unbscomins glee Wa not
restrained by the consideration that
their own bodies might also have been
lat 90 them At that very moment for
aught they knew to the contrary. fhave
not deemed II necessary In the course of
thi. narration 10 make any particular
mention II the dwellers on the Astral
plane. or % the temporarily AstraliIed
persons like myself whom I encountered
therr. ~ my experiences were simply
those every one has. with Oh. exception
% this incident, and one other % which
I shall have occasion 10 revert farther
on. but cannot let pass without rep
r.hen.i0n the behavior VI ths AstrAlifed
person. who clustered around ms ON
the train that morning and declared
they founi my unhappy situation
funny"
With vague idea that I might find
my body among the unclaimed baggage
90 In the waiting room at the Harrisburg
depot. I ,lud.d my tormentors and
fitted hack thsrv-only 10 suffer another
disappointment it wAs nowhere 10 10
sen. The las, passenger train Tor tn,
night had gone by. the depot was dars
and the only person on the platform wa.
. waichnan. hoped some one would
SON. ami open conversation with him.
In i'lc oourse % which might casually
find a clu. o. what had been done with
INV t,piy. for 10 course he would he very
likely 10 know. hut the only persons
Who came were brakemen on the top OF
moving freigh, trains. who simply
shouted ''IIey! JIM" or rplayfully shied
chunk. Of coal at him. social advances
10 which be RESPONDED by such ejacula
tions. profan. or otherwise, - the occa-
sions SEEMED specifically 10 demand.
An inclplicable fascination teinpted
me to follow and haunt the car In which
hal last seen my body. which ! sought
~ excuse To myself by hops the porter
might when he walked say something In
my presence about II. 10 he did. Ia
the Jersey City depot. while the passen-
gers were leaving the train and he was
gathering mp the soiled linen. he sud
denly stopped. threw open window
aud beckoncl TO him . dingy platform
sweeper.
.i.ijah," he exclaimed hurriedly.
with an air % suppressed excitement
and mystery. "Go n play the death gig
Play IL for all you's wuf."
"Man or woman
"Man. Died on the train dis mawnin.
"'Mm."
That was all. They resumed their
duties. Ny supposed demise was to
them simply an inspiration for policy
play. I don't know when any little
thing ever depressed me more. 30: ]
was deemed dead. Strange that some
one had not sense enough TO discover
the fact Of my having simply strolle'i
AWAY In r,y astral form! would have
imagined that 40 common and natural a
thing could not have failed 10 10 at least
SUSPECTED by almost anybody.
Pondering upon the unpleasant con.
seauences 20 mo which might ensus u
there were not . timely correction Of
that misunderstanding. ! strolled ab-
sentinindelly with the passengers
through the depot and aboard the ferry
bat. Moving In this way sometimes
| temporarily forget that am not In my
body until soine incident recalls me Ia
recognition Of the fact. II is perhaps
hardly worth speaking Of. being such q
common experience In our astral inter
iuics, hut always nnd Il veIatious and
irritating 10 have persons walk through
me. And Il happens 70 often. OF cours
Il IL easy enough TO dodge thoss you
meet, and II you sail along over their
heads you have no trouble. but moving
In q crowd on Its level you are almost
certain TO find some one mistaking you
for empty space come plunging through
you from behind or lurching into you
sidewiss In your unguaried momenta.
Doth those things occurred 10 me that
uniucky morning. A Tat German won
an. with . hugo market basket on hel
ann, almost wrecked me, and ] had
scarcely got my dissrranged parts col
lectsd and In place again when. In gotna
Of the boat, . pretty. delicate looking
young girl was jammsd hight into ths
space occupied. Hsrssnsitivs nsrvoui
organisation svidsntly felt my prsssucs
though she was unaware Of The cause oI
her ssusation. for shs shivsrsd and whis
persd 70 companiou'
"Oh, Jennie. I've GOT gooss6ssh 81
over mel bslisvs I'm catching cold"
That incident, ! think. hurt me wors'
than The other. Il b distinctly unplses
ING to b shivsrsd q b. . prstv Or