Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-20

1t to her heart. This evidence Of an af-
lection for me which l did not think she
entertained, was certainly very gratifying
and at any other moment would have filled
me with happiness, but in the light Of the
fact that l was not there, where l felt my
self to be, l was too horrorstruck for any
thing else.
l stood mechanically glaring at Geraldine,
and the glass which did not reflect me, and
at myself. l could see myself with my own
eyes perfectly, hear my own voice dis
tinctly, or touch myself with my own hands,
in fact, 1 could see and feel as wei! as
ever. 1 resolved to make one more effort.
Geraldine" l said softly. Geraldine
louder. "Geraldine!" In a perfect scream.
Il am going to kiss you this moment"
She was lying back in a large chair, her
hands listlessly crossed in her lap and her
eyes closed. / walked firmly over to her,
hesitated a second, and then bent over and
kissed her upon the lips. She says now 1t
was very ungenerous of me to have taken
advantage Of her, but l submit that had
given every possible warning of my in
~tentions and besides 1 was wrought up to
such a pitch by the events of the afternoon
l scarcely knew what l did; so I kissed her
again and again, and this did really have
some effect upon her. At first she blushed
a warm. beautiful crimson, and as / kissed
her a second and a third time, she started,
raised her head, opened her eyes with a
little scream, and said:
20, l must have fallen asleep and
dreamed he was here. r / suddenly felt
a kiss, II seemed. o, Harry, Harry,
why do you not come and help your girl?"
And her head sank back in the chair. and
tears came again into her eyes. 20, Harry,
why are you not here?"
l was nearly frantic by this time.
Geraldine" l said. Il am here. did
kiss you. really and truly, a moment ago"
But she paid no attention, and even while
l was speaking kept up her little agonized
appeal for me to come and help her.
rushed to the window, leaped out on the
porch, jumped recklessly to the ground,
dashed right into the arms Of Mr.. Holabird,
ran through the streets to my own house,
burst into the house, tore up the stairs to
my room, and saw-what?
Myself. calmy and eomposedly lying back
in the chair, with Geraldine's letter in my
hand! This was too awful. l sank down in
the other chair. and as l did so my eyes
fell upon the volume Of the learned Arch
idechus. The mystery was solved! There
in the other chair was my physical body
and in this one l sat, a disembodied spirit
The explanation was so simple and evil
dent 1t brought great relief to me. Every
thing was explained. OF course no look.
ing glass could reflect the spirit OF a man;
no one could feel him-or it-or hear him
or see him; OF course. he could not oper
doors or strike people or lift anything
though, to be sure, no door could prove {
barrier to such an ethereal immaterial en-.
tity as a disembodied spirit.
That accounted for my finding myself II
Geraldine's room in spite Of the locked
door. for the child sitting down on M
lap, for the bisque head smiling at m,
buffet, for GeTaldines ignorance Of ny
presence. As to the kiss-well. love wa'
the highest and nOblest sensation, love suel
as We felt for each other, and as nearly Z
spiritual ethereal feeling as any human
one could be. so when / kissed her hel
spiritual being had responded to mine
This explanation fell easily in with the resi-
AS far as / was concerned l was, to pu.
1t plainly and simply, only my feelings and
sensations. ] was a wandering sensation
Doubtless my spirit took the same form al
my visible body. but II was a thing $,
utterly immAterial as 10 be absolutely in
visible 10 the human eye. / could talk
walk. see and hear-because had all m!
sensations with me. the guiding essence o
my brain, too; but. really. my voice. TO