Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-07

tiOn through the nanule OF keCtle Wnen water lS
beginning to boil inside it. This got gradually
more pronounced and violent till it was like the
throbbing of motor-car 1t seemed to give off
a low humming note. Then quite suddenly the
table seemed to slip from under my fingers and
began very slowly to revolye.
Keep your hands on it, and with it,
said Louis, and as he spoke l his silhouette
pass away from in front of the fire, moving the
table moved.
Are you there?' he said.
There was reply, of course, and he asked it
again. This time there came rap like that
which l had thought during dinner to be the post
man. But whether it that the room dark,
or that despite myself l felt rather excited too it
seemed TO me to be far louder than before.
Then the curious revolving of the table ceased.
but the intense violent throbbing continued. My
eyes fixed on it, though owing to the darkness
I could see nothing, when quite suddenly little
speck of light moved across it, so that for in
slant my own hands. Then came another
and another, like the spark of matches struck in
the dark, or like frefies crossing the dusk in
southern gardens.
"Such were the phenomena at the first seance
at which was present, but Fielder, 1t must be
membered, had been studying. expecting he called
it, for some years. The knockings would come
when his mind far he knew, was occupied
In other matters, and sometimes he had even
been awakened from sleep by them. The lights
also Independent of his volition.
Now my theory st the time was that all these
things purely subjective in him, and that
what he expressed by saying that they out
of his control, meant just that they had become
fixed and rooted in the subconscous self, of which
know so little but which more and more,
to play SO part in the life of
In fact 1t is not too much to say that the vast
jority of deeds spring, apparently without
ltion. from this snb-conscious self. All hearing
is the unconscious exercise of the aural nerve, all
seeing of the optic, all walking, all ordinary move
ment seem to be done without the exercise of will
on our part. Nay, more, should take to
form of progression, skating, for instance the
beginner will learn with falls and dificulty the
outside edge, but within few hours of his hav-
ing learned his balance it, he will give no more
thought to what he learned so short time ago as
an acrobatic feat than he gives to the placing of
one foot before the other
Il knew that 1 was myself extremely sensitive
to suggestion, and my part in 1t this evening be-
leved to be purely that of the receiver of sugges-
tons vivid that visualized and heard these
phenomena which existed only in the brain Of my
friend.
I'VE talked over what had occurred upstairs.
His view that the Thing trying to COM
mnnieate with US. According to him it the
Thing that moved the table and tapped, and made
streaks of light.
Yes, but the Thing interrupted. what do
you mean? Is it a great-unce-oh, have seen
many relatives appear at seances, and heard so
many of their dreadful platitudes-or what is it7
A spirit? Whose spirits?
Louis was sitting opposite and the little
table before there electric light. Look
ing at him / the pupil of his eye suddenly di-
late. To the medical that meant only one
thing, terror But it quickly resumed its normal
proportion again.
Then he got up, and stood in front OF the
fire
NO don't think it is a great-unce anybody,
he said. L don't know told you what the
Thing is. But if you ask what my conjecture
is, it is that the Thing is Elemental
"'And pray explain further. What is Ele-
mental?'
"Once again his eye dilated
"It will take two minutes he said But listen
There are good things in this world are there not
and bad things Cancer, take it, is bad, and
and daffodils are good; honesty is good; lying is
bad Impulses of some sort direct both sides, and
some power suggests the impulses. Well,
went into this spritualistic business impartially
l learned to expect to throw open the door into
the soul, and | said Anyone may come in. And
/ think Something has applied for admission, the
Thing that tapped and turned the table and struck
matches as you sad across it. Now the direction
of evil is in the hands of power which entrusts
its mission to what is called Elementals. Oh
they have been seen; doubt not, that they will
be seen again. / did not, and do not ask good
spirits to in. | don't want THE Church's
one foundation played on musical box. Nor do
| want an Elemental. I only throw open the door,
| believe the Thing has come into my house. and
is establishing communication with me. Oh. L
want to go the whole hog What is it? In the
name of Satan, if necessary what is it? 1 just
want to know
What followed l thought then might easily be
an invention of the imagination, but what / be-
leve to have happened was this. piano with
music on it was standing at the far end Of the
room by the door, and sudden draught entered
the room so strong that the leaves turned. Next
the draught troubled of daffodils and the
yellow heads nodded. Then 1t reached the can
dies that stood close to us, and they futtered
burning blue and low. Then it reached me, and
the draught was hot and stirred my hair Then
it eddied, to speak, and went across to Louis
and his hair also moved / could see. Then 1t
went downwards towards the fire, and flames sud