The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-12-23
Absent Minded
Englishman

Queer Capers and Story of Chap
Who Says His Soul Once
Left His Body.
George Simpson and had been
chums for years and l am indebted to
him to this day for some of my happiest
hours. Now that he has passed into
the Great Beyond it is probable that he
will take no offense, even if he does
read with his spiritual eyes" the fol-
lowing incidt nts, which this season of
the year brings to my mind. in his ca
reer. ] say spiritual eyes" because
George was always "seeing things" and
it may be that as he was firm believer
in all that is mystic he may even now
be looking over my shoulder and If so
I trust what I write about him will
meet with his approval. Anyway, l
know he cannot contradict me and even
then / would still insist upon putting
on record the story which he recounted
to us on Christmas night in the year
1901. Little did any of those present
! believe the circumst ances he then relat
ed and yet, strange to say, he foretold
| to day the manner and time of his
death.
Before recounting, in Simpson s own
words, the Wierd and uncanny visita-
tions with which he claimed himself to
5 be subject, let it here be stated in JUS
tlce to the reader and to those who are
r delving for the truth in ghostly mat
q ters, that my friend was a type of man
0 seldom met. genial to degree, but with
t al the most unmitigated, absent mind
g ed customer it has ever been my pleas.
n ure to know. 1t had always been my
l. custom to attribute all his experiences
J. to freak of memory in the recounting
g of the details connected with each, but
l. who shall say after reading this thai
o the things which were at one time tht
n cause of mirth to his companions, were
Q, not a stern reality to him? To thos'
'e who do not believe in the manifestation
is of the de i'd to the living will recoun
t, few instances Of Georges bse n t
1t mindein so that they-like 1 origin
r ally had-may have an explanation fo
le Simpsons own story.
o The memory of a convivial sDppe
party in college days recurs as the frs
Mt occasion on which l actually witnesse
&c one of his mental lapses. On that nigh
is l returned to bis quarters and remain
'e, ed some half an hour or more readin
is and smoking after he had retired. G(
lis ing to his room, which we had agree
1g to share, found that he had put hi
,r- umbrella in bed and was sleeping, al
N. parently oblivious Of everything,
ke quiet content in the corner. On al
'ly other occasion when camping, watch
ed him boil his watch, with the egg
Its his band to see that the usual prescriI
ng ed three minutes were not exceede
ne His wife tells good story also of fin'
.or ing him in a bathroom reading the tow
ut. and wiping himself with a newspape
he Such Observation-Disclosures may appe;
he to us ridiculous, but as characterist
it evidences mind that was alwa.
lily pondering deeply some abstruse su
ject. Simpsons answer to all question
let regarding the cause of such forgetfu
ho ness was, 81 was communing with n
er- mother and forgot all else."
lot The Christmas of 1901 was spent
air every one would wish it to be, that
gle among true friends, and every one
lip termined to outdo the other in the 81
in ing of pleasure aud the making of gai
er- ty. As the evening heightened in
ne night the subject of conversation b
turned to ghosts and each guest h
ly recounted one or more experience, Gre
rid tied or not, according to the listene
own views on the subject. The wht
Vho of these stories were more or less
eat Counted in value because they lack
ers, "personal" experience. 1t was at Il
no. point our host, Simpson, recorded
and following and the words are 80 we'll
and called they may be taken literally
his own