The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-09

" x.
there MAS nothing 10 do untli one
should ha held. The slender thread
OF coincidence between Sheiia's ghost
stories ana my experiences at tho last
ono was my single chancr of discover
Ing remedy OF which the doctors did
not know. Probably l should dts
cover nothing OF amy use; but until
could contribute some definite help,
would nor go back to Stamford.
had made more than enough trouble
there ALREADY.
II was another week before the
chance came. And was little SIR
prised when Msclean conducted me
not to the closed house We had be-
fore visited but TO the house on Nine
ty-second street 10. which / had fol-
lowed Doeler Pauius On his way
home.
ooh. they meet around at one an
others houses, Mag explained as we
went up the steps. It's a gang OF
social lights that's rannin these stunts
as a fad, you see? An the psychic
researchers. they ring in. Now this
time, sec IL you cant keep something
on your stomach besides your hand.
You missed u pile Or fun last per-
Torrance"
1t was u veW different sort OF house
from tho other, wide open and fun
OF the sense OF family inhabiLance, a
house fun OF silk hangings and new
mahogany and vases Of Understandable
f1owers an orchid OF house q house
where people would be like their own
autono bile, polished and expensive
and q trifie fast Professor Shell
burgh was there, looking little out
OF his element; and the others, by
what 1 could tell. were mostly the
same people as before; but there were
more OF them, twenty or twenty-five
all ibid, chattering In groups about
the brilliant room and giving ii al
most the air OF Il reception. 1t WAS
evening, and the electric light and
the formal dress OF most OF the guests
added to the impression. had nay
first good look at the medium before
the proceedings began; fatt.sh, fluffy
woman with large eyes pale haired
and slow moving, whose volubie
triyialities OF conversation and dress
exaggerated both vulgarism and con-
yentlon. For moment or two, 1
wrestled with an uncanny certainty
OF having seen her somewhere be-
fore, cropping about among recollec-
tons Then all a, once I remern-
bered; she was the woman who had
been with us In the trolley accident,
the woman who had so curiously dis
covered the whereabouts of the chain.
As before, the circle formed abou.
the center-table, consisted of only
q dozen or so, and the rest OF us were
left sitting about the walls. The doors
were closed. and the extinguishlng OF
the lights left the room In almost
utter darkness. The greenfsh pallor
about the edges OF the windows made
1T possible to imagine rather than 10
see. The gloom had the solidity OF
closed eyelids; and perhaps because of
the sadden transition from brilliant
light, II had the Same fullness of In
definite color and movement; as when
one suddenly buries ones face In the
pillow. with the light still burning. /
caught myself unconsciously straining
my eyes to observe these haif-imagi-
nary after images. And despite the
difference of environment. the sitters
had hardly begun their tuneiess Groom
Ing OF old songs before ! felt the
same breathless eloseness as before,
the same saturated oppression, the
same feeling of uncomfortable and
even indecent oyercrowding
! steadied myself with long breaths.
bracing inyoluntariiy against the ten
sion. Then all at once. the door OPEN
ed silently and softly closed; and as
| turned to look some one rustled
past me, visible only as solid shadow
| in the gloom. and without word
slipped into seat at the table. The
others made room. and a chair was
| moved up quietly, no one speaking or
even pausng in the song. But my
heart pounded in nay ears and my
hands heated as l cienched them, for
somehow / knew as certainly as II ]
could have plainly seen that the new
conner was Mrs. Tabor.
And II was as IL she brought with
her an increase OF the already tense
expectancy, as If her own nervous
trouble spread out about her like a
deepening " color like drop OF
blood falling into water already ting
ed with red. Ii was my own inagina-
ton, OF course. the excitement of
being close upon my quest, and the
reaction of silence closing over the
interruption of her entrance; but felt
the exertion of breathing. as Ii I were
Immersed UP to the chin in water.
II the atmosphere had been like a
weight before. II was now like a de-
liberately closing wise. In the inter-
walls OF the dronirlg hum at the table.
the silence took on a quality of brit
! tieness Little brushings and rust
laags- ra,s an avaE SIS ~tss ,ssidtlfs ss9osas.
and 1 thought how breeze runs over
field of tall grass. where each tuft
A.. In turn takes Up its neighbor's rest
lessness. 1t occurred to me suddenly
that most OF the people here were
women, and tha sense OF crowded
presence led me TO imagining crowds
and throngs OF women grouped in pic
lures or dancing In raws upSn tire
stage. And then | remembered sharp
fy that / GOULD not see Mrs. Tabor
and wondered whether my certainty
that 1t was she had any more founda-
ton than these other fantasies. i
heard my own breathing. and that OF
many Others. / feft vaguely irritated
that all these breathings were not
! keeping time. aad instinctively
brought my own into the rhythm OF
tho predominating number
A chair creaked softly. and I start
ed. while the skin frightened over my
chicks and my tongue dried and tasted
salt, The medium seemed to be
writing about. making little soft
urging noises, like muffied groans or
the nameless sound that goes with lift
ing a heavy burden or suddenly exert
ing the whole strength of the body.
Then the peculiar padded rapping be-
gan, The anonymously matter-of-
fact voice OF the professor asked:
Are the hands all here" and the
circle counted In a low tone while the
raps went irregulary on. Some wo-
man across the room giggled ner-
vously. Why these trivial details did
nor interrupt and relieve the tension,
I do not know. bur their very Ab-