The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-11-20
CHAPTER III-Continued

"The subject is pretty extensive"
Professor Carlisle explained. "F'ires
are common manifestation, APP
pearing in many of the tales" He
added: '''There was a man named
Charles Fort-he is dead now-who
made a study of such things. Prob
ably with his tongue in his cheek.
In one of his books he said these
fire phenomena look to him like
the survival of a power that may
once have been common, when
primitive men needed fires and
didn't know how to make them. He
talks about vestigial functions in the
human body, just as you surgeons
talk about vestlgial organs -, OF
course, this is all in the highest de-
gree fanciful."
"But it's an amusing subject for
speculation" Doctor Breeding in
sisted. "Your man Fort, / gather,
thought these functions were orig
inally of some use to their possess
ors. But what possible good can it
do to project a plate across the
room and allow it to break against
the WALTZ"
The professor answered good-hu-
moredly: ''Well, Fort suggests that
these poltergeist disturbances may
emanate from some malicious
mind. If your friend in the hay
lmow wished the hay to burn up, for
instance, so that he would not have
to work so hard on a hot day"
Doctor Breeding laughed, sudden
ly expansive. Like Mrs. Greed
ing's statuette,'' he suggested. "She
told You about that, the other night.
AS d matter of fact, had the stat
uette in my hands when it fell
though I haven't dared confess as
much to her. She'd blame me for
dropping it; but / didn't. / was
thinking that it was rather hideous,
when the thing simply flew out of
my hands and crashed to bits"
He saw the others curious
glance, added quickly: eff this
chap had been in the house, I'd
suspect him!" 4 u i +
"What was his manner" asked
Professor Carlisle.
''Tompkins," said Doctor Greed
ing readily. "But he's. dead now"
The older man was for a moment
silent: 81 he lighted his pipe afresh,
looking intently at the bowl. But at
length he asked curiously:
Ibid you-notice anything unusu-
al about the way the statuette fell?
You said it flew out of your hands?"
Doctor Breeding nodded, forget
ting caution. Exactly" he as
sured the other man. "It was as
though some one snatched it away;
and l remember it seemed to hang
in the air for moment before it
fell" 4 1 4+.-..4. ,4..l r,
Professor Carlisle smoothed his
pipe-bowl in his hands. He said
after a moment: "Well, that hest
tating, uncertain fight is often men,
toned in the accounts of potter
geist disturbances"
He added alphabetically: "But
I'm afraid I'm skeptic at heart.
can discuss these absurdities so
long as the discussion remains en-
piric; so long as confine myself to
things that are reported to have
happened to others, far away. But
when you tell me things that hap
pened to your friend, and now to
yourself, LACK he courage Of my
conversation" @A4
Doctor Breeding felt faint irri-
tation rising in him at this dis
belief. He said: "You sound rath-
er like an incredulous scientist your
self!"t
Its much less disquieting," the
Professor. pointed out, ito assume
that there is a credible explanation
for these-incredible occurrences.
Doctor Breeding watched him
narrowly. till pique at the others