ssion of notes. 'Can't you keep time while I whistle?' I
insisted, with intent to show that intelligence guided these sounds. The
'spirits' twanged three times in the affirmative, and when I began to
whistle 'Yankee Doodle' the invisible musician kept perfect time,
playing according to my request--now on the treble, now on the bass.
Leaning far back in my chair, I placed my hand upon the lid of the
closed piano, and called out to the others in the circle: 'The lid of
the piano is closed. My hand is upon it. So far as the sense of touch
and hearing are concerned, we have here an action absolutely unaccounted
for by any scientific law.

"This was at the moment absolutely convincing to me, as to the others,
and I promptly reported the case to the American Psychical Society in
Boston. Since then I may say I have had many experiments quite as
convincing, but never a repetition of this peculiar phenomenon. It is
useless to talk about secret wires, or a mouse running up and down the
strings, or any other material explanation of this fact. It took place
precisely as I relate it, and remains a mystery to this day."

Fowler remained very calm. "Crookes saw in a full light an accordion
playing beneath the touch of invisible fingers."

"Yes," I retorted, in protest, "but this action of a closed piano
happened in my presence, under my hand, and there is always so much more
convincing quality in the miracle which happens in one's own house. But,
seriously, that performance on the closed piano remains a profound
mystification to me. If it had happened in the medium's house, or in the
home of some one who knew her, I might have suspected fraud--but it did
not! It happened in the study of one of the most respected women in the
city, a student who did not believe in psychic phenomena. Furthermore,
my own hand was on the lid of the piano. I was so convinced of Mrs.
Smiley's possession of some occult force that I at once wrote to the
society, telling them that a study of her phases would, in my judgment,
be the most important work its directors could engage upon. This is one
of my crack stories, and I wouldn't believe it as related by any one
else. However, you may read my report, which I made at the time, if that
will be of any satisfaction to you."

"Oh, I don't need it," responded Mr. Fowler. "I was merely trying to
find out what your best experiments had been. Have they all been on the
physical plane?"

"They are all on the physic