FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33  
34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   >>   >|  
rd, Harris!" I said, warningly. "Please move farther away." In the dusky light the faces of all the women looked suddenly blanched and strange as the entranced woman seized upon the table with her hands, shaking it hard from side to side. The table seemed to wake to diabolic energy under her palms. This was an unexpected development, and I was almost as much surprised as the others were. "Sing again," I commanded, softly. As they sang, Mrs. Harris withdrew her hands from the table and sat rigidly erect, yet with a peaceful look upon her face. "She does it well," I thought. "I didn't think it in the quiet little lady." At length one hand lifted and dropped limply upon the table. "It wants to write," said I. "Where is the pad? I have a pencil." As I put a pencil under the hand, it was seized in a very singular way, and almost instantly Mrs. Cameron gasped, "That's very strange!" "Hush!" said I. "Wait!" Holding the pencil clumsily as a crippled person might do, the hand crept over the paper, and at last, after writing several lines, stopped and lay laxly open. I passed the pad to Brierly. "Read it aloud," I said. He took it to the light and read: "Sara, be not sceptical. Believe and you will be happier. Life is only the minutest segment of the great circle. MARTIN." "My father!" exclaimed Mrs. Cameron. "Let me see the writing." Brierly handed the pad to her. She stared upon it in awe and wonder. "It is his exact signature--and Dolly held the pen just as he did--he was paralyzed toward the last--and could only write by holding his pen that way." "Look! it's moving again," I exclaimed. The hand caught up the pencil, and, holding it between the thumb and forefinger in a peculiar way, began moving it in the air. Brierly, who sat opposite, translated these movements. "She is drawing, free-hand, in the air. She is sketching the outline of a boat. See how she measures and plumbs her lines! Are you addressing me?" he asked of Mrs. Harris. The sleeper nodded. "Can't you write?" I asked. "Can't you speak?" A low gurgle in the throat was the only answer at the moment, but after a few trials a husky whisper began to be heard. "I will try," she said, and suddenly began to chuckle, rolling upon one hip and throwing one foot over the other like a man taking an easy attitude. She now held the pencil as if it were a cigarette, laughing agai
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33  
34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

pencil

 

Brierly

 

Harris

 

writing

 

moving

 

Cameron

 

holding

 

exclaimed

 
seized
 

suddenly


strange

 

signature

 

MARTIN

 
circle
 

father

 
caught
 
stared
 
handed
 

paralyzed

 
drawing

trials

 

whisper

 

throat

 

answer

 

moment

 

attitude

 

throwing

 

chuckle

 

taking

 
rolling

gurgle
 
laughing
 
sketching
 

outline

 

movements

 

peculiar

 
opposite
 
translated
 
segment
 

sleeper


nodded
 

addressing

 

measures

 

cigarette

 

plumbs

 

forefinger

 

commanded

 

softly

 

surprised

 

unexpected