solute
evidence that no human agency had uncoiled them.

In the face of all this, what were reasoning people to believe?

They could not but believe the one thing that they generally did believe
after having visited Evalena Gray's seances, and that was that there
_does_ exist an intercommunication between this and the "Land of the
Leal;" that all persons at times feel these spirit forces working upon
or within them in different forms and with different degrees of
intensity; and that there are these fine organisms, so free from earthly
conditions or hinderances, as to almost permit the rehabilitation of
spirit-lives which, as truly friendly aids and assistants, often perform
what seem to the comprehension of ordinary mortals as past belief,
giving in their materializations many blessed glimpses of the
spirit-land.

All of which would be thrillingly pleasant to believe and ruminate over
if it was not true that there are probably hundreds in this country
alone who can do this sort of thing without looking pale and interesting
over it; without necessitating the indorsement of a millionaire brewer
or anybody else; and who would consider it hardly fair to charge two
dollars admission, as Miss Gray did, for the utter humbug of sitting
within a circle as a woman dexterous enough to have her feet held and
then be able with the left hand to pat the right palm for a moment, then
the right arm--made bare from the wrist to the shoulder by the sudden
unloosening of a delicate elastic, clasped into the bracelet--or her
cheek, forehead, or neck, as necessity compelled, but making this
patting incessant and so like that of the two hands, that detection (in
the dark) would be a matter of impossibility; and with this same bared
right arm and hand producing all of these manifestations, ordinarily so
marvellous, even to taking a little music-box out of the pocket,
springing a catch to start the melody, "floating" it all about the heads
of those composing the circle, shutting off the music, and putting the
box in the pocket; or even neatly balancing a wine-glass of water upon
the head.

And when this was all done, without claiming any particular nearness to
heaven regarding it either, I am satisfied that I have lady operatives
in my employ who can step into a room adjoining a seance-parlor, adjust
a rubber jacket, inflate it, hiding the tube of the same under a
closely-fitting collar, allow themselves to be tied so that the ropes
would