J. MALCOLM BIRD 275 



a loss; but you know that he means that silly parrot 

 which looked so much like an old hen as to have ac- 

 quired this name. He refers to the lantern that got 

 broken when you and he were lost In the fog and re- 

 minds you that It still lies in the attic behind that vil- 

 lainous oil likeness of his own grandfather. He 

 laughs about the time the WIdder Madden's bees 

 swarmed on the frame of your bicycle so that you 

 had to walk to the post office. All these details, I 

 may say, are bona fide extracts from my own experi- 

 ence; I indulge in fiction only In bringing them all to- 

 gether for the single sitter and sitting. Under these 

 circumstances. If we can be reasonably sure of your 

 anonymity and of the medium's lack of any line on 

 you, here Is something which must be taken seriously. 

 And whether you like it or not, it happens to be a fact 

 that performance of this caliber Is a frequent occur- 

 rence. The files of any of the Psychical Research So- 

 cieties will reveal the material, and will support my 

 statement that in seeking to display an Ideal example, 

 I manufacture one only because the actual ones are 

 invariably too long and complicated for use In a paper 

 of the present type. 



But you must not jump at the conclusion that It was 

 really your grandfather speaking. All you really know 

 is that statements of fact have been made through the 

 medium, which he could have acquired through no 

 normal means of cognition or guessing. You may feel 

 like asking, "If It wasn't Gee-Pops, who or what was 

 it?" And If you do, I shall Indicate what answer 

 might be given. But we have not got to that point. 

 For the moment, I must insist that all emphasis be 

 given, not to the alleged Identity of the communicator, 



