"'Yes,' I said, I hear them every day.'
"'Ah!' said the spirit, 'you are mediumistic.'
"I started. 'Is it painful?' I asked, 'or likely to become chronic?'
"The medium sat bolt upright in her chair and rubbed her eyes violently. 'Your levity has destroyed the conditions,' she said. 'Two dollars, please.'
"I paid the money, and, in going out, I met a man looking at his watch in an irritated way.
"'I engaged a sitting for 3 o'clock by telephone,' he said. 'Why have I been kept waiting half an hour?'
"The medium's jaw dropped with peculiar suddenness and she sat down heavily in a chair. A sudden revelation came to me.
"'Sir,' I said, addressing the stranger, 'pardon the inquiry, but have you a Sister Ida and a Brother Charley in spirit life? Do you love two women—one fair and wealthy, the other poor and dark, but talented? Does a dark cloud hover over your life and do you hear voices calling you from afar? Are you sensitive and have you developed the sense of tou—?'
"'Enough!' cried the man, hoarsely. 'I am convinced—here is your money,' and he handed me a five-dollar bill.