Part 28

Dr. Z.—“How did you know this avenue was open?”

Patience.—“I did to seek at crannies for to put; aye, and ’twer the her o’ her who tireth past the her o’ her, and slippeth to a naught o’ putting; and ’twer the me o’ me at seek, aye, and find. Aye, and ’twer so.”

At the time Patience first presented herself to Mrs. Curran, she (Mrs. Curran) was very tired, and was sitting at the board with Mrs. Hutchings, with her head, as she expresses it, absolutely empty.

Dr. Z.—“Did you go forth to seek, or were you sent?”

Patience.—“There be nay tracker o’ path ne’er put thereon by sender.”

Dr. Z.—“Did you know of the ouija board and its use before?”

Patience.—“Nay, ’tis not the put o’ me, the word hereon. ’Tis the put o’ me at see o’ her.

“I put athin the see o’ her, aye and ’tis the see o’ ye that be afulled o’ the put o’ me, and yet a put thou knowest not.

“That which ye know not o’ thy day hath slipped it unto her, and thence unto thee. And thee knowest ’tis not the put o’ her; aye, and thee knowest ’tis ne’er a putter o’ thy day there be at such an put. Aye, and did he to put, ’twould be o’ thy day and not the day o’ me. And yet ye prate o’ why and whence and where. I tell thee ’tis thee that knowest that which ye own not.”

Dr. Z.—“Why don’t we own it, Patience?”

Patience.—“’Tis at fear o’ gab.”

It is no easy task to untangle that putting of puts, but, briefly, it seems to mean that Patience does not put her words on the board direct, with the hands of Mrs. Curran, but transmits her words through the mind or inner vision of Mrs. Curran, and yet it is the word of Patience and not of Mrs. Curran that is recorded. This accords with Mrs. Curran’s impressions. And thou knowest, Patience farther says, that it is not the language of her, and no writer of thy day would or could write in such a language as I make use of.

* * * * *

Returning to Dr. X. and his party. They were present again a few days after the interview just given, having with them a Miss J., a newspaper writer from an Ohio city. Dr. X. in the meantime had thought much upon the phenomena, and Patience immediately directed her guns upon the anatomist, in this manner:

Patience.—“Hark ye, lad, unto thee I do speak. Thou hast a sack o’ the wares o’ me, and thou hast eat therefrom. Yea, and thou hast spat that which thou did’st eat, and eat it o’er. And yet thou art not afulled.

“Hark! Here be a trick that shall best thee at thine own trick. Lo, thou lookest upon flesh and it be but flesh. Yea, thou lookest unto thy brother, and see but flesh. And yet thy brother speakest word, and thou sayest: ‘Yea, this is a man, aye, the brother o’ me.’ Then doth death lay low thy brother, and he speak not word unto thee, thou sayest: ‘Nay, this is no man; nay, this is but clay.’ Then lookest thou unto thy brother, and thou seest not the him o’ him. Thou knowest not the him o’ him (the soul) but the flesh o’ him only.

“More I tell thee. Thy very babe wert not flesh; yea, it were as dead afore the coming. Yet, at the mother’s bearing, it setteth within the flesh. And thou knowest it and speak, yea, this is a man. And yet I tell thee thou knowest not e’en the him o’ him! Then doth it die, ’tis nay man, thou sayest. Yet, at the dying and afore the bearing, ’twer what? The him o’ him wert then, and now, and ever.

“Yea, I speak unto thee not through flesh, and thou sayest: This is no man, yea, for thine eyes see not flesh, yet thou knowest the me o’ me, and I speak unto thee with the me o’ me. And thou art where upon thy path o’ learning!”

There was some discussion following this argument in which Dr. X. admitted that he accepted only material facts and believed but what he saw.

Patience.—“Man maketh temples that reach them unto the skies, and yet He fashioneth a gnat, and where be man’s learning!

“The earth is full o’ what the blind in-man seeth not. Ope thine eye, lad. Thou art athin dark, and yet drink ye ever o’ the light.”

Dr. X.—“That’s all right, Patience, and a good argument; but tell me where the him o’ him of my dog is.”

Patience.—“Thou art ahungered for what be thine at the hand o’ thee. Thy dog hath far more o’ Him than thy brothers who set them as dogs and eat o’ dog’s eat. The One o’ One, the All o’ All, yea, all o’ life holdeth the Him o’ Him, thy Sire and mine! ’Tis the breath o’ Him that pulses earth. Thou asketh where abides this thing. Aneath thy skull’s arch there be nay room for the there or where o’ this!”

Miss J. then took the board and Patience said:

“She taketh it she standeth well athin the sight o’ me that she weareth the frock o’ me.”

This caused a laugh, for it was then explained by the visitors that Miss J. had chosen to wear a frock somewhat on the Puritan order, having a gray cape with white cuffs and collar, and had said she thought Patience would approve of it.

Patience.—“Here be a one aheart ope, and she hath the in-man who she proddeth that he opeth his eyes. Yea, she seest that which be and thou seest not.”

It was remarked that Patience was evidently trying to be very nice to Miss J.