Alexander W. Drake (1843-1916) was a successful American wood engraver and art collector and director of the art department for Scribner's and Century magazines. The weird tales he wrote were collected by friends to memorialize him following his death.

'The Loosened Cord' (1894) describes an elaborate dinner party which includes an unusual decoration - a small bird in a gilded cage attached to a balloon by a silk cord. The cord comes loose, and the cage floats away with its captive bird. What happens next to the bird is more than extraordinary.