Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-14
half-open door. Constance, indeed,
never knew; and Rosalie forgot.
CHAPTER XIII

CHAPTER XIII
A Critical Moment.
IN WO days later, and in the middle
of the afternoon, Rosalie was
= again in Miss Estrilla's room
suffering from incipient control.
Her eyes stared, her limbs twitched.
Sorry" said Rosalie, on her en-
trance, but I've got it again-an' l
can't beat it. Do you mind IL 1 lock
the door? l wouldn't be disturbed
for a farm-don't know what it would
do to mel" She pumped down into
a chair, giving a yawn which shook
her whole body. Gradually she re-
laxed With one heaving sigh she
fell as into sleep. And presently she
was babbling first in the baritone of
Doctor Carver and then in the liquid
accents of Laughing Eyes.
Let me omit the preliminaries.
They dealt only with trivial things
such little affairs of the house as oc-
CURED to the mind of Rosalie lie
Grange, working in flashes under
her sleeping exterior. She had
growled and babbled for five minutes
before Laughing Eyes announced
suddenly:
1.-THE lady is sick-the pretty lady.
Spirit wants to talk to the lady.
Pretty spirit. I feel like great big
queen was Observation-Disclosures y
The voice of Laughing Eyes stopped
This was device of Rosalie's. She
wanted to listen. And the micro
scopically minute thing which she
heard satisfied her. Miss Estrilla had
been breathing regularly. Now, or
the mention of that name, her breath
caught. The voice of Rosalie, hel
whole facial expression, her manner
If one can attribute manner to g
woman who appears to sleep-under.
went an abrupt change. The voice
deepened; the lines of the face fell
it was Doctor Carver who spoke.
Victoria Is not strong" said the
voice; 81 sense that she brings con-
ISOLATION. She says that things are
bad; but they will be better by and
by. 1t is mothers influence. Mig
uel-" here Resale stopped; and
again she noted the irregular breath
ing from the couch. 1t was an eterna
quarter minute before she spoke
again: this time the voice was g
mans, but lighter and higher thar
that of Doctor Carver; and it spoke
Spanish.
II ami mate, hijita mia!" 1t said
and died away. A silence again. He
is gone" said the voice of Doctor
Carver. "A spirit wants the young
woman who lives below this ROOM
The seance drifted away into a series
of imaginary messages for Miss
Harding. But once again Miguel
fioated into the talk, dropped word
or two of easily pronounced Spanish,
fioated out again. Presently, Doctor
Carver came no more; the babblings
of Laughing Eyes became discon-
nected monosyllables, and died out
altogether Resale lay as though
asleep.
She lay for five minutes; she lay for
ten minutes. won't she ever wake
me up?" thought Rosalie.
Miss Estrilla moved now and then;
now and then her breathing caught.
at all. Resale steeled herself for the
shock of cold water. If that were to
be the awakening. The shock came
but in another form.
81 am going to kill you!" said the
voice of Miss Estrilla in Spanish; Il
am pointing pistol at your head!
Come to meat once--or I shall f1reE'
Thirty years in the profession which
deals with deceits both minute and
monstrous, thirty years of emotions
simulated, had given Rosalie one
great practical talent-control of
mind, muscle and nerve. 1t had
given her, too, courage born of self
confidence, of the well-grounded
faith that she could master any stu
alton. 1t had modified her instincts;
1t had changed nature. Her impulse,
under sudden shock of surprise, was
to continue. naturally and easily, just
what she had been doing. That
tided her over the moment of crisis.
Her eyes remained closed, her color
changed not, her breath came as
reglarly and evenly as before. There
succeeded the critical moment when
the control of instinct was gone and
the less dependable control of reason
reaSSeTleQ llSelI. nat was ildi QtSL
of all. She must remember to keep
her breathing regular, and her limbs
composed; above all-and this is a
feat possible only to an actor of parts
of a professional medium-to keep
the color in her face. She accom-
plished this by the simple device of
sinking her chin close against her
collar. 1t was easier as the moments
passed. Nothing had happened, nor
was there any movement on the
couch. 1t became certain that this
was test. Rosalie waited. Her left
foot was falling asleep.
1t came as she had expected-the
second test. Clearly and distinctly,
Miss Estrilla said in English:
"You are a fraud, l am pointing a
revolver at your head. Wake and
hold up your hands or 1 will shoot
you"
Resale slumbered on in seeming;
and this time 1t needed no effort of
will. But the foot sent thousand
tiny twinkles of pain and discomfort
up her ankle. She was meditatine