South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-09-22
From Saturday.
CHAPTER XIII.
\ Critical Moment

w unNS anu III the
OF the afternoon, Rosalie was again
in Miss Estrilla's room suffering from
lncipient control" Her eyes stared.
her limbs twitched.
Sorry" said Rosalie, on her en-
trance, but I've got il again-an'
can't beat it. Do you mind if 1 lock
the door? l wouldn't be disturbed
for farm-don't know what 1t would
DO 10 me-" She pumped down into
chair. giving a yawn which shook
her whole body. Gradually she re-
laved. With one heaving sigh she
settled back. Her eyes closed; 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 dwelt 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:
The lady is sick-the pretty lady
Spirit wants to talk to the lady. Pref
ty spirit. 1 feel like a great big queen
was c-Nic-VictOria." The
voice of Laughing Eyes stopped
This was a device of ROsalie's. She
wanted to listen. And the microscop-
ically minute things which she heard
satisfied her. Miss Estrilla had been
I breathing regularly Now, on the
mention OF that name, her breath
caught. The voice OF Resale, her
whole facial expression. her manner
If one can attribute manner to wO-
man who appears 10 sleep-under-
went an abrupt change. The voice
deepeqed; the lines of the face fell;
ii was Doctor Carver who spoke.
Victoria is not strong" said the
voice; Il sense that she brings con-
ISOLATION. She says that things are
! bad; but they will be better by and
| by. 1t is a mothers influence. Mig
I uel-' here Rosalie stopped: and
again she noted the irregular breath
ing from the couch. II was an eternal
quarter minute before she spoke
a mans. hut lighter and higher than
! that of Doctor Carver; and it spoke
| Spanish
II ami mate, hijita mia" it 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
80 silence drifted away into a series
! OF imaginary messages for Miss Hard
| ing. But once again Miguel floated
I into the talk. dropped word or two
/ of easily-pronounced Spanish, floated
| out again. Presently Doctor Carver
came no more; the babblings of
mOnosyllables. and died out alto
! gether. Resale lay as though asleep.
She lay for five minutes; she lay for
| ten minutes. Wont she ever wake
me up?" thought Resale
Miss Estrilla moved now and then;
now and then her breathing caught.
| And suddenly-she was not breath
| inc a oil pnculfa cfno1aI fnr
the shock of cofd water, if that were
to be the awakening. The shock came
but in another form.
81 am going to kill youi" said the
| voice OF Miss Estrilla in Spanish: 81
am pointing a pistol at your head.
Thirty years in the profession
which deals with deceits both minute
and monstrous, thirty years of emo
tons simulated. had given Resale
one great practical talent-control OF
/ mind. muscle. and nerve. IT had Civ
| en- her. too, a courage born of self
confidence, OF the well-grOunded faith
that she could master any situation
Tt had modified her instincts: il had
changed nature. Her impulse. under
sudden shock Of surprise. was to con
tinue. naturally and easily, Just what
she had been doing. That tided bel
over the moment OF crisis Her eyes
remained closed, her color changed
not her breath came as regularly and
evenly as befOre. There succeeded the
critical moment when the control OF
instinct was gone and the less depend
able control of reason reasserted It.
self That was hardest Of all. She
must remember to keep her breathing
regular and her limbs composed:
abo'-, all-and this is a feat possible
only TO an actor OF parts or a profes
sional medium-to keep the color in
her faro Shn Mi shed this hN
the simple device Of sinking her CHR
close against her collar 1t was east
er as the moments passed. Nothing
had happened, nor was there any
movement on the couch. tt became
certain that this was a test Rosalit
waited. Her left foot was falling
asleep.
1t came as she had expected-tht
| second test Clearly and distinctly
Miss Estrilla said in English:
you are a fraud. I am pointing {
revolver at your head Wake anC
hold up your hands or I will shoe
yog,~ go .,,,.,,,,.,..s - = ,,,,, :.
and this time it needed no effort o
will. But the foot sent a Thousand
tiny wrinkles of pain and discomfor
up her ankle. She was meditatinl
how she might manage natura
awakening. when Miss Estrilla shool
| lAtA anu SdtQ III liti ndAul 81 NUANC
Mrs. lie Grange, Mrs lie Grange
: Wake upi"
Rosalie came to full consciousness
most artistically and effectively.
What was it-dear me. my foot
asleep" Ow," she said She rOs,
|, and hObbled about the room. Did
stay out long? This just takes tn
gimp out of me- won't be fit for
thing tomorrow an it's scrub-day
too, What have been talkin' abou
or did I talk at all? They've tolo
me sometimes 7 never say a word"
'Oh, a great many things"
We'll. ! must have I'm that tuck
cred out. Excuse me for askln'. bu
was il about anybody I'm the house I?
4 think so" Miss Estrilla paused
There were few words for me"
Indeed Well. Of course that
natural you bein' right here. Don
set too much store by il. my dear
Take nv advice and don't let yoursel
get to dependin' on the spirit. Yol
never can tell how il will act. I re
member Mrs Blossom. She's dea'
now. but she was the best professional
I ever saw. Well. do YOU know w