The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1914-02-06

dealt only with trivial things--such
little affairs OF the house as occurred
to the mind OF Rosalie lie Grange.
working In flashes under her sleeping
exterior. She had growled and bah
BLEED 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 feel like q great big queen
was Yic--Vic-Victoria. The
voice of Laughing Eyes stopped. This
was a device OF Rosalies. She want.
ed to listen. Miss Estrilla had been
breathing regularly. Now, on the men
ton OF that name, her breath caught.
The voice OF Resale, her whole facial
expression, her manner-if one can
attribute manner to woman who
appears to Bleep-underwen an abb
rupt change The voice deepened; the
lines OF her face fell; II was Doctor
Carver who spoke.
Victoria is not strong" said the
voice; Il sense that she brings conso-
lation. She says that things are bad;
but they will be better by and by. II
IL a mothers influence. Miguel"
here Rosalie stopped; and again she
noted the irregular breathing from the
couch. 1t was an eternal quarter-mIn-
ute before she spoke again: this time
the voice was a mans, but lighter and
higher than that OF Doctor Carver;
and It spoke Spanish.
81 AMI mate. hijita mia!" II 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 Hard
ing. But once again Miguel foated
into the talk, dropped a word or two
Of easlly.pronounced Spanish, foated
out again. Presently Doctor Carvef
came no more; the babblings OF
Laughing.Eyes became disconnected
monosyllables, and died out altogether.
Resale lay as though asleep.
She lay for Ave minutes; she lay
for ten minutes. Won't she ever wake
me up2" thought Rosalie.
Miss EstrIlla moved now and then;
now and then her breathing caught
And suddenly-she was not breathing
at all. Rosalle steeled herself for the
shock OF cold water. II that were to
BIO the awakening. The shock came
but In another form.
II am going to kill you'll" said the
voice of Miss Estrllla in Spanish: Il
am pointing pistol at your head
Come to meat once--or shall fire!"
Thirty years In the profession which
deals with deceits both minute and
monstrous, thirty years of emotions
simulated, had given Resale one great
practical talent-control OF mind,
muscle and nerve. 1t had given her,
too, courage born Of self-confdence,
OF the well.grounded faith that che
could master any situation. Her i'm.
pulse. under sudden shock OF sur.
prise, 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
regularly and evenly as before. There
succeeded the critical moment when
the control OF instinct was gone and
the less dependable control OF reason
reasserted itself. That was hardest
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
or professional medium-to keep the
color in her face. She accomplished
this by the simple device of sinking
her chin close against her collar. It
was easier as the moments passed.
Nothing had happened. nor was there
any movement on the couch. 1t be.
came certain that this was a test.
(To BE coNTINUEDJ