Tombstone epitaph., 1916-04-02

Let me omit the preliminaries. They dealt only with trivial things-such little affairs of the house as occurred to the mind of Rosalie Le Grange. working in flashes under her sleeping exterior. She had growled and bab- bled for five minutes before Laughing Eyes announced suddenly:
 "The lady is sick-the pretty lady. Spirit wants to talk to the lady. Pret. ty spirit. feel like a great big queen was -vic-vic-Victoria." The voice of Laughing.Eyes stopped. This was a device of Rosalie's. 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 Rosalie. her whole facial expression, her manner-if one can attribute manner to a woman who appears to sleep-underwent an ab- rupt change. The voice deepened: the lines of her face fell; it was Doctsr Carver who spoke
 Victoria is not strong" said the voice: q sense that she brings conso- lation. She says that things are bad; but they will be better by and by. It is a mothers influence. Miguel" here Rosalie stopped: and again she noted the irregular breathing fro= the couch. It 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.
 .I ani 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" 1 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 easily pronounced Spanish. noated out again. Presently Doctor Carver came no more; the babblings of Laughing-Eyes became disconnected monosyllables. and died out altogether Rosalie lay as though asleep.
 She lay for five minutes: she lay for ten minutes. Wont she ever wake me up?" thought Rosalie.
 MES E<SlliIa anu Nnch . now and then her breathing caught And suddenly-she was not breathing at all. Rosalie steeled herself for the shock of cold water. if that were tc be the awakening. The shock came but in another form.
 "I am going to kill you!" said the voice of Miss Estrilla in Spanish: "l sfro iGfn nf O Come to meat once-or l shall fire''
 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. It had given her too, a courage born of self-confidence of the well-grounded faith that shs 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 o crisis. Her eyes remained closed. hel color changed not, her breath came al regularly and evenly as before. Ther' succeeded the critical moment wher the control of Instinct was gone ant the less dependable control of reason reasserted itself. That was hardes of all. She must remember to keel her breathing regular. and her limb, composed; above all-and this is feat possible only to an actor of part or a professional medium-to keep tn, ccior in her face. She accomplishe, this by the simple device Of sinkinl
 her chin close against her collar. I
 was easier as the moments passed
 Nothing had happened. nor was ther
 any movement on the couch. It be came certain that this was a tes,
 (TO BE CONTINUEDO