Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1920-03-04

an idiot, and called himself that and
other names. And as the silence con.
tinued, and the impassive woman in
the easy-chair remained impasslve, he
began to wonder what had led him to
be such fool. What had brought him
back to this absurd place and caused
him to be watching this absurd wom-
an taking nap in chair? In brief :
What the devil did he mean by it? He
had not the slightest interest in Mrs.
Horner's naps-or in her teeth, which
were being slightly revealed by the I'M
conscious parting of her lips, as her
breathing became heavier.
How long was he going to sit here
presiding over this unknown woman's
slumbers? 1t struck him that to make
the picture complete he ought to be
shooing flies away from her with a
palm-leaf fan.
Mrs. Horner's parted lips closed
again abruptly, and became COM
pressed; her shoulders moved a little,
then jerked repeatedly; her small
chest heaved; she gasped, and the
compressed lips relaxed to a slight
contortion, then began to move, whis-
pering and bringing forth indistin-
sllshable mutterings.
Suddenly she spoke in a loud, husky
voice:
~Lopa is here!"
eyes," Eugene said dryly. "That's
what you said last time. remember
'LOpa.' She's your control l think
you said"
'Tm Lopa," said the husky voice.
''Tm Lopa herself"
"You mean I'm to suppose you're
not Mrs. Horner nowT
"Never was Mrs. Hornerl" the voice
declared, speaking undeniably from
Mrs. HOrner's lIps-but with such con.
viction that Eugene. In spite Of every.
thing, began to feel himself in the
presence Of a third party. who was
none the less an individual, even
though she might be another edition
of the apparently somnambulistic Mrs.
Homer. "Never was Mrs. Horner or
anybody but just LOpa. Guide"
'YOu mean you're Mrs. HOrner's
guider he asked.
''Your guide now" said the voice
with emphasis. to which was IncOn-
gruOusly added q low laugh. "YOu
came here once before. LOpa remem-
bers."
"Yes-so did Mrs. HOrner."
LOpa overlooked his implication, and
continued quickly: "YOu build. Build
things that 60. You came here once
and old gentleman on this side, he
spoke to you. Same old gentleman
here now. he tell Lopa he's your
grandfather-nO. he says father He's
your father"
''What's his appearanceT'
'HowT"
"What does he look like7"
''Very flnel White beard, but not
long beard. He says some one else
wants to speak to you. See here.
Lady. Not his wife, though. No.
Very fine ladyi Fine lady, fine ladyl"
els it my sister?" Eugene asked.
"Slster? No. She is shaking her
head. She has pretty brown hair. She
is fond of you. She is some one who
knows you very well, but she is not
your sister. She is very anxious to
say something to you-very anxious.
Very fond of you; very anxious to talk
TO you. Very glad you came hefe-oh,
very gladl"
"What is her name?"
'Name," the voice repeated. and
seemed to rumlnate. "Name hard to
getaways very hard for Lopa.
Name. She wants to tell me her name
to tell you. She wants you to under
stand names are hard to make. She
says you must think Of something that
makes a sound" Here the voice
seemed to put a question to an invis.
ible presence and to receive an an
swsr. "a little sound or a big sound9
She says 1t might be little sound or
a big sound. She says a rlng-oh,
-. F-...-..-- Oh mn