The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-09-13
WiLFUL -OUIJA

(By Ruth Neely)

Whenever, in that reciprocity of spe'
cious interest which women's friend
ships entail, Nora Sanderson was com
PEELED to listen to Rosalie Gates re-
! counting of her latest adventure in the
eerie fields of psychic research, Nora's
l mind Invariably harked backward tc
the distant day when her trumpet fell
1t would be twelve years ago, dating
from Nora's twenty-ffth birthday
since the trumpet last served as the
mystic instrument of dubious but not
unlucrative calling.
Noras parents--that, is. her mother
and stepfather-Iwcre I'm the profess
sion" Their inodestly printed cards
bore this inscription:
"Du Lane Circle. weekly sittings,
Mondays. 204 High street, upstairs
Madame Du Lane, world famous me-
| dium. Prof Du Lane, noted hypnotist.
Reveal important family, business and
professional secrets Failure foretold de-
parted spirits summoned. Single sit
tings. So. Circle, ST."
Not infrequently Nora recalled in
cidents still further back, for instance.
the time she begged-she could not have
/ been more than years old but could
read nicely--that her own name be also
printed on the business cards.
Little Bessie, just like l say 1t In
the trumpet. Won't yous mamma? ?" she
had peaaa h Rtss Gsk t p5Gs
the fn S Spirit Ha Land. Won's you, mamma p
Ed Dulany and her mother had both
laughed uproariously at Nora's request.
Dulany was her stepfather, but not
the wicked kind one reads of in books.
On the contrary. he was very good-na-
tured.
Ed wore a doctors pointed beard. but
he wasn't a doctor, although people
often called him that, and he wasn't a
professor, although people often called
him that also.
His wife. however. called him
"swcetie," except such times as he lost
money In poolrooms or at the races,
which seemed very often in Nora's rec
you lazy chump," was Nine. Du-
lanys accustomed effort at reproof
Here I slave away working suckers
just so you can, pay for making suck
ITS the truth. honey Thus al
ways, the good-natured Ed. "rll cut
out the ponies and stick to spooting
spooks from now on. Honest 1 will,
honey"
terminology rapidly explained itself as
ra-professionally speaking, Little
Bessie''-grew to skill and wisdom.
Certainly she was educated in prac-
tically every detail OF the spiritualistic
business. as conducted by her parents,
when the enu came, hterally ana nSur-
atlvely. with crash.
Reporters on a newspaper which had
been investigating seances for a month
or more had managed to get in and
turn the trick. N"Lttle Bessie" was
singing into the trumpet at the very
moment II fell. Nora, dislodged from
her perch in the room adjoining. plunged
headlong 10 the floor.
The lights were all on. confusion |
The two young newspa- !
per men who broke into the room !
very sorry when they picked her |
IN, Nora remembered At first it was |
thought she had fractured her hip, but |
IL was only bad sprain II left a slight |
weakness, still in dicated a twinge |
now and then. But, OF course, business |
was ruined, Bad luck had struck them |
anyway, and two years later Nora's |
mother died 1t certainly did not oc-
cur to either Ed or Nora to seek con-
ISOLATION for the grief both suffered,
each according tn the possibilities of his
nature. in those spirit reunions of
which the warm hearted. kimoned little
,harlatan they incurred had been chief
~
shes gone. there's no use kidding
ourselves about that" Poor Eds none
100 sturdy chin trembled in the throes
" n real, II evanescsnt sorrow and re-
yret.
II wish I had treated her more like a
man. wish I hadn't made her work
iamn skin game instead of living de-
cent like other folks"
ITO be contlnued.)