me by one of the clerks filtered back
through my brain, but I had been hunting three lost receipts at the
time, and had completely forgotten it.

"Company?" I said stupidly. "What company?"

"De Missus's Ouija boahrd pahrty," said Gladolia, and rolling her eyes
she disappeared in the direction of the kitchen.

I must have gone upstairs and dressed and come down again, for I
presently found myself standing in the dimly lighted lower hall wearing
my second best suit and a fresh shirt and collar. But I have no
recollections of the process.

There was a great chattering coming from our little parlor and I went
over to the half-opened door and peered through.

The room was full of women--most of them elderly--whom I recognized as
belonging to my wife's Book Club. They were sitting in couples, and
between each couple was a Ouija board! The mournful squeak of the legs
of the moving triangular things on which they rested their fingers
filled the air and mixed in with the conversation. I looked around for
the ghost with my heart sunk down to zero. What if Lavinia should see
her and go mad before my eyes! And then my wife came and tapped me on
the shoulder.

"John," she said in her sweetest voice, and I noticed that her cheeks
were very pink and her eyes very bright. My wife is never so pretty as
when she's doing something she knows I disapprove of, "John, dear I know
you'll help us out. Mrs. William Augustus Wainright 'phoned at the last
moment to say that she couldn't possibly come, and that leaves poor
Laura Hinkle without a partner. Now, John, I know _some_ people can work
a Ouija by themselves, but Laura can't, and she'll just have a horrible
time unless you----"

"Me!" I gasped. "Me! I won't----" but even as I spoke she had taken my
arm, and the next thing I knew I was sitting with the thing on my knees
and Miss Laura Hinkle opposite, grinning in my face like a flirtatious
crocodile.

"I--I won't----" I began.

"Now, Mr. Hallock, don't you be shy." Miss Laura Hinkle leaned forward
and shook a bony finger almost under my chin.

"I--I'm not! Only I say I won't----!"

"No, it's very easy, really. You just put the tips of your fingers
right here beside the tips of my fingers----"

And the first thing I knew she had taken my hands and was coyly holding
them in the position desired. She released them presently, and the
little board began to slide around in an aimless sort of way. There
seemed to be some force tug