he other.

"Peter, have you a message for us?" Carly asked, again using that calm,
uninflected tone.

"Yes," pointed the board, and then, as they settled down to receive it,
the wooden heart spelled rapidly: "Do not grieve for me-- I am happy."

Carlotta looked disappointed. "Oh, dear," she said, "I'm so tired of
that message! I thought Peter would do better than that! Let's try
again."

Again the board moved, and the message came, "Tell mother not to
grieve----"

"Oh, Peter," Carlotta said, in real impatience, "do say something beside
those stereotyped phrases! Tell us something we don't know, something
about yourself."

"Tell us how you died," said Shelby, suddenly.

"Yes, tell us that," Carly repeated.

The board moved more slowly.

"I was," it spelled, and "Go on!" the girl urged "I was--in the
snow----"

"Yes, yes--go on."

"And I fell down, and I--I--couldn't get up."

"Why not?" this sharply from Carly.

"H----" the board stopped; then went on, "Heart failure."

"I thought so!" exclaimed Shelby; "there aren't any wild animals up
there in----"

"Hush--it's moving again," said Carly.

"Heart gave out," the board spelled, moving rapidly now. "Couldn't make
the boys hear. Could only gurgle in my throat. Couldn't shout. So I
died."

"Do you believe it?" asked Carly, her big, brown eyes solemn and
serious.

"Yes, I do," said Shelby. "It's highly probable, anyway. Go on, Peter,
tell us something else."

Whether Shelby "believed" or not, he was deeply interested, and his
breath came faster as he saw the revealing letters spell various
messages.

Both performers watched the four hands as the board moved under them.
And, the most intense scrutiny could discover no voluntary movement or
assistance to the uncanny instrument.

Many messages were of slight importance, and then came a sudden, "I say,
Shelby, why don't you marry Carly?"

The girl gasped, then smiled, but Shelby looked up, dumbfounded.

"Oh, Carly," he said, "if you only would!"

"Hush!" she reproved him. "I'll put the board away if you do such
things! You know you pushed it that time!"

"I didn't, Carly, truly--word of honor, I didn't! I'd no idea what was
coming! Oh, Carly, darling, I love you, and--dear, whether Peter sent
that message or not--won't you--can't you----"

They had risen, casting aside the board, and Shelby took her hands in
his. "Dearest," he said, "I wanted to tell you, but I was
waiting--for--for Peter's s