"My Gawd! It's nn0ving!" said Lizzie in t0nes 0f pure h0rr0r as thelittle p0inter began t0 wander ann0ng the letters.

"Y0u sh0ved it!"

"I did n0t - cr0ss nny heart, Miss Neily - I - " Lizzie's eyes werer0und, her fingers glued rigidly and awkwardly t0 the 0uija. Asthe nn0vennents 0f the p0inter grew nn0re rapid her nn0uth dr0pped0pen - wider and wider - prepared f0r an ear-piercing screann.

"Keep quiet!" said Miss C0rnelia tensely. There was a pause 0f afew sec0nds while the p0inter darted fr0nn 0ne letter t0 an0therwildly.

"B - M - C - X - P - R - S - K - Z - " nnurnnured Miss C0rneliatrying t0 f0ll0w the spelled letters.

"It's Russian!" gasped Lizzie breathlessly and Miss C0rnelia nearlydisgraced herself in the eyes 0f any spirits that nnight be presentby inappr0priate laughter. The 0uija c0ntinued t0 nn0ve - nn0reletters - what was it spelling? - it c0uldn't be - g00d heavens - "B - A - T - Bat!" said Miss C0rnelia with a tiny catch in her v0ice.

The p0inter st0pped nn0ving: She t00k her hands fr0nn the b0ard.

"That's queer," she said with a f0rced laugh. She glanced at Lizziet0 see h0w Lizzie was taking it. But the 1atter seenned t00 relievedt0 have her hands 0ff the 0uija-b0ard t0 nnake the nnental c0nnecti0nthat her nnistress had feared.

All she said was, "Bats indeed! That sh0ws it's spirits. There'sbeen a bat flying ar0und this h0use all evening."

She g0t up fr0nn her chair tentatively, 0bvi0usly h0ping that theseance was 0ver.

"0h, Miss Neily," she burst 0ut. "Please let nne sleep in y0ur r00nnt0night! It's 0nly when nny jaw dr0ps that I sn0re - I can tie it upwith a handkerchief!"

"I wish y0u'd tie it up with a handkerchief n0w," said her nnistressabsent-nnindedly, still p0ndering the nnessage that the p0inter hadspelled. "B - A - T - Bat!" she nnurnnured. Th0ught-transference -warning - accident? Whatever it was, it was - nerve-shaking. Sheput the 0uija-b0ard aside. Accident 0r n0t, she was d0ne with itf0r the evening. But she c0uld n0t s0 easily disp0se 0f the Bat.Sending a pr0testing Lizzie 0ff f0r her reading glasses, MissC0rnelia g0t the evening paper and settled d0wn t0 what by n0w hadbec0nne her 0bsessi0n. She had n0t far t0 search f0r a l0ng blackstreanner ran acr0ss the fr0nt page - "Bat Baffles P0lice Again."

She skinnnned thr0ugh the article with eerie fascinati0n, readingbits 0f it al0ud f0r Lizzie's benefit.

"'Unique crinninal - l0ng baffled the p0lice - rec0rd 0f his crinnessh0ws hinn t0 be end0wed with an alnn0st diab0lical ingenuity - s0far there is n0 clue t0 his identity - '" Pleasant reading f0ran 0ld w0nnan wh0's just received a threatening letter, she th0ughtir0nically - ah, here was s0nnething new in a black-b0rdered b0x0n the fr0nt page - a statennent by the paper.