CHAPTER 8 _PSYCHIC SIGNS_
As Penny and Mrs. Weems waited, the seamstress went to another room,returning with a stamped, slit envelope.
"Notice the postmark," she requested, thrusting the letter into Penny'shand.
"It was mailed from New York," the girl observed.
"I mean the hour at which the envelope was stamped by the postmaster."
"I make it 11:30 P.M. June fifteenth," Penny read aloud. "Does the timeand date have special significance?"
"Indeed, it does," the seamstress replied impressively. "You tell them,Pa."
"It happened three nights ago," began Mr. Hodges. "Ma worked latestitchin' up some playsuits for Mrs. Hudson's little girl. Afterwards wehad bread and milk like we always do, and then we went to bed."
"At the time, I said to Pa that something queer was going to happen,"broke in the seamstress. "I could feel it in my bones. It was as ifsomething was hovering over us."
"A feeling of impending trouble?" questioned Penny.
"Nothing like that," said Mr. Hodges.
"No, it was as if one almost could feel a foreign presence in the room,"Mrs. Hodges declared, lowering her voice. "A supernatural being."
"Surely you don't believe in ghosts...?" Penny began, but the seamstressdid not hear. Unheeding, she resumed:
"Pa rubbed my back to ease the pain I get from working too long at themachine. Then we went to bed. Neither of us had gone to sleep whensuddenly we heard it!"
"Six sharp raps on the outside bedroom wall," supplied Mr. Hodges. "Itwas like this." He demonstrated on the table.
"We both heard it," added Mrs. Hodges. "It scared me nearly out of mywits."
"Possibly it was someone at the door," suggested Penny.
"No, it wasn't that. Pa got up and went to see."
"Could it have been a tree bough brushing against the wall?"
"It wasn't that," said Mr. Hodges. "The maple is too far off to strikeour bedroom."
"There's only one explanation," declared the seamstress with conviction."It was a psychic sign--the first."
"I don't believe in such things myself," announced Penny. "Surely theremust be another explanation."
"That's what I told Jenny," nodded Mr. Hodges. "But since the lettercame, doggoned if I don't think maybe she's right."
"What has the letter to do with it?" inquired Mrs. Weems.
The seamstress pointed to the postmark on the envelope.
"The hour at which we heard the strange tappings was eleven-thirty! Palooked at the clock. And it was three days ago, June fifteenth."
"Corresponding to the marking on this envelope," commented Penny. "Thatis a coincidence."
Mrs. Hodges shook her head impatiently.
"You surely don't think it just happened by _accident_?" she asked. "Itmust have been intended as a sign--an omen."
"What did the letter say?" Penny inquired, without answering Mrs. Hodges'question. She knew that her true opinion would not please the woman.
"It wasn't rightly a letter," the seamstress returned. "The envelopecontained six silver dollars fitted into a stiff piece of cardboard."
"We figured it was another sign," contributed Mr. Hodges. "Six raps onthe wall--six dollars."
"I wish some ghost would come and pound all night long on my bedroomdoor," remarked Penny lightly.
"Penelope, you shouldn't speak so disrespectfully," Mrs. Weems reprovedin a mild voice.
"Excuse me, I didn't mean to," said Penny, composing her face. "What elsehas happened of a supernatural nature?"
"Why, nothing yet," Mrs. Hodges admitted. "But Pa and I have had afeeling as if something important were about to take place. And now Maudinherits six thousand dollars!"
"There was nothing psychic about that," said Mrs. Weems. "Cousin Davidhad no close relatives so he left the money to me."
The seamstress shook her head, and an ethereal light shone in her eyes.
"Night before last when I went to bed I was thinking that I wished withall my heart something nice would happen to you, Maud. Now it's come topass!"
Even Mrs. Weems was somewhat startled by the seamstress' calm assumptionthat her thoughts had been responsible for the inheritance.
"Don't you see," Mrs. Hodges resumed patiently. "It must mean that I havegreat psychic powers. I confess I am rather frightened."
Penny arose and began to button her raincoat.
"Excuse me for saying it," she remarked, "but if I were you, Mrs. Hodges,I'd spend the six dollars and forget the entire affair. Someone must haveplayed a joke on you!"
"A joke!" The seamstress was offended. "People don't give away money as ajoke."
"No, these days they squeeze the eagles until they holler," chuckled Mr.Hodges.
"The letter was postmarked New York City," went on his wife. "We don'tknow a soul there. Oh, no one ever can make me believe that it was doneas a joke. The letter was mailed at exactly the hour we heard the sixraps!"
"And there wasn't a sign of anyone near the house," added Mr. Hodges.
"Well, at least you're six dollars ahead," said Penny. "Shall we go, Mrs.Weems? It's after midnight."
The seamstress walked to the door with the callers.
"I'll get busy tomorrow on those new dresses," she promised Mrs. Weems."Drop in again whenever you can. And you, too, Penelope."
Driving home through the rain, Penny stole a quick glance at thehousekeeper who seemed unusually quiet.
"Do you suppose Jenny could be right?" Mrs. Weems presently ventured. "Imean about Cousin David and the inheritance?"
"Of course not!" laughed Penny. "Why, your cousin died a long whilebefore Mrs. Hodges discovered that she was psychic. It's all the bunk!"
"I wish I really knew."
"Why, Mrs. Weems!" Penny prepared to launch into a violent argument. "Inever heard of such nonsense! How could Mrs. Hodges have psychic powers?Everyone realizes that communication with the spirit world isimpossible!"
"You are entitled to your opinion, Penny, but others may differ with you.Who can know about The Life Beyond? Isn't it in the realm of possibilitythat Mrs. Hodges may have had a message from Cousin David?"
"She didn't speak of it."
"Not in words, Penny. But those strange rappings, the arrival of theletter--it was all very strange and unexplainable."
"I'll admit it was queer, Mrs. Weems. However, I'll never agree thatthere's anything supernatural connected with it."
"You close your mind to things you do not wish to believe," thehousekeeper reproved. "What can any of us know of the spirit world?"
Penny gazed at Mrs. Weems in alarm. She realized that the seamstress'story had deeply impressed her.
"I'll stake my knowledge against Mrs. Hodges' any old day," she declaredlightly. "I met one ghost-maker--Osandra--remember him?"
"Why remind me of that man, Penny?" asked the housekeeper wearily.
"Because you once paid him good money for the privilege of attending hisseances. You were convinced he was in communication with the worldbeyond. He proved to be an outrageous fraud."
"I was taken in by him as were many other persons," Mrs. Weemsacknowledged. "Mrs. Hodges' case is different. We have been friends forten years. She would not misrepresent the facts."
"No, Mrs. Hodges is honest. I believe that the money was sent to her. Butnot by a ghost!"
"Let's not discuss it," said Mrs. Weems with finality. "I never did enjoyan argument."
Penny lapsed into silence and a moment later the car swung into theParker driveway. The housekeeper hurried into the house, leaving the girlto close the garage doors.
Penny snapped the padlock shut. Unmindful of the rain, she stood for amoment, staring into the night. Nothing had gone exactly right that day,and her disagreement with Mrs. Weems, minor though it was, bothered her.
"There's more to this psychic business than appears on the surface," shethought grimly. "A great deal more
! Maybe I am stubborn and opinionated.But I know one thing! No trickster is going to take advantage of theHodges or of Mrs. Weems either--not if I can prevent it."