The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-05-11
MARRIED FOR FUN.

May Wharton was a sort of solecism
among women. She was both handsome
and puzzling, winning and reserved, a
romp and yet proud. Pious old ladies
always shook their heads when she was
mentioned, and said she was ahoydenish,
daring, reckless coquette, and added,
with sigh, that She was in the Lords
hands," as if it was infinite relief to
clear theirs of her. To gentlemen she
was fascinating, bewildering, and offish
as bird.
The girl was an orphan, without "kith
or kin," and boarded in the family of
her guardian. Judge Harmon resided
in one of our towns, which, like the
beautiful, spontaneous fruit of the trop-
les, had sprung up, as it were, in night,
on our " Western wilds," with all the
elegance and refinement of cultured
energy.
Judge Harmon's home was palatial in
aspect. The lawns were like spread vel
vet-England never boasted of softer or
richer-and in all his wide estate gen.
erous Nature had been lavish, with her
long kept gifts, as if rejoicing in re-
cipient, initiating her Maker, who urges
His own creatures to accept his love.
Underneath spreading oak stood
this girl of whom we are telling. She
was the centre of merry group, whose
fortunes she was reading; her dark eyes
flashing, her dark cheeks frightening
with excitement. Palm after palm was
barred to the young priestess, whilst she
held them spell-bound with her thau-
maturgic powers, tracing through the
delicate network of each the striking
l., ab haI ,,,o,traA aonh 1ita
from its birth; causing some to grow
pale with fear, and Others to blush scar
let with anger and shame for, with
characteristic daring, she shielded none
in laying bare the past, and, with mys-
tical fascination, she predicted the lead
ing events to come, seasoning each with
terse, pertinent, funny bit of advice.
Outside the circle stood a young man
"a large fellow, with broad shoulders
and splendid fgure-his Panama was in
his hand, his light, curly hair cut close
to his well-shaped head. He had given
rapt attention whilst the prophecies had
fearlessly penetrated the forbidden Ar
cana of the future AS he listened, his
clear blue eyes flashed and sparkled, as
if planning mischief. He waited until
each of the group had his or her peep
into the beyond, then he entered the
circle, and with innate grace knelt at
the girls feet, barring his large, shapely
hand, with an expression of mock faith
upon his face. The girl flushed as she
touched the hand, for between these two
existed strange sort of magnetic infiu-
ence, now attracting, now repulsing.
Oftenest they were at variance, disagree
ing on all subjects, and occasionally
trenohing on open quarrel. But some
times a single glance from those teazing
blue eyes would send the blood surging
up to the girls dark cheeks, and the ac-
cidental touch of her small hand would
thrill the mans strong frame like a pow
erful electric shock. This mysterious
influence, whilst it puzzled, had its fasci-
nation to each. TO cover the sudden
blush, the girl looked fearlessly into his
eyes, exclaiming:
Gam the subject of mental hallu-
cination, or do 1 really behold Park
Lloyd, the acknowledged skeptic of all
hidden, unexplainable things, coming to
question occult lore z"
His only reply was to raise his hand
a trife toward her bending face. After
that she never glanced at his, upturned
and teazing, but served his hand as she
had done the Others.
"You are both better and worse than
people think you. Your nature is posi-
tive, not negative. You are genial, gem
erous, sometimes gentle. To counter
balance these virtues, you are tyrannical
and exacting, and require as much and
more than you give. If you ever have a
wife, she will have stormy time OF 1T.
Your will is infexible and unrelenting.
In your past life you have had no great
trouble, and have committed no glaring
sin; not that you have resisted from