The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-12-18

some tall trees, b,ds her companions
uopsot their luncheon. basket.
Il told the gipsies," shs said, in =
whisper, "thst ~ ore timid, ssd utter.
y without gentleman escort and beeeed
permission to eat our luncheon iu sight
OF their tents. And look" she con-
tinued, with significant smile upon
nef face, "there is no chance of the
gentlemen escaping unseen by us while
We remsin 10 this place.''
| BY this time the whole psrty was 10
possession Of Mrs. Lenuot's tactics. and
. low giggle vent round tho circle
seated upon the grass.
"Aod how long shall We stay here p
ssted Miss Epvell, a. soon as she
could speak.
"The reminder OF the day, provided
our gipsy friends do DOT v.rn u, off,"
'he answered, calmly helping herself
to slice Of cold meat and . glass of
wine. "Margaret, what arc you laugh,
ing A. and Why don't you eat your
dinner ~
u cannot help it" gasped Margaret.
ID p'roxysm OF laughter, "the situa.
sioo is too absurd"
"For them, grant you," said Mrs.
Lennos, unable to resis. the oont.eiop
Of tho girls laughter.
IL shouldn't wonder now" said Mrs.
boid'ng, sitter staring At them q mo.
ment, and struck With . sudden
thought. "if tbey-the gentlemen, l
meao-could see Us At tbi. moment.''
"Aod they will hear you - we'll, "
returned her friend, eff you do not low.
or your voice.
When they had prolonged the meal
till 4 ''te hoar, they proceeded in .
'e'surely manner to repack tho baskets.
But they took such . length of time in
doing this, and we're 50 evidently pre-.
pared to stop where they we're, that
tho g'psies became impatient, and sent
out to know ii they still Wished their
fortunes told them.
"Te'l your mistress" said Mrs. Len.
not, blandlv, "that We wish our for.
tunes told, but We decline to enter the
tent; aud tell her. But stay l will
speak to her myself"
Which she accordingly did.
The gypsy queen commenced q re.
tusal but Nm. Lennot's sharp ears
heard sepulchral voice whisper these
words:
"For Gods sake, 60 ont to them q,
once and hurry them of. can,
breathe this cursed mir much longer "
In obedience to this voice the ora.
ole bade Mn. Lennot depart, and ex.
pressed her willingness to Come on,
to them presently !; aud when that lady
turned from the entrance near which
she had been standing, she heard an.
other and more savage whisper from the
farther end Of the tent:
II say, cot the fortune-telllDg short,
will you? and if you will fr;ghten
them out Of these woods iu Eve min.
utes, 1 will give you ten doll.rs.''
Presently one Of the gipsies brought
out a chair, on which the queen seated
herself With great dignity, and sravely
asked to look at their hands.
But it was in vain that she foretold
horrors that at another time would have
caused their blood to curdle aud their
hair to stand upright upon their heads.
She told them Of murder and sudden
death, Of bauditti in the woods, and
hlghwaymen upon lonely roads and
she limited that Cliffdale wood even
had not been without its dark and
bloody tragedy.
TO the gipsy queens surprise, her
words were received with shouts Of
laughter. ledeed, the woods rang With
their merriment, and she began to
think that tho promised ten dollars was
lost; and thiok she began to have
din suspicion, also, for she settled
herself more easily in her chair, sud
loft tho darker fortune she was bidder
to tell for those more welcome to the
ears Of youth aud beauty.
And presently Mrs. Lsnoot, deolar.
ing herself fsmished, produced tho
luuch basket. ssd asked tho gypsy to
laooh with them. aud she, nothing
10th, and forge.ful OF the weary walters
inside the tent, consented.
The cloth Was laid seaio upon the
grass, and tho siauds laid upon it, and
Mrs. Lennot Was in the act of passing
tho gypsy queen a glass Of wine, when
l'the blanket that hung before tho en-.
t'snoe IT the gypsy tent was pushed
aside, and seven desperate looking
men came forth. They knew SHIT
they had to expect, and they did not
fslter iu their onward march toward
the party seated on tho grass who vel.
coined them amid snrieks Of laughter.
7 "Aud how many birds have you
b'geed!" asked lively Mr.. Lenno,,
dropping them = profound courtesy.
"Now look here" said her husband;
imploringly, wiping the dust and mois.
turs from his heated face, "we've suf.
tered the tortures of the-abem not
of tho pleased, at any rate, to-day.
and 70 are ready to confess ourselves
beaten At our own game 90 do be gen.
erous, aud say no more about it, that's
l q dnrlino and vasvA npon,i.a1 "a >).oo