Smyrna times., 1875-07-28
mise eLIUW f OUS.
Old Flames.
CHAPTER |.

| wish | never forgot anything.
"No, no! for mercys sake don't wish
that, child. Don't wish you never forgot
anything for then you'd always have to re-
member all the disagreeable things that
ever happened to you in your life. Be
lieve me, it's vastly better as it is. If we
never forgot anything at all, then we'd
have to carry down to our graves the vivid
recollection of all the grief, or sorrow, or
pain, we ever suffered, of all the times
we've been snubbed by peepf6, of all the
hateful things folks have said to us and
about us, and above all of every time in our
lives when we've made fools of ourselves.
You will find that it's much to be thankful
for if you can forget the occasions on which
you've made fool of yourself, when you
come to be an old maid like your Aunt
Laetitia'
Alice Kildare laughed.
Not much like being an old maid is it,
seventeen, and already engaged six mOnths?'
"Well, l was engaged at sixteen, and
have been engaged three times i'll my life,
and yet here | am, an old maid in eye
glasses, and intend to die the same, please
God. Think now what budget of heart
breaking recollections Id be obliged to
carry about me the rest of my life if | had
to remember it all. Don't wish you never
forgot anything, Alice. On the contrary,
thank heaven we do forget things"
Again Alice Kildare laughed. "Sue and
are going to have our fortunes told, Aunt
Laetie. Go with Us, venerable mother,
and see that it's dcnc right"
. | can tell yours without looking into a
globe of mesmerizcd water. Youth be an
old maid, mark the prediction. You have
the elements of an old maid in your soul
one sort of old maid, that is
"What are the elements of an old maid,
Aunt Laet?''
"Oh of your sort of old maid-a higl
spirit, bright mind, a sharp tongue, anC
an uncontrollabe love of flirting You'll b,
the sort of old maid that takes to woman
rights and things-not the sort that take
TO cats and religion. Once moro mark tn
prophecy, Alice Esmcrelda Kildare ?''
For the third time Alice laughed, hc
bright, spunky, ringing laugh, and thel
clapped on her gypsy hat and went with he
friend Sue to see Madame Minchauski, til
great clairvOyant sibyl, who could miracl
lously see the shadow of coming events i
globe of mesmerized water-at so niue
head.
Alice was betrothed to a slim, handsOm,
long-haired college student, who wrot
poetry and had an Eolian harp in on
window and a rose geranium in the othe
and meant to go into the literary line
soon as he was done college. He was vel
much in love- and Alice was-oh drea
fully in love; but that didn't at all prcvel
this truthful young lady from firth
with half dozen other young men all
once, and telling no end of white lies abo
her engagement. She was exceeding
attractive, but not so pretty as she W
bright, piquant and spirited. At this We
time, when she lay awake nights thinkil
of her betrothed, and never went to bC
without tenderly kissing his photograph
at this very time she was flirting desperate
with Tom Creighton, her lovers classma
rich mans son, who was at home or
three months leave of absence which h
been recommended by the college facul
Worst of all, she had allowed Tom CreightC
in the presence of third person, to t
her slanderous story about her lover, q
which she knew must be false and tn,
she sat and listened to it without t
faintest attempt to fight for her lovers &C
name, Just for fear Tom Creighton wol
think she was engaged if she said anythi
| don't defend her mind you; think 81
conduct was simply scandalOus, and sue
young lady didn't deserve ever to hi
ANYBODY fall in love with her; no, not
she lived to be Il thousand years old.
~ "Well, what does the sibyl say p asl
Aunt Iaetie.
ashes a humbug," said Alice, savag'
"Tm sorry / went. It's real silly
wrong to encourage such wicked impOst
besides"
This time Sue laughed. "The :
didn't say Alice was to be married, an
she thinks the sibyl is a humbug,"
Sue. awe went into darkened re
and in one corner there sat little gho
waxy-looking old woman, with great, ho
black eyes, She had glass globe of "
before her on little stand The "
had been magnetized, she said, and
being clairvoyant, was able, by her Sc
sight, to see in the water beautiful pic
and visions of events to come. Then
took Alices hand and pressed 1t ag
her forehead, and began to wink and
up her great, hollow eyes in an awful
ner. Il was real scarey, Aunt Laetie.
and-by she bobbed her head about
mumbled something, and still with hei
rolled back and half shut, she began
ing into the globe of magnetized v
Then presently she opened her gh
looking lips, and in a sort of sing-song
to Alice: My child, see pictures Of
future spread out here and there befol