The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-01-16

Shes humbug,' said Ancr, Yaas'y'
pm sorry went It's real silly To encourage
such wicked imposturc, besides ,.,...
This time sue laughed, The stoyl dlon
.oy Alice wasIo be married, and SO she UlhNS
me sihvl is A humbug, sad sue. We went
into ~ darkencd room, and III one corner
thcrc sat little, ghostly, waXy, looking nlu
woman, with great, hollow, DlacK eyes' Hn'
had a glass globe OF water before Ae' Oh y az
tie stand The water mad been mabhelllcu
She said, and she being cla!rVoyahtc, Wa
able, by her second sight, to see IN the wa
Ter beautiful pictures anu visions ol events 10
come Then she took Alices hand and pres
scd it against her forehead and began 10 Wink
and roll up her great, hollow eyes IN an aW
tul manner. Ii was real scafey, Aunt Lloue
By and by she bobbcd her head about ana
mumbled something, and, still, with her eyes
rolled back and half.shut, she bcgon IooNing
into the globe Of magnetizod water. linen
presently she opened her ghostly-I looking ps'
and in a SOFT OF IL sing.sung said 10 AIlce
My child, see pictures ofyour future spread
out here and there before my inward eyes,
like a moving panorama. | see lovers you
will have plenty Of lovers, bat see d" i;
of wedding. Strange There Is no "cI"t"a
ring in the circle at the bottom ot me S'"oo'
How is this, my child? | see one am P'o'
ture, long way Off in the future, II must u,,
because it is so dim, ana IN it you 'lahu Wy
surrounded by friends. All! lct me ''c' NY
are children around YOU, and you arc 9'c"ug
changed, taller, paler, thinner, but mere - no
wedding, no wedding. The water IS moi clear
to Tav yniI mnst conc AGAIN Mercy! what
is thisy Here is "A great crowd; they are ma
kin. noise. and looking at two men-young
LADY, the two men are fighting, and, heavens
thc wafer turns red: it is blood, blood! But
| see no wedding. sec blood. bat no Wcd'
ding No., ,,,,,,
I.act that was afraid to have her tell my Tor
tunc after that She told Us 10 come again
when the water was cleared; ana ihen we
came away, and Alice has been cross ever
since. But I'm sure wouldn go back again
for anything
Whcrcnpou and finally Aunt L9et had her
laugh. What did tell you, Alice: Dldnt
| say you were to be an old maid Il was
by the fates. Only, Alice, let
me request one thing Of you, yea, two things
come 10 think Don't you ever 20 10 pettlng
cats or dyeing your hair with yic.smellng
sulphurous stuff when white threads begin TO
sneak in around temples. I'll never WI!
you my teapot or eyeglasses ityou do that
Aunt Lactita, who liked to tease people,
laughed again.
II was the season Of peaches and melons,
the roasting season when idle people hunt
cool places, and dcvOut people hold camp
Alice went 10 a amp-lneetlnS WIN
her father, mother and Aunt Laetlta. Is
there ANYBODY here wonder, who Goesn
know what a Camp.mcetlng Is Ike IL thtrc
is, let her 20 TO the next one and Mud out Tor
herself
Father and mother sat up among the Wor-
shippers close to the preachers platform;
Aunt Lact sat halfway back in the congrega,
tion, like one who was doubtful in her mlnd
as vet whether to separate herself from the
world or not while giddy.pated Alice didn.
pretcnt TO sit among the congregation AT al,
but lowered way back on the extreme bor'
lers, where the preachers voice could scarce
" be heard at all. Their position in the
audience was an exact barome.
Ter Of the devotional states of these excellent
people. namely: Father and mother, Aunt
I.aetitia, Alice In point Of fact, the young
people on the ouermost borders OF that de
won't assembly were flirting with all thelr
might. Alice Esmcrelda Kildare was
flirting with Tom Creighton. Her betrothed,
The slim, l0nghaired student, was coming
home tomorrow.
When the cats away the mice will p lay
and the mouse will play till the very last
minute before the cat comes Alice had re-
marked to herself as she admired her bright,
brunette face in the glass that morning.
So she sat upon one Of the rude wooden
benches under tree, and let Tom Creighton
talk soft nonsense in halt.whispers to her.
Was all this wicked, of Sunday al camp.
meeting? Yes, certainly, it was, bat two
thirds of the young people about them were
in the same wicked manner. SUD
denly Tom Creighon's soft, lazy voice ceas-
ed and Alice looked up, presently to see why.
She could hardly keep down acry a. she
saw, approaching them, her own brtrothcd,
the slim, handsome student, who had been
gone a whole year. Somehow she felt dread.
fully guilty az she caught his bright grey
eyes. It Was such fun to Hirt, but dear me
The slim student passed her with cold
bow. HIS mother was on his arm, anC ne
led her to a seat up among the devcut people
around the preachers platform. Alice's heart
bca, 4 little quecrly, and Tom Creighton
watched her keeuly. II wasn't pleasant, ana
Alice hated unpleasant things. Suddenly her
bclrnhed came back toward them lie had
seated his mother and ieI, hcg. lie touched
his hat to Alice
1 beg pardon, Miss kildare, bit Nish to
ask you something, in presence of this person
may not have theOpportuuity again. | may
not see you again soon, indeed
He took paper from his poke and un-
folded H.
Read that If you please said the slim -tu.
dent to Miss Alice, who by this time was be.
ginning to be- conscious Of powerful incli.
nation to run away. The paper contained an
exact copy of the slaldCrOu- statements