The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-04-09

didn't say Alice was to be married, and so
she thinks the sibyl Is a humbug." said
sue. We went into adar kened room, and
In one corner there SAT a little ghostly,
waxy.looking old woman. with great hol-
low black eyes. She had glass globe OF
water before her on little stand. The
water had been magnetized, she said, and
she. being a clairvoyant. was able by her
second sight 70 see In the water beautiful
pictures. and visions Of events 10 come.
Then she took Alice's hand and pressed
IL against her forehead, and began to wink
and roll up her great hollow eyes in an
awful manner. liz was real scarey. Aunt
Leatie. BY and by she bodied her head
about and mumbled something, and. still
with her eyes rolled back and half shut,
she began looking into the globe of mag
netized water. Then presently she open
ed her ghostly looking lips, and in a sort
Of sing-song said 10 Alice: NY child. /
see pictures of your future spread ont
here and there before my inward eyes like
moving panorama. ! see lovers; you
will have plenty OF lovers, and see no
picture of wedding. Strange, There Is
no wedding ring in the circle az the bot
tom of the globe. How is this. my child?
| see one din picture, long way of In
the future, il must be, because IL l. so dim,
and In il YOU stand up surrounded by peo-
ple-ah, let me see. they are children
around you. and you are greatly changed.
| taller, paler, thinner, but .hene is no we'd
ding. The water is not clear to-day; YOU
must come again. Mercy, what Is this +?
Here is great crowd; they are making a
noise and looking at two men-young
lady. the two men are fighting. and heay-
ems, the water turns red; II is blood.
blood. But | see no wedding. no we'd
ding. l see blood. but no wedding
"She looked so weird and dreadful,
Aunt Laet, that was afraid to haze her
tell my fortune after that. She told Us 10
come again, when the water was clearer;
and then we came away. and Alice has
been cross since. But I'm sure wouldn't
60 back for any thing"
Whereupon and finally Aunt Laet had
her laugh. "What did 1 tell you. Alice?
Didn't say You were TO be an old maid:
Ii was ordained by the fates. Only. Alice,
let me request one thing of you-yea, two
things, come to think. Don'tyou ever 20
to petting cats, or dyeing your hair with
vile-smelling sulphurous stuff. when white
hair begins TO sneak in around your tenn
piles. III never will you my teapot or
eyeglasses if you do that"
Aunt Lsetitia, who liked totease people,
laughed again.
Ii was the season of peaches and melons.
the roasting season when idle people hunt
cool places, and devout people hold camp
meetings. Alice went to camp-meeting
with her father, mother. and Aunt Laeti-
tia. Is there any body here, wonder.
who doesn't know what a camp-meeting
Is like. Ifthere Is. let her 90 10 the next
one add find out for herself
Father and mother sat up among the
wor-hipers. close 10 the preachers plat
form: Aunt Laet sat half way back in
the congregation, like one who was doubt
full in her mind. as vet. whether 10 separ-
ate herself from the world or not; while
giddy- pated Alice didn't pretend to cit
among the congregation at all, but hover
ed away back on the extreme borders.
where the preachers voice could scarcely
be heard at all. Their position in the
camp-meeting audience was an exact ba-
rometer of the devotional states OF these
excellent people. namely, father and
mother. Aunt Laetitia. Alice. In point of
fact. the young people on the oufermOst
borders of that devout assembly were fiirt-
ing with all their might. Ifyou've never
been TO a camp-meeting, | don't mind tell
ing you-that Is what young people most
zelda Kildare was flirting with Tom
Creighton. Her betrothed. the slim,
lon- haired student, was coming home to-
morrow.
when the cats away the mice will
play, and the mouse will play until the
very last minute before the cat comes.r
Alice had remarked TO herself as she adj
mired her bright, brunette face in che
glass that morning.
so she sat upon one of the rude wooden
benches under a tree and let Tom Creigh-
ton talk soft nonsense in half whispers to
her. Was all this wicked, OF Sunday, at
camD-meeting Yes, certainly il was
but two-thirds Of the young people about
them were behaving In the same wicked
manner. Suddenly Tom Creighton's soft,
lazy voice ceased. and Alice looked up
presently to see why. She could hardly
keep down cry as she saw approaching
them her own betrothed, the slim, hand
some student who had been gone a whole
year. Somehow she felt dreadfully guilty
as she canght his bright, gray eyes. Ii
was such fun to fiirt, but-dear me,
The slim student passed her with cold
bow. His mother was on his arm, and ne
led her TO seat up among the devout
people around the preachers platform.
Alice's heart beat little queerly, and Tom
Creighton watched her keenly. Ii wasn't
pleasant, and Alice hated unpleasant
things. Suddenly her betrothed came
back toward them. He had seated his
mother and left her. He touched his hat
TO Alice.
Il beg pardon. Miss Kildare, but wish
to ask you something. in presence of this
person. may not have the opportunity
again. may not see you again soon, In
deed
He took paper from his pocket and
unfolded il.
Read that, if you please said the
slim student to Miss Alice. who by this
time was beginning to be conscious OF a
powerful inclination to run away. The