The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-04-03
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OLD FLAM I1S.
A Canp-Mceting Romance.

mo, no for mercy's sake, don't wish
you never forgot anything, for then you'd
always have to remember all the disagree
able things that ever happened TO you in
your life. Believe me, it's vastly better as
1t 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, sor.
row or pain we ever suffered of all the
times we've been snubbed by people of
all the hateful things folks have said to us
and about us, and. above all, of every time
in our lives that we've made fools of our
selves. You will find that 1t is much to be
thankful for, if you can forget the occa-
slons on which you've made fool of your
sell, when you come to be an old maid,
like your aunt Laetita."
Alice Kildare laughed.
mot much like being an old maid, is il?
Seventeen, and already engaged six
months 2"
"Well, L was engaged at sixteen, and
nave been engaged three times in my life,
and yet, here | am an old maid, in eve
glasses, and likely to die the same. please
God. Think, now, what budget of heart
breaking recollections I'll have to carry
about with me the rest of my life, if | had
remembered 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
LATHE Go with us, venerable mother. and
see that it's done right"
81 can tell yonrs without looking into
globe OF mesmerzed water. You'll 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 splpmpnte of an old mail
aunt Laet ?"
"Oh of your sort of old MAZDA hirh
spirit, bright mind, sharp tongue, and
an uncomfortable love of flirting. You'll
be the sort of an old maid that takes to
womans rights and things-not the sort
that takes 10 cats and religion, Once more.
mark the prophecy, Alice Esmerelda Xii.
darrell
For the third time Alice laughed her
bright, spunky, ringing laugh, and then
clapped on her gipsey hat and went out
with her friend Sue to Mad Minchauski.
the great clairvoyante sibyl, who could mi
raculously see the shadows of coming
events ID globe of mesmerized water-at
so much a head
Alice was betrOthed to slim, handsome,
long-haired college student, who wrote DO
etry and had an Hoian harp in one win.
meant to go into the literary line as soon as
he was done college. He was very much
in love, and Alice was-oh ! dreadfuly in
love, but that didn't at all prevent this
truthful young lady from flirting with
dozen other young men all at once, and
tell no end of white lies about her engage
ment. She was exceeding attractive, but
not SO pretty as she was bright, piquant
and spirited. AT that time, when she lay
awake nights thinking of her betrothed,
and never went to bed without tenderlv
kissing his photograph, at this very time
she was flirting desperately with Tom
Creighton, her lovers class-mate, n rich
mans son, who was at home on three
months leave of absence, which had been
recommended by the college faculty.
Woist Of all, sic had allo we'd Tom Creigh-
zen Ten IN aatGfJGe s9b thjGd pGgSop., TO
one which she knew must be false and
there she sat and listened to it without the
faintest attempt to fight for her lovers good
name, just for fear Tom Creighton would
think she was engaged, if she said any
thing. don't defend her, mind you |
think such conduct was simply scandalous.
and such young lady don't deserve even
to have anybody fall in love with her no,
not if she lived to be thousand years old.
"Well, what docs the sybyl say p asked
aunt Laetie.
"She's a humbug," said Alice, savagely.
''Tm sorry | went. It's real silly and
wrong to encourage such wicked impos-
ture besides.
This time she laughed. "The sibyl didn't
say Alice was to be married, and so she
thinks the sbyl is a humbug," said Sue.
''We went into darkencd room, and in
one corner there sat little ghostly, waxy-
looking old woman, with great hollow
black eyes. She had glass globe of wa
ter before her on little stand. The water
had been magnetized, she said, and she, be-
| ing clairvoyant. was able by her second
| sight, to see IN the water beautiful pic
lures and visions of events to come. Then
she took Alice's hand and pressed it against
her forehead, and began to wink and roll
up her great hollow eyes in an awful man
ner. 1t was real scarey, aunt Lactie. BY
and by she bobbed her head about and
mumbled something, and still with her eyes
rolled back and half shut, she began look
ing into the globe of magnetlzed water
| Then presently she opened her ghostly-
| looking lips, and in sort of sing-song
said to Alice MY child | see pictures of
your future spread out here and there be-
fore my inward eyes like moving piano.
rama see lovers you will have plenty
of lovers, but | see no picture of a we'd
ding. Strange There is no wedding
ring in the circle at the bottom of the globe
how is this my child see one dim
picture, long way off in the future, it
must be, because it is so dim, and in it you
stand up surrounded by people-ah let
me see, they are children around you, and
you are greatly changed, taller, paler, TIM
ner, but there is no wedding. The water
is not clear to-day you must come again.
Mercy what is this ? Here is a great
crowd they are making noise, and look
ing at two men-young lady, the two men
are fighting, and heavens the water turns
red il is blood. blood But see no we'd
ding, no wedding. | see blood, but no
wedding
''She looked so weird and dreadful, aunt
Laet, that | was afraid to have her tell my
fortune after that. She told us to come
again, when the water was clearer and
then we came away, and Alice has been
cross ever since. But I'm sure | wouldn't
go back for anything"
Whereupon and finally aunt Laet had
her laugh. "What did tell you Alice
Didn't say you were to be an old maid
1t was foreordalned by the fates. Only,
Alice, let me request one thing OF you,
yes, two things, come to think. Don't you
ever go to petting cats or dying your hair
with vile-smelling sulphurous stuff, when
white hairs begin to sneak in around your
temples. I'll never will you my teapot or
eye glasses, if you do that;
Aunt Laettia, who liked to tease people,
laughed again.
1t 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 Laettia.
Is there anybody here, l wonder, who
doesn't know what camp-meeting is like?
If there is let her go to the next one and
find out for herself.
Father and mother sat up among the
worshippers, close to the preachers plat
form aunt Laet sat halfway back in the
congregation, like one who is doubtful in
her mind as yet whether to separate her
self from the world or not while glddy-