Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-11-19

1t was the head store lady who spoke.
"How long does she allow to each
one?" inquired.
"That varies" replied the refined
lady in brown. "It may have some
thing to do with what's in store for them;
sometimes she gets through in half an
hour, then again she takes all of an hour
and quarter. I've been here twice be-
fore to-day, and both times she's de-
clared she could tell ne nothing at all.
Mysterious, isn't it? Now I'm curious
to see if that was accidental, or if there
is really some reason why she can never
tell mine"
When are we going to get away from
here?" asked Miss Walton. "If first
come are first served, and each one takes
an hour and quarter-I don't care to
do the sum-"
The lady in brown was gazing dream
lily out of the window at the drifting
snow.
"pm convinced of one thing" said
she, there's a mysterious connection
somewhere between the two worlds"
"And you think Mrs. Nugent has
hold of one end of itP" / asked.
"You can't come any time of day
without finding some here" she con-
tinued. "She must have considerable
reputation-and what don't understand
is why she refuses TO tell so many of
their fortunes if she is fraud. She
won't tell half who come, and of course
it would be to her profit to take all in
Discriminatory. Perhaps she sees some
thing too dreadful to communicated
may be"
Here there were two interruptions to
the flow of converse. Two quietly re-
spectacle elderly women came in and
seated themselves on a sofa. The ad-
joining door then slammed suddenly,
and the oracle herself was before us.
A low, squarely-built, gray woman
she was, of uncertain age,-gray hair,
gray eyes, gray dress, complexion neu
trail, except, as l observed later, when
it was crimsoned by momentarv flush.
She clapped her hands in front of her,
somewhat as small child does, on seeing
us, and gave shrill, nervous laugh
which cracked when it reached the high
notes.
"Well ~ looking around" one -
two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight
dear me, people! Do you want to kill
meP How can | sit for you all this
morningP Which og you came first P"
Il did," answered the unobjection-
able young man by the window, but
my friend has used so much of our time
that / think I shall have to postpone my
interview until another day"
"Just as you please, sir, it is imma-
terial to me how they come and go, so l
get my money"
With this candid confession, did
she mean it for jokeP-she glanced
about for approval, and the young men
bowed themselves out. Mrs. Nugent
still loitered in-the doorway. Notwith-
standing the press she seemed in nc
hurry; her mood was conversational
She fastened a curious orb upon me, 6
distrustful one | fancied. Now was the
chance to gain information.
"To what do you attribute your un
usual powers, madam" I queried, witt
the respectful accent of devOut dis
ciple.
81 don't know any more than you do.
May l ask what led you to embrace
this profession?"
"Why people made mel" with an
! other shrill laugh. "When | used Il
be fitting dresses to ladies, when | wa
; pinning up Il bias may be on one,
would start back, and eXclaim -.
=, couldn't help it, something made me dt
it Gracious heaven! your husband
going to die : and sure enough h
:. would. And so I kept on, till what fin
ished me was the Boston fire. | wa
: consulting the cards one day Tor a lad
= 7 hadn't taken to it yet as busines
when all at once / threw the pac1
:, heller skelter all over the floor. Hol
ror! Confusion!' screamed out
. What is all thisP AS live, an awfu
. file!' And when the fire did come
you'd better believe they thought ther
wasn't such another woman in the city
u Since then I've had to give up dress
= making. and keep at this right along.
"And when you see that misfortun
!. cannot be averted you predict itp ID
you think it wise to iniict the additions
pain of anticipation" inquired. Z"
- believe prefer TO be dealt with in th
= ordinary way of Providence then, an
- not have the veil lifted"
# $50 you think you can escape,
d youP" She pointed her finger at m
e with a gesture, an attitude worthy {
n footlights. "Yes!" she shrieked, sit
J. Fate. God himself is not responsible
% for the calamities that crush us. ID
o you suppose He ordered Jesse Pomero
d to decoy that innocent boy out thei
q where he could torture and kill him
If What kind of God would it be wh
It could do thatP No, there was a grin
4 fate behind Him."
g The women around us looked solemn
lie "They come here to me-" the seere'
d went on-"I tel only what l see; if
ID could lie to please them, they would /
IN Jol;rhtod +ha thinrc hoDno,, aud N,