The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-02-20
RHoDA's FoRrUNE-rELLINa.

curious thrill. her black eyes glawing fer vently.
 Somehow there was something weird and uncanny about her.
 The farmers wife felt the discrepancy between the girl and her surroundings, and sighed.
 q am sorry for you, Rhoda, she said "but don't see any earthly way that you can go to those lectures"
 "l will go l" said Rhoda, quietly.
 "You can't" shrilly piped out Rosa line, Mrs. Howitt's plump, blue-eyed daughter; "you've got nothing to wear"
 "I intend to go," stu oborniy repeated Rhosa.
 But ma says you ain't to go." ut tered Phillippa, the second Miss Hewitt; !; "don't you hear"
 Nevertheless" said Rhoda, flashing an oblique glance at Phillippa from un- der her level brows, viii go.''
 Hold your tongue, Rhoda," said Far mer Hewitt sharply, as he turned the weekly paper inside out; "where's the use of talking such ridiculous nonsense"
 Rhoda was silent, but any physiogno- mist would have said that her will was unbroken, her determination was un- stirred.
 Little lame Penelope, who was reading "Robinson Crusoe up ip the garret, was her only con6dante, as, late into the night, Rhoda was stitching by the light of two solitary dip-candles, which she herself had manufactured.
 "But what on earth are you making, Rhoda ?" asked the child, coming tenn porarily out of the palm groves and man. go thickets of the Island of Juan Fer nandez," and staring at her companions work. "Your old scarlet shawl-and lit- tie Toms cast-of suit of black velveteen. Oh, how strange. Is it for fancy ball !"
 Rhoda smiled.
 Those large limpid eyes of hers were strangely sweet when the hard gleam had melted out of them.
 "k is fora masquerade" said she.
 Where2"
 "You will promise me not to tell2"
 "Did ever tell of you yet, Rhoda !" reproachfully asked Penelope.
 "Well, it is to be on Rothley Fair grounds. l am to go as a gypsy girl"
 "Dees mamma know? And the girls ?"
 "Your mamma does not know; nor do the girls. It is great, great secret. l am going to earn some money, Pen, by fortune-telling.
 "Oh, Rhodal"
 "lt is often done on fair grounds, you know," Rhoda explained. "l have made little tent out of those old hay. covers that your father threw away. have whittled out pins to fasten it down, and borrowed ropeIine to make it secure. This is to be my costume. And look, Peni"
 With quick impatient movement of her hand, she pulled out a hair-pin or two-a perfect cascade of ink-black hair, !, glossed here and there with purple lights, fell about her.
 She wrapped the scarlet draperies about her in graceful folds.
 "Now," said she, "what do l look like ?"
 "A gypsy-a regular gypsy |" cried Penelope, clapping her little hands. "Oh, Rhoda, you are a perfect picture. But father and mother2 They will not let you"
 Pen, you have no originality at all," said grave Rhoda. "I shall not ask them at all. shall take the big basket with the lid shall go blackberrying before dawn. In the thickets 1 shall go to the fair grounds and pitch my tent early, be- fore any one comes, and then l shall tell fortunes all day for silver pieces. rather think that some will come my way"
 "Tell my fortune, Rhoda," said the child, holding out little thin hand.
 But Rhoda turned away with a shiver.
 "I will tell the fortune of no one that love-" said she. "And after all the ole thing is sheer nonsense. But l want money; need a new dress, not graod- mas snuf-colored alpaca made over, nor your mothers dyed bunting, which Is SO streaky that no one else will wear it, but pretty dress to wear to the minister's historical lectures"
 Rhoda Lee was true to her word. Early in the purple dawn of the Septem- Der morning she packed her barbaric costume ifto the big basket, and set forth across the dew sparkling meadows.
 And when an hour or two later, the Hewitt family gathered up the break fast.tahle, Rhoda's absence provoked no special comment.
 She said she meant to go to the black berry pastures" said Mrs. Hewitt It's about time to make jam-and was afraid she would take notion to go to the fair !; Pm glad she's safe after ber- rie4."
 "And why shouldn't she go to the fair as yell as Rosaline and Phillippa7" said little Pen.
 "She has nothing it to wear," said Mrs. Hovitt.
 sWe don't expect to dress the hired girl ike a lady," said Phillippa, sneer- ingiy.
 1And she is such wild thing 1" added Rosaline, who prided herself on being % very much like lady.
 Penelope smiled to herself If only it hadn't been for keeping Rhoda's secret, hov she could have electrified them all
 All day long the beautiful black-eyed gypsy girl told fortunes on the Rothley hir grounds. She became the fashion a1teT an hour or two. One or two lucky