The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-03-24


shows that book of divinalion or
. demonologv, called lie Petit Alters.
> I does exist in other countries, though
whence it derives It's rather peculiar
and somewhat modern name | have
: never found out.
Next dav Manuel, his wife and
, children took French leave, and
went off for the day without our
. having any clue to their where
; abeuts. The place was quiet dur
ing the day, bat while We were at
dinner, between S and 9 o'clock, a
: servant came to say that Manuel
, bad returned, and sent in message
10 tell massa he was drunk Dark
though il was, the instant he and
his family turned from the high
read into the avenue the stones rat
tied round them IN the path.
! Next morning, as | sat In the
store-room. giving ont rice, Hour,
cuuy-all the articles necessary for
f. the day's consumption, began to
speak to Manuel thus:
Cook, am very sorry indeed to
think that. after being q trusted ser
want here for nine years, you should
come home in such state rs you
were in last aight. 1 can assure you
that, if it ever happens again, your
master will not pass II over, bat You
will have to 90.
Manuel, who, like most Madrasses.
spoke little broken English re-
/ piled
What ne DO, Missy Ne no eat; /
me children. wife mis- 'rable; they
no eat. 40 sleep, no nothing. There
/ is nothing to do bat get drunk"
| l remem Der that | read him a
moral lecture, and said by adding
the effects OF drink to his present I
misery be was not doing much TO 4
improve his condition, but all the
time | felt deeply for the poor man.
( Slightly infected with my broth
er's reiterated suspicion OF his two
children, VINO bore a name for mis-
chief, [ asked him earnestly if he
thought they had really anything
to do with It, aud seeing the success
of their tricks ia the general terror
and mys.liication, wsrs induced to
keep 1t up. l did net add that G.
insisted that I was very much to
blame in the matter, as my evincing
SO much interest encouraged them
to caaunue.
Vas it likely, said Manuel, iu
reply, that children Of S and 10
would 20 On doing thing, even if
it were possible for them to do it 50
closely watched. which was making
their parents miserable, involving
themselves in punishment, and
which would ultimately deprive
them of house and hone2'
No Missy it viii 90 worse. you
see; we viii he piuch black aud
blue. Needless will 20 through cur
tongues when We sleep, and in two
months we die if no one find out
and stop. Then, shutting the store
room door mysteriously, he ap-
preached me and said in a low
whisper Missy, some one in dis
house want to get rid me- | not
know who. tink. bat not sure. If
Missy viii give me-lend-20 ru-
pees [ g see woman in town who
will 60 sleep and write names on
paper, and | show Missy in store
room tomorrow morning"
" No. no, cook, = | said, don't do
anything so silly as waste money
on a cIairvoyant. She can't tell
And don't suspect any of the serv-
ants here. It Is merely a mischiev-
Gus trick I am very sorry for you,
meanwhile. but We viii find it out
by and by. | could not lend you /.
money for such a purpose, and you
must not waste your own"
But the poor wretch was too mis-
erabe to heed nv remonstrances. =
The day following we had to trust
our cooking to one Of the boys, who I.
were all becoming quite demoral-
izsd in the unusually exciting at
mosphere IN which we lived for
Manuel had again taken French |
leave and was absent all day. =
Outwardly Indifferent, it was with
a thrill of expectation / repaired to !
the store-reom uext morning, when 7.
Manuel Immediately closed the door
and, glaucing tearfully all around
and out at the square grated win J
dows pushed paper into my hand.
saying. in d low voice: missy read !.
that N room No tell nonody"
" Have you seen the clairvovant2' -"
[ asked, breathless from astonish- q
ment and with mOmentary terror :
OF perhaps seeing my own name :
written on the paper.
" Yes, missy. ohe 60 sleep; she
ask how many servant then she
,ink long time then she say massa
20 to England soon six months two Il
boys here want took leave his house; !
thew try frighten him away Missy ?
see ?" ,
l ran across to my room and 9
there read the name of Sammy and
lsotber servant (the two who sub u
were retained by G.s part =
aer rs head servants ;,
To say the least of it, the woman
had not made bad guess, and how n
she cOntrived to know my brothers :
of leaving Mauritius I =
ion't know. II was, in any case a h
mast curious coincidence. :,
The other servants, who knew or
guessed the mission on which Man
lel had gone into Port Louis, and
that be had told me the
result, scanned my face carefully n
md questioned me as to my having J
my elucidation of the matter. But b
| suddenly concealed my knowledge n
md gave the paper back to Manuel, Il
ielling him not to put too much ii
aIth in information obtained in a
uch a manner, though if | had any a
iuspicion in the matter they certain
V pointed in the same direction. el
hanuel's, l may say, had till now al
zone wide of the mark. V
The molestation after this ceased
or some time or occurred at rare in te
ervals, bat the poor man had be-
IL