Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-10-18

dictiOn" 1t must be confessed tnat
this was a pitch of refnement-this
changing the pictorial character OF
the three knaves-to which the art OF
the fortune-teller by cards does not ex-
tend at the present day.
The method of having ones fortune
told by the cards is simplicity itself.
The Individual who is DESTROYS of
drawing aside the curtain covering the
picture of futurity, after shutting the
cards to his or her content, cuts the
cards into three parts, equal or not, as
suits the fancy. The fortune-teller
then takes up the cards, and lays them
out upon table face up, sometimes in
a circle, but generally in rows OF nine
cards each. Nine is mystical num-
Der, and has domination over all
charms:
Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine,
And thrice again, to make up nine,
Peace! The charms wound up.
Every nine consecutive cards forms
a new and different combination, and
every card is in sympathy with the
ninth card from it. After the general
fortune is completed, a separate
manipulation of the cards is made, to
learn if the client will obtain his or her
wish, and from the position in the
pack of the nine of hearts, which is the
"wish card" the required answer is
adduced. Sometimes the wish card ia
made to represent the person of the in
dividual consulting the oracle, and
whatever fortune is cut and dealt out
to this is regarded as the same as hav-
ing been dealt to the suit of the indi-
vidual.
So much for the system of fortune
telling by cards. 1t is all humbug
from beginning to end. There is
no law against it, and if there was it
is extremely doubtful if the practice
could ever be suppressed. The world
is full of dupes, they bristle upon every
corner. and it is much to be believed
that man is never so perfectly happy
as when he is being fooled the most.
What says the old song?
"Quack, quack. nothing like quackery.
Quacking my friend of the day is the order"
and we have it practised in our very
midst to the fullest extent.
The following anecdote is related of
a fortune teller of the past century:
Isaac Tarrat was man of some liter
airy attachments in London, and was a
contributor to the Ladies' Diary and
the Gentleman's Magazine. He was
originally linen draper, and thriv-
ing one, but from various causes he
proved unfortunate, and in his seven
tieth year knew not where to turn in
order to provide his bread. In this
extremity he was reduced to be-
come fortune teller. In mean
street near the Middlesex HOspi.
tai there was an obscure shop
kept by an elderly woman who had
long made a livelihood by means Of
oracle maintained on the premises. II
now became the office of Mr.. Tarrat to sit
in the upper room in a fur cap, a white
beard and flowing worsted damask
nightgown, and by the cards tell the
fortunes of all who might apply, re
ceiving for his labors a shilling day
and his meals. Tie woman sat in the
front shop and received the company
and their money. Tarrat admitted
that his mistress treated him kindly
always giving him a small bowl O
punch after supper; there was no grea
discomfort in his situation, beyond the
constant distress of mind he suffered
from rejecting upon the infamou:
character of his occupation. He hat
occasion to remark with surprise tina
many of the customers were of les.
mean and illiterate appearance thar
might have been expected. At length
after having scraped together suffi
> cient amount of cash, Tarrat gave w
the place, and, as it appears, just il
the nick of time, as his successor hat
: not been month in Office when he wa.
taken up as an impostor. Tara
found a retreat in the Charter house
where he lived till his eighty-eightf
year. dying in 1889.
Cup reading does not obtain to thu
extent of divination by cards. ant
from inquiries made by the writer thu
only information he has been enabled
to obtain leads him to believe that i
is practised only to limited extent
But where two or three old crones ar,
gathered together for the purpose o
: taking tea, be sure that one of them a
least will endeavor to steal a look int
futurity by aid of the grounds left il
her teacup. An old writer says: "Oh
the bright conceit, that our horiscop,
should be revealed to us in cup, ant
our fate be prefgured in the hero
glyphical writings OF coffee grounds
and tea leaves. or shuffled out to us il
the oracular demonstrations of tn,
four suits. The practice of paganisn
long survived its belief. so ha
that of divination, unless W,
are to suppose that the youn!