San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-01-28


out Of a secret As was going south, fol-
lowed her and her chattering companions,
hearing nearly every word that was spoken,
till she left them at Drummond street, when
her face completely lost its merry expression
and became sober and oppressed. She walked
along briskly enough, and | was about to
turn up through Nicholson square and leave
her, when saw her topped by an old wo-
man with a basket on her arm. 1t was the |
basket which caught my eye first, and sug-
gested a hawker of tapes and needles, and |
then looked at the face of the basket holder, |
and decided that 1t was alag Storrie. They |
were a good Bit from me, but a gesture OF |
anger from the girl drew my attention to her |
face, and made me get little nearer-still |
on the other side of the street The face OF |
the book folder was crimson with passion, |
and, though none of her words reached my
ear, could easily tell from their rapidity
that indignation and wrath were almost
choking her. The fortune teller, on the other
hand, was calm and insolent She spoke
little, but every word seemed to strike home,
and at length the book folder took out her
purse and offered her a silver coin, which
was contemptuously refused
More wrath and alteration from the girl,
and more cool retorts from the old woman,
again refused Then in burst of anger the
girl emptied the purse into her hand, and
put the whole of the money in the open palm
of the old woman, who pocketed it without
thanks, and said something which brought
deeper cloud to the brow of the girl
"Blackmailn thought, as i snapped my
| fingers and whistled aloud at the discovery.
"That ignorant girl was right after all
| There is something between these two-what
| is its"
| The two women parted and went different
ways without my being able to settle the
question. thought the matter over for tho
remainder of the evening without coming
much nearer to a solution. 1t was clear that
Rosina Wilson believed herself IN the power
of the fortune teller and was being bled re-
| morseessly, but, as the secret was known
only to them, it was scarcely possible for me
to discover its nature. | could easily have
believed that the old woman might have
gone through some trumpery form, which
She might call love charm or incarnation,
but how that could have had such a surpris-
ing effect on the lover was the staggering
point The mummery might deceive the girl,
but how could it charm the mani
According to Bella Richardson, Marshall
was a simple, true hearted, steady fellow,
who had never shown the slightest disposition
to wander in his affections, and had always
expressed the greatest dislike and contempt
for Rosina, whose undisguised efforts to
catch him had always excited his disgust
Yet that same fellow had changed as COM
pletely and as mysteriously as if he had been
turned into another man, and was now about
to marry the very woman whom he had pro-
fessed to despise. l could at this moment
have arrested Mag Storrie, and was even
urged to do go by Bella, who blindly under
stood that she had been wronged by the old
woman, though she could not define the
wrong, but was now curious to get at the
bottom of the secret before closing in on the
fortune teller. ! soon decided that the
knowledge could never come to me through
Rosina herself, who was SO desperately anx-
ious to have 1t concealed that she submitted
to be blackmailed, and as firmly was | con-
WINGED that Mag would never pronounce the
words that were to send her to prison. There
remained then only Marshall himself to be
tried, and quickly decided that it would be
useless to turn to him either, as, if any charm
had been worked, he would certainly be ig
norant of its existence.
Three times on the day following turned
in the direction Of the cabinet makers in
|
| turned back again, saying to myself that ii
would be useless. The day after, however,
found myself by chance in the lane, and
; turned towards the workshop and entered il
before the old fit came on me.
Marshall was not there, and the old cabi
net maker who told me 80 added for my in
, formation, "Were slack the moo, and there's
! no job for him till finish this table"
There WAS no other at that end OF tn,
place, and the man seemed in no hurry to re
sumo his scraping and sand papering, 50
sat down on q bench close by and began x
chat with him.
'Marshall is going to be married, be
, lieve," remarked, after had accommodated
the old man vleh q chew of tobacco, smok
S ing being against the rules.
! Gay, pulr, silly creatur'," he responded
3 whats SILLY about that" laughingly in
, quired. Some must marry or the world
r would come to an end"
t "Oh, I've naething against that, for I'm {
' married man myself, he briskly returned
, "but mean that he was a puir, silly crea
tur' to believe a. that q miserable spaewift
a tellt him."
/ Good Lordl was there spaewlfe heref
| exclaimed, with a powerful start, which
: nearly landed me among the shavings cover
: ing the Goor.
"Ay, was there" and be never was thu
same man after. She cam in pretending sh
wanted to sell needles and thread in the up
holsterers shop; but when she got in she be
goud to tell fortunes for threepence q head
and near a the shop got their hands read.
dinna ken what she tellt him, because sh
said nsphOdv Voc IN haar IL hut ba was n