Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-04-16
A PROPHECY.


engaged to each other and everything
seemed roseate and lovely.
do not suppose that the machinery was
more wonderful than usual, or that the
pyramids of fancy soap and wax candles
were more translucent, or the silverware
more elegantly designed, or the pumpkins
bigger, or the artemerias and dahlias finer
or the specimens of portraiture sent by the
rival photographers more lovely, or Sweets
preserves more delicious, or Spicer's pickles
mere dainty; or any of the exhibits much
beyond what they always were in beauty
or value, but we were engaged, and every
thing seemed so.
We loaded ourselves with arms full of
yellow and blue circulars, under the i'm
preston that we were making a choice lit
erary collection. We tasted free spoonfuls
of "Dr. Dodd's Magic Cough Syrup" and
deemed it the nectar Of the gods We
listened to a hideous brass band that blared
away in a kind of loft at the bottom of the
main hall, and believed that a heavenly
orchestra was giving us a musical treat;
and later we partook of chicory coffee
corn starch ice cream, leather sandwiches
and stale sponge cake, served in a grotesGue
arbor hung with tissue paper flowers, and
believed ourselves to have Toasted deli
ciously. You see, we were engaged, and
that makes such a difference in everything.
We spent long afternoon at the fair, going
| about arm in arm and thinking of little be-
sides each other, and in the twilight came
out upon the grounds among the side
shows"
Punch was there, chattering as usual,
and our hearts were so soft that we wept
when he killed the baby There was a
frightful juggler in booth who cut
peoples heads Off but afterward found
them under clothes baskets, well mended
| and none the worse for their decapitations
We bought oriental amulets of "A gentle
man in tlrban, who, when we inquired
| as TO Sis nationality, said, so help him
Moses he was a Turk and at last we
came upon the prophets cave and entered
in. The prophet, done up in flowing robes
| and white wig and beard, presided behind
counter on which two beribboned baskets
were set forth, one marked Ladies'" the
other Gentlemen" 1t appeared on in
guiry that the prophet saved time bv put
ting up a number of prophecies in envel-
opes, as busy grocers do pounds of tea and
sugar. You paid five cents, and then a
little green paroquet came down from a
perch and picked out an envelope as he
stood on the prophets finger OF course
we bought prophecy each. Were we not
FERROUS, as all lovers do? and after that
hurried home to take high tea with Annie's
mother. We had no time to open our en-
velopes before we reached the table, and as
it seemed probable that they would amuse
the party, we produced them there
'Ah" said |, reading the words printed
on slip of paper within my envelope
''ah! shall be rich and powerful if 1 live.
Beware of speculation"
We all laughed; and Annie was called
upon to read her fortune aloud. She
opened the paper laughingly; but no sooner
had she cast her eyes upon it than she
turned pale.
ooh, dearr' she cried. "Oh how dreadful,
just when l am 50 awfully happy! Oh
John! oh, pa! oh, mammal and she burst
into flood of tears and began to sob Bit
terly. l caught the paper from her hand
and read those words:
Lovely lady, you will die before the vio-
lets bloom
''And they bloom in May" sobbed Annie
''Surely, my dear, you don't believe this
nonsense" calculated.
But Annie cried between her sobs:
''Oh, yes, do. You will be rich and pow
erful, and you will marry some charming
woman; but l shall be dead before the VIC
lets blown
How absurd! A printed slip given you
by an old humbug in fair BOOTH said
her father.
In fact we all said something; but Annie
wept until she grew hysterical, was led
| away and put to bed, and was i'll for a
week. The doctor was very serious over
the attack, and when she came down stairs
again she was pale and nervous and per-
| sisted in taking the prophecy as though it
were revelation from on high, continu-
| ally repeating:
Il shall die before the violets bloom!''
1t was quite Christmas time before she
began to be like herself again, and al
| though l loved her better than ever. and
| she was always the sweetest little creat1fre
alive, could not but wonder how such an
absurd thing could have such an effect on
| any one endowed with a grain of common
! sense. | felt sure that although Annie
was merry and bright again she had not
| forgotten the prophecy, and once when 1
| spoke of the fact that we were to be mar
ried in June she sighed and said:
"Ah, John, spring comes before sum-
mer, and the violets bloom in May"
| The worst of it was that the doctor made
such a serious matter of her condition. and
| told us that he could not answer for the
results unless we could rid her-of what he
| spoke of as a monomania
! Still the winter was not bad, but when
! April came we found her constantly wan
dering about the garden and watching the
! violet plants, of which there We're many.
As l coaxed her away from them l used
| to wish that could meet that old wretch
| of prophet and punish him as he deserved,
but he never crossed my path. He had
vanished with the closing of the fair. 1t
was well for him that this was so.
With May our trouble grew greater.
! We who loved Annie were in despair. The
mother arose at daybreak to nip off the vi
olet buds. But there were other gardens
] in the place, and Annie might find them
there. for now it was really the time for
| blooms. We knew not what to do. / re-
member that it was the 10th of May, when
| | bethought me that trip to the city might
| divert Annie, and went to the house to in
vite her. My dear girl met me at the gate,
| holding q violet leaf in her hand