The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-01-14

mood ever since that night of the sleigh
ride and this occasion had furnished an
escape-valve for her feelings.
She lighted the candle and pushed
open the kitchen door. On the thres-
hold she stopped in astonishment. In
the cavernous fireplace opposite the door
a huge fire was roaring and cracking,
flooding the room with its light and
eolipsing her candle.
Had the patron saint of the season an
ticipated her visit and made preparations
for her reception2
She walked up to the fire. A big,
round kettle hung from the rusty crane
bubbling and Kissing like the witches
cauldron in Macbeth.
A strange spell was being wrought up
on her. Her usually calm common sense
was held in allegiance. There was some
thing weird and uncanny about the leap
ing flames and steaming cauldron in that
deserted house. She seemed to be breath
ing an enchanted atmosphere. Yet she
was far from fear. She was upborne by
some unknown spiritual force.
AT length she recollected her errand
and opened the cellar door. A gust of
damp air made her candle flicker. She
did not waver. She peered down into
darkness, then adjusted her glass and
candle and commenced the backward
descent, the cobwebs covering her cloak
with fantastic tracery.
She kept her eyes upon her own re-
Election in the glass until she reached the
bottom of the stairs. As she stood there
a moment face appeared in the mirror
beside her own, then vanished suddenly.
Something like faintness came over her.
But she resisted, found the barrel of
mangel wurzels, snatched one up, as
cended the stairs quickly and set down
the candlestick.
"Of course 1 only thought / saw
face" she repeated, while Sues proph-
ecy about old Willey's ghost thrust it.
self before her unpleasantly.
The lurking superstition which beats
with the blood of every one of us, deny
it as we may, was Tightening its hold
upon her. She did not feel in hurry
to leave the place. A dreamy influence
enveloped her. The agencies we call
supernatural seemed the only realities.
She half expected to see band of
witches appear and join hands around
the cauldron.
She could scent scme presence near
her, and when rather fantastic old
woman, bent with age, in red cloak
and huge poke bonnet, stepped from q
recess behind the fireplace, and, without
glancing at her, stepped up and stirred
the cauldron, muttering to herself as she
did so, Cleo was not much surprised.
She had not bargained for anything
half so weird snd romantic. Perhaps
this was Peggy Piper, the fortune
teller, who, it was reported, held mid
night conclaves with the powers of
! darkness.
"Can you read my future for me2"
Cleo asked abruptly.
The crone turned toward her, with
eyes burning darkly in the depths of the
cavernous bonnet.
"You seek to know the future2" she
queried, in a thin, high pitched voice
with tremulous quaver. 81 will read
your destiny" and she turned again to
the cauldron, while Cleo drew nearer,
strangely fascinated.
"Proud," the sybil muttered, "am-
bilious, selfish. Your fortune is not so
bright, young lady, that you need be
anxious to forecast it."
"Haven't as fair chance for happi-
ness as other peoplel" Cleo demanded.
''No. You're going to sell yourself
for fine house in the city and carriage
and diamonds. You are mercenary and
Aaheartless besides. Ha! you don't deny
it! You will find yourself one day
staring for love, without the power to
seek it except in forbidden paths"
Cleo stood with her fascinated gaze
upon the seething registrar of fate.
'You have another lover, young,
strong, warm hearted. You have seen
his love for you and encouraged it day by
day. You have looked into his eyes
with those dangerous ones of yours.
Your voice has been modulated to suit
his ear. Oil" with jeering laugh,
that grated on Cleo's nerves, "you
couldn't deny yourself the pleasure OF
proving your power over him."
"You are repeating the silly gossip of
the place" Cleo retorted.
"You as good as said, Take me. |
am to be had for the asking" the crone
went on, unheeding. "You led him to
the verge of proposal of marriage, and
then we're utterly surprised to find him
in your net. Oh, yes! But he is proud,
too. Two proud souls, two of them,
she muttered. "Young lady, keep your
smiles hereafter for the one who is to be
your lord and master"
She stood some moments in silence.
then scanned Cleo's flushed face.
"You have a true, clear eye, in spite
of all, " she said obviously. "No man
would guess what a cold heart lay behind
it. You care only for conquest, that you
may boast"
"Your cauldron lies" Cleo exclaimed.
The half truths uttered, the unaccustomed
conditions had wrought upon her fancy
and made her feel guilty, but the in
justice of the last accusation restored her
equilibrium.
"You see only the surface" Cleo con.
tinued, though why she should exchange
words with the crone was a mystery.
''You cannot look into my soul. If you
could"
She paused The sybil peered deeply
into her flushed face, over which ten
der emotion was stealing softly, then
stepped forward and took her hand. Cleo