The Washington bee., 1894-04-28
CHAPTER IN PALMl>TRY.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION BY MARK
TWAIN.

Tolls I'm His New Novel, "Pudd 'nhead
WILSON, How Master of the Art
Revealed a Murder by the Lines Oh
the Hand.
"Rut look here, Dave" said I"m,
s.vou used to tell peoples fortunes, 100
when you took their finger nilrks.
WHY he'll read your wrinkles as easy
as book. and not only tell you nifty or
sixty things that's going to happen 10
vou, but fifty or sixty thousand mat
Amt. Come. Dave, show The gentle
men what an inspired Jack-aJ-all-
science we've got in this town, ana
don't know it.
Wilson WINGED under this nagglng
and not very courteous chatf, ana the
twins suffered with him and for him.
They rightly judged, now, hat the
best way to relieve him, would DE 10
take the thing in earnest and treat IL
With respect ignoring Toms rather
oyerdone raillery; SO Luigi said
I'VE have seen something OF palm
;stry in our wanderings, and know
very well what astonishing things 1t
can do. If it isn't a science, ana one
of the greatest of them, too l don
know what its other name ought 10
be. la the Orient
Tom looked surprised and incredui-
Gus. He said:
That Juggling a science: But real
lv. YOU amt serious, are you:
Yes. entirely so. Four years ago
we had our hands read out TO us as
If our palms had been covered WIN
print"
well. do you mean to say there was
actuallv anything in it:' asked Tom
his incredulity beginning to weaken a
little
There was this much in it, said
Angelo; what was told us OF our
character was minutely exact-we
could not have bettered it ourselves.
Next two or three memora bic things
that had happened to us were laid
hare-thinCs which no one present but
ourselves could have known about
Il haven't examined half a dozen
hands in the last half dozen years;
you see, the people got TO joking about
if and / siopped to let the talk die
down. I'll tell you what We'll do
Count Luigi: I'll make a try at your
past, and if L have any success there
no. on the whole. III let the future
alone; that's really the affair of an
expert
He took Luigi's hand. Tom said:
"Wait-don't look yet, Dave! Count
Luigi, here's paper and pencil. Sci
down that thing that you said was
the most striking one that was fore
told to you. and happened less than q
wear afterward. and give it to me so
can see if Dave finds it in your hand
Luigi wrote a line privately, and
folded ND the piece Of paper, AMI
handed it to Tom. saying:
III tell you when to look at it, Il
he finds il"
Wilson began to study Luigis palm
tracing life lines. heart lines, heaC
lines. and so on. and noting carefully
their relations with the cObweb o
finer and more delicate marks ant
lines that enmeShed them on all sides
he felt of the fieshy cushion at the bas
of the thumb. and noted it's shape: n
felt of the ficShy side of the hand he
tween the wrist and the base of In
little finger and noted its shape also
he painStakingly examined the fingers
observing their form. proportions. an
natural manner of diSposing them
selves when in repOse. All this pre-
cess was watched by the three spec
,atorS with absorbing interest. thei
hcadS bent together over Luigi's palm
and nobody disturbing the Stillnes
with word. Wilson now entere
upon a close survey of the palm again
and his revelations began.
He mapped out Luigi's characte
and disposition. his tastes. aversion:
procliyities. ambitions. and eccentric
itipS in a way which sometimes mad
Luigi vince and the others laugh, bu
both twins declared that the char
WAS artistically drawn and WAS CO
rect
Next Wilson took up Luigi'S histor,
He proceeded cautiously and wit
hesitation. now. moving his fingt
slowly along the great lines Of til
palm. and now and then halting
at n star or some such Landmark
and examining that neighborhoo
minutely. He proclaimed one or tw
past events, Luigi confirmed his co
rrctneSs, and the search went ol
Presently Wilson glanced up with
surprised expression:
Here is record Of an incident whiC
you would perhaps not wish me to
Bring it out" said Luigi. good-n
turedly; II promise you it shan't en-
barraSS me-"
! But Wilson still hesitated. and di
not seem quite TO know what 10 d
kThen he said:
Il think il is too delicate a matt,
!t0-to-I believe | would rather wri
iit or whisper it 10 you. and let you d
tcide for Yourself whether you want
talked out or not
THAT will answer" said Luig
k'write it,"
Wilson wrote something on a ST
EPf paper and handed it to Luigi. wi
Tread it to himself and said to Tom. =
Unfold your slip and read it, NJ
IDriScoll"
Tom read:
1T was prophesied that l would k
Twas out"
Tom added. Great Scott
4 Luigi handed Wilson's paper
sTom, and said:
~Now read this
\ Tom read:
You have killed some one. but WI
sther man. woman or child, | do n
make out"
Caesars ghost!' commented Tol
with aStoniShment. 1t beats an
ylhing that was ever heard of! WI
Ia mans own hand is his deadlie
fenemy, Just think of that-a mar
Gown hand keeps Il record Of the dee
r Il