The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-10-24

Sta not, and TO chat
.-uEHTyA ter affablyto some
half dozen lady
friends clustered around her, making
: occasional bolts toward the door to
receive new visitors. OF course. her
daughter Miss Nettie Blake, ought to
have helped her mother with the so.
cial duties; but that young lady was
sitting IN far corner, engaged in
earnest conversation with a certain
Mrs. Rapley, who professed to know o
great deal about spiritualism.
"Bat tell me-" Nettie was saying in
On awestricken voice, ''can this wo-
man you were talking about really see
what is going to happen to people, and
do her prophecies always come true p"
"Asto that, replied her friend, 81
have certainly known her foretell the
future wonderfully but. she succeeds
best in discovering peoples charac-
/ tiers and lives from merely holding
IN her hand something belonging to
them. For instance, if you give her
letter she will, without even looking
at it, tell you oil about the writer,
though both you and the writer are
quite unknown to her,"
Now, besides the number of lady visi-
tors at Mira. Blake's that afternoon
there had been one man Captain LIE
Streme Tasting OF the Life Guards.
He had left little while before, but
Nettie's thoughts were still full of him |;
in fact, though she had known him
but brief time, this foolish girl, fresh
from the schoolroom, had lost her TO-
mantle little heart to the handsome
soldier, and had accepted him as the
ideal man. OF his feelings toward her
she knew nothing, but she pleased
herself with imagining that his charm
ing manners were even more charming
> with her than with others, and that
his dark eyes had a particularly ten.
der look in them when in. her CON-
pany. Such thoughts were buried
deep in her iumost heart, and were
never breathed to anybody, except, of
course, her especial girl friend, who
didn't count but she pinned to know
whether her conviction was right. or
whether his calls and attentions were
for her mother alone. The talk with
Mrs. Rapley at once suggested to her
mind way of satisfying herself on
this point.
81 should SO much like to see this
marvellous thought reader" began
Nettie again. 81 wonder how I could
manage it. Does she live far off,"
"She lives in Philippa Road, st.
Johns Wood, replied the other; "but
Ishoull advise you, if you think of
going. to ask your mothers leave"
''Oh, no, don't think want to go
really lat least--I might, stammered
1.-The girl, 'sout I'll ask mother. What
lumber did you say?"
Number AZ; it's small provision
store" answered Mrs. Rapley, rising
to depart; .sbut probably Mrs. Blake
will no. let you go. Good by"
The visitors having gone, Nettie
FASTENED to make note of the ad-
dress. privately resolving she would
not give her mother the chance of re-
;using her permission to visit the clair
Soyant.
A day or two afterward, when din
rsr party was under discussion, Net
tbs was strongly in favor of inviting
Captain Tasting; and though she had
to bear some banter about this eager
nels the gained her point, and also q
promise that the gallant Captain should
take her in to dinner. The invitation
was sent, and next morning at break
fast Mrs. Blake laughingly tossed a
note>across to Nettie, saying:
s'There. my dear; I hope that will
satisfy you"
II merely contained the usual formal
words, "Captain Tasting has much
pleasure in accepting Mrs. Sherwin
Blske's kind invitation to dinner on
10th Instant" Yet Nellie preserved
the note carefully. and, like the little
roose that she was, read it over and
over again when she was alone. taking
in every letter of the beloved hand
writing. and even-but no.; it were
unkind to mention every little girlish
folly that she committed, and, besides,
Nettie is not the only silly girl in the
world. y
06 blluS AoA COth0 ~ r Nv 49, r.
into execution, however, and IN con-
siderable trepidation she crept out OF
the honse, armed with the precious
scrap 1T paper, by means Of which so
much was to be revealed to her. By
the time she reached the District Rail.
way station Nettie we'll nigh repented
and abandoned her plan; for she was.
on the whole. good, dutiful daugh-
ter, and her conscience reminded her
that her mother did not like her going
out alone, and would assuredly object
to such an expedition as that whereon
she was bent. Still, the burning de-
sire for an answer to one question
oyercame all other considerations, and
having resolved within herself that
she would stay but FIVE minutes with
the clairvoyant and then go straight
home, she took a ticket and rushed
down the steps in time for Baker
street train. st. Johns Wood station
safely reached, the next point was to
ind Philippe Road, and this was no