The record-union., 1897-07-06
TOO MUCH BLACK ART.
Two Brooklyn Girls Hunt for the
Secrets of the Future.

There are two girls in Brooklyn.
who, ii the subject of fortune telling
should happen to be mentioned in their
presence to-day, would exclafm with
the sincerest emphasis, Never againi"
Their convictions ON this point are
deeply rooted in an experience of a
week ago. At that time they deter
mined to carry out what had been a
long-cherished project with them by
visiting a real clairvoyant in his
lair. So they looked over the adver-
tisements in morning paper until
they discovered one which held out es-
pecially strong inducements in the way
or reading "the past, present and fu-
ture, reuniting the separated" and all
the rest of it. The two set off to find
the address of the noted man This
was not difficult, but it conducted the
girls through part of the city of
which they had little knowledge, and
which certainly could not have been
called attractive. Reaching the house.
they ascended TO the apartments Of the
'clairvoyant on the second floor" by
narrow, dirty and dark staircase. By
the time they knocked at the door of
the mysterious place their first fresh
enthusiasm had been somewhat damp
ened, and when the seer himself opened
to them they We're ready to be con-
Vlncd at once that he possessed a sin
lister and evil face
After they had passed in. to their as
tonishment, their host promptly locked
the door behind them. The girls
glanced at each other, but. noting that
q lynX ct
controlled their anxiety for moment.
worse was still to come. 1t appeared
that this was merely an ante-cnamber
and the clairvoyant led them directly
through it to an inner room, the door
OF winch he also locked in the same
manner. Then he motioned them to
seats, and the girls dropped into them.
their eyes round with fear, and a shaky.
insecure feeling in their knees The
fortune-teller dived into a dark closet
and brought forth some strange look
ing boxes, which his visitors, in their
excited frame of mind, decided We're
extremely dangerous things The girl
nearest the door moved uneasily in her
chair and cast eyes of longing toward
the lock. She was nervng herself for
desperate effort. Her chance came
in moment, when the clairvoyant,
eXcusing himself politely plunged into
the depths of another dark pantry, pre-
sumably to hunt up more materials
Leaning far over, without rising or
making the slightest noise, she turned
the key in the lock, and exchanged one
look of comprehension with her COM
panion. On the instant, both started to
their feet and. secrecy being no longer
possible, they fairly hurled themselves
through the doorway. An exclama-
ton and sudden movement behind
them did not serve to lessen their haste
With trembling fingers the girl who
had made herself leader managed to
unlock the second door and in their pre-
cipitation the two. had a narrow es-
cape from falling headIong to the bot
tom of the stairs. Meanwhile the
clairvOyant was painting after them.
shouting to them to return, but his
words only terrified the fugitives still
more
and, from the appearance of things,
could make pretty good guess at the
future, lost his temper and acted solely
with reference to the present. Picking
up a big, soft doormat which lay at
the head of the stairs, he hurled it
down furiously after his escaping
clients. IT was we'll aimed and struck