Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-06-09
sncrlal corrcspondcnce Of Gazette and ,ourrn,

and the great big murtlerous shells have
been fired with dircctpcss that killed some
OF our brave men. hope We will win. but
do not hclievp in war. am q firm be-
lever IN that simple but old story which
was probably sung in your grandmothers
chidEnad of "Jeannette and 1eannot," aud
consider that Jeanette solved all the
diplomatic questions Of the day when slo
said in that slightly mournful duty:
If were queen OF France or. better, pope Of
Rome,
I'd have no fighting men abroad, no weeping
maids at home
All the world should he Mt peace, and II ktnrs
must show their might
Let those who make tile quarrels be the only
ones TO Il M.
That line is the height of diplomacy and
wisdom, and following it, peace and happi-
ness will result, and it took woman to
think it all out.
one business has gained great number
of customers because of the war ! do not
mean the manufacturing Of soldiers clothes
although ] suppose shere has been All in
crease IN that nor do mean the blowing of
glass bottles into flask shapes, though unless
there was q good stock on hand there was
probably considerable done in that line, but
what ] do mean is the fancy for fortune
tellers. Naturally if your young mans gone
10 war you want to know what his fate's
going to be and whether he is to he made
general or admiral or ii the unfortunate
tate OF Danny Deever is to be his. or. il one
- NpHuE lHull WIZ uHS EuuG 10 llEll,
then II is interesting to know If one is likely
Ia get one III time To do battle. In these
DAYS OF excitement the average woman is
great on paying visits to the fortune teller
lalk about the divinity that doth hedge
about king !" 1t il nothing to that which
surrounds the lady who can look into the
future, The house in which the fortune
telling lady doh abide has not an air of ele-
gance. The window shades look as il they
had been Closed for years, and the dust of
centuries rests upon them. The door was
opened III answer to timid ring of the bell,
Tor confess To having been frightened out
of my senses by what in the south is com.
monty called "A moke"-that is, "a very light
darby girl. This one was arrayed in purple
Nelveteen. cut low in the neck and around
her coffee colored throat she wore a neck
lace that looked as il it were composed of
the teeth of small babies. Her hands were
manicured to such degree that the nails
Ellttered i'll way that drew your eyes TO
them. whether Won wanted II or not. She
was dignilied "mokc.' She said when |
had the courage 10 inquire as to the lady
who peeped into the future that ''de madam
Will receive you ails presently"
We ais went into parlor that was
cold as vault and which had brussels
carpet of the vintage of the early tifties,
when two roses covered an entire room.
The handicapped centre table was made
70 look lively by a coifin-like arrangement
in black ebony. sacred TO the memory Of
oDntUpuN ana GIlClTCleu DIV those ullDOllcHl
things, wax lilies. The pictures on the
walls were evdentlv ancestors, and if
were to drop dead this very minute should
be willing to declare that one old ancestor
a rather forhidding looking gentleman,
wiuked ut me as much as to say ''Ha, ha
We have got you" Then the ''moke'''
entered aud cheerfully said, You alls
follow me" ana we followed in Indian lie
by every law of suitability the fortune
teller should, have been tall and grace
tnl and stately yet grievons as it sounds,
she was not merely inclined to embon-
point" but was fat, distinctly fat. She
wore u black velvet gown, cut low
in the neck. and long gold chain
that hung over what the dressmaker calls
the corsage, and on It depended and swayed
to and fro 3 by ornament that was |
think, very young mummy. 70 increase
our fear of her the room was hung in black
cloth, with white muslin skulls and cross
bones ms a sort of trie1e. II gave me the
creeps.
We stood in fear and trembling. The
child of destiny" for that was what she
called herself, wriggled into large arm
chair that was on a dais, with pack of
cards in one hand and a wand in the other.
She waved ii in the air and said in lovely,
theatrical manner, Approach, fair maiden!'
As Two of us were married and two of us
were widows, the invitation was a little diff
cult to understand. but the bravest of the
lot approached her and didn't get much for
freshness, as she was told that she would
marry dark man who would beat her and
that She would have one child, son, who
would wear crown; that the aforesaid
brutal husband would be hung making her
lovely widow before She was % AS she
was 20 on her last birthday and has been
widow six years, her future did not seem to
fit quite as well us one might have preferred,
but then she had paid her money, and she
had got a crowned son. The fortune teller
said, as does the hero in melodrama ON
the Bowery, Alas, It's true!" and No. l
backed out,
The next dip into the future was taken by
young married woman who owns two of
the loyelcst twins that ever cried for a
woolly dog and she heard that she would
never marry, but would lead a life devoted
to charity and leave large fortune to be
utilized by ladies' who had seen better days.
] got the full worth of my money. Ia
grewsome way the Child of destinyn told
me that handsome husband was coming
over the sea TO me, that his wealth would be
great and that | would be the joyful mother
OF IL SONS, each genius in his way.
That Tin his way" struck me as very
funny, for out of the IL in prospect one
might have a genius for picking pockets
another for embezzlng and another for
making patent medicines, while the ability
of the last of the lot might show itself in
writing Zip prize fights for the newspapers.
have an abnormal curiosity, so offered
81 more to be given photograph of the
father Ot lnOse DoyS' AZ HrSI Tue 'Culll OF
destiny" demurred and wanted SO, but |
said he was only worth 81 TO me- and de-
clined to give more. So she rang a bell, aud
the 'moke' entered. After much Whisper
ing she was told to bring II certain box,
from which was extracted dreadful picture
of Richard Mansfield.
looked at 1t closely and then at her and
told her / would give her 81 more If she
would give me his name. She said that she
didn't know that and wouldn't rob me. but
that he was coming across the sea and would
come when least expected him. hope he
wont appear when he is got up as Richard
for 1t might make me nervous, and want
to be at my best at that time. To be quite
truthful, Mansfield seems TO be my fate. |
dropped 10 cents in the slot down at Coney
Island one wear ago to get picture OF my
future husband, and Mr.. Mansfield was then
10 the fore, so | am forced TO think "What
does this mean ?" although Mr.. Mansfield
has q wife, and bigamyis not yet recognized
ms quite the thing in this country.
Then we went to another fortune teller,
rtern looking lady with half her nose gone.
She charged higher prices than the first,
but then, rs she told you, with look on
her face that meant determination, II am
forced to use fresh egg with each one"
wonld have liked her better if she had had
moro nose. She broke an egg in n glass,
then looked in it and told me: You will
have a sorrowful life. You will never be
rich. (By-the-by this wasn't news to me,
n vou marry, Won Will be \ chldless ana
uukurry wife, She wanted me to buy
naclisge of some Kind of beauliiler at
81 pcr package and said if ! used it as
dirertrl my entire life would be changed,
don't know about my life, but | was sure
about my face. would be greasy, horrld