The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-07


low in the neck. and long gold chain
that hung over what the dressmaker
calls the corsage. and on IL depended
and swayed to and fro a 3 by orna-
ment that was, i think, very young
mummy. To Increase our fear of her
the room was hung in black cloth, with
white muslin skulls and crossbones
as a sort of frieze. IL gave me the
creeps.
We stood in fear and trembling. The
child OF destiny" for that was what
she called herself wriggled into a
large armchair that was on a dais, with
d pack of cards in one hand and a wand
in the other. She waved IL in the air
and said in a 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 a dark man who
would beat her and that she would
have one child, son. who would wear
a crown: that the aforesaid brutal hus-
band would be hung making her a love-
ly widow before she was 25. AS she was
20 on her last birthday and has been a
widow six years, her future did not
seem to fit quite as well as one might
| have preferred. but then she had paid
her money, and she had got crowned
son. The fortune teller said. as does
| the hero in a melodrama on the Bow
cry, ALAS. tits true!" and No. 1 backed
| out.
| But II was funny. Our little party
went to five women, and not one OF them
/ all n
| was not. while they wandered so far
| from the truth in regard to other things
| that these various children OF destiny"
made 1t clear that. while they might
have intercourse with the spirits, they
did not even have a little leaven OF
common sense. I know a woman who
goes to a fortune teller every week. She
says ii makes her feel easier. / may
mention that she is a kind soul who
runs a boarding house, and if a dose
of fortune telling Is any pleasure to
her / think she should be allowed to
have IL.
BY the way. in a curious old book that
tumbled over read a story of Louis
XIV having his fortune told. He went
with Nine. de Maintenon to this man.
who was absolutely ignorant OF who the
people were who stood before him but
he burned perfumes and offered prayers,
and then in some awe inspiring invoca-
ton he adjured the powers OF hell to an
| swer him. A frightful sound filled tho
whole building. and the king and his
| wife. for she was his wife then, were
almost fainting with fright. The sooth-
sayer told the king that he would sue
ceed in all his undertakings and that
upon this very day one of his children
had been called to the inheritance of
| great fortune. Then he gave him a
tiny package wrapped in parchment and
said: THE day in which you form the
| fatal resolution Of acquainting your
| self with the contents OF this package
| will be the last one Of your prosperity
If you desire to carry your good fortune
to the highest pitch. be careful upon
every great festival--that is to say,
Easter. Whitsunday, the Assumption
and Christmas-to plunge a pin into
this talisman so that the point shall
pass directly through it."
The king accepted the fatal present
and swore never to open the package
Soon after he got news that on that
very Oct. 2. 100. the king OF Spain had
died and left his successor ana heir
Philip of France. just such an enormous
inheritance as the astrologer had pre-
| dicted. After awhile. talking to the
great Bossuet about magic and sorcery.
the king told him the story of the
package. and his confessor insisted that
he should show his contempt for the
talismanic properties OF the package by
| opening IL at once. The king did not
fancy doing this. but he had got q bit
| scared. He obeyed the command and
| opened the magic parcel. In 1t was q
| consecrated wafer that had in Il as
| many pins as there had been saints
days since II had been received. The
king was filled with great remorse and
underwent severe penances and long
days of fasting before he felt relieved
| OF the crime he had committed. But
this was only the beginning OF the trou-
bic. To those in the secret OF this at
fair IL was known that the king lost
from that time as many male descend
ants as he had stuck pins in the holy
| wafer.
1t seems funny that the stately Main-
tenon should have encouraged Louis to
take a dip into the future, but be-
lieve from Eve down TO Marie Bash
kirtseff. Yvette Guilbert and Sarah
Bernhardt woman has had a desire for
knowing that with which she would
| 'Nseei h"'t hou uo Att-
er all. what good does IL do to know
what is going to happen? Confucius
says that what woman wills God
Wills" Therefore the future is In our
| own hands.
And. Jestlng aside. we do make our
futures. They are mirrorlike pictures
OF our pasts. Go 10 the child Of des-
tiny" IL you want her to tell you the
same old story--that a handsome man
Is dying OF love for you; that you will
have beautiful children. a happy home
and plenty of money. II Is feminine to
like this sort OF thing and between you
and me have even known a masculine
somebody TO go TO fortune teller. He
always said he went TO find out some-
thing about the condition OF his liver.
Perhaps he told the truth.
| But the fortune teller wanted Just at
| present Is one who Is going to say, with
absolute truth: "Our brave boys will
win the hght. Columbia will rule the
wave" And that's the only fortune
teller who Is going to get any oe the
ducats belonging to -