The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-05
The Jack Of Spades.


II would never have happened it
Martina mad seen him before she COM
nenCed 10 dream. There was some
thing singular about those dreams OF
Marths'S.
1T was the awrullcst thing" she
said one morning, when accounting to
us the Wild Nagaries Of her brain,
which had been repeated every night
for more than week. Il thought
was sitting all alone in a dark room
when little old woman came and
stood before me with the jack OF
spades Martha Harrison. Martha
Harrison she said. Just like that"
and Martha pitched her voice I'm u
high, shrill key; here and she held
the card Still closer to my face, is
the ruler of your destiny. lie Is young
and dark and handsome. Your broth
er. DR.. Joseph Harrison, is striving to
bring about a matrimonial alliance
between YOU and a friend of his whom
you have never seen. but YOU are
spirited and must rebel against being
traded off in such a heartless man.
nCr. The Jack of Spades belongs TO
YOU. You win meet him soon under
very peculiar circumstances. Do not
avoid him. WhateN er happens. Look
out for him
My husband looked grave. Mar
tha' ne said 4 am surprised that
you should inSinuate that | am trying
~ 'tr2dP you or | certainly hope
wfat when YOU and my friend meet
You may care for each other but |
have too much love for my only sister
tn force her into marriage that
would be distasteful to her. As for the
Jack of Spades
He paused and sneered Contcmptu-
ously.
That night Martha and | went to the
opera. The house was crowded from
gallery to orchestra. There was but
one unocnupied seat in the parquet. so
far rs we could see. and that was the
one directly in front Of Martha. In
the beginning Of the third act, just as
Carmen was lamenting the fact that,
however often she might cut the cards,
spades would appear as the harbinger
of her friEhrful doom. a man came
quietly down the aisle and sat down in
the vacant chair We We're too much
preOCCUpi"d with the scene on the
stage to pay arv attention TO him at
and broke the spell east over us by the
wonderful Carmen We irvolntarily
gave some thought to the late arrival
He was young and dark, and Judging
by his nroilp. of which | he'd an ex-
Ctllcrt view, y" was decidedly hand
somr. 1t took Martha hut rloment
to recognize him as the naturalization
Of tao ideal of her dreams. and when
Oh Fsy.,, Ii,
coming in ~ that tragic moment she
gro" quite rHlo and drew closer to
my SIDE, rs thouci' frightened at the
approaching desttrv which this man
controlled
1T IS the Jack Of Spades" she
whispered, toDrfIlIy, ana nodded and
pressed h"r hand leassurngly.
Carmen" had lut little attraction
for me after that, and rome at all for
Martha, our minis being intent, in
degree. varying according to cur in
forest i'm the ease. on the man in front
of us. He went out at the end of the
third act arG Mlrth" leaned over and
examined tie chair on which he had
le't his programme ana libretto. In
stead Of checking his OVerCOat he had
brought II into tho theater with him
and uron going ont he had left it ly-
ing across the back of the chair 1t
was folded 50 rs 20 leave one of the
pockets exposed. and from it was pro-
truding one corner Of letter In the
confusion that l, igncd throughout the
parqu@t during the intermiSSiOn each
person was apparCnly ubliVious to the
acti0?F OF another and. under cover Of
her handkerchief Martha etealthilv alb
s,racted the paper from the pocket and
laid ii in her lap. She looked guilty
around for moment, then cautiously
unfOldcd the letter. The first thing
our gaze rested ON WaS the back of a
playing caro-. She turned it over and
We were looking at the jack of spades
Martha WIS trembling violently, but
in response to my entreatieS not to
make Il scene she controlled herself
sufficiently to road the letter. There
was one page Of heavy white paper on
which several sentences had been
written with n pencil in a large. bust
ncsS-like hand. Martha read ii aloud :
"You are the Jack Of Spades. This
is the best card in the deck You will
succeed in whatever you undertake
1t will be useless for people To resist
you. Your will is law"
the orchestra struck up the prelude
to the fourth act and Martha hastily