The San Francisco call., 1898-10-09
IIp-TO-DATELOVE CHARMS
Continued From Page Twenty.

l before the Peace Commission reports l At a girls luncheon last week the subject most discussed was love charT1lS' Each girl but my unfortunate self was the happy possessor of an amulet or some description, and I began to feel Tn very bad form. Indeed, after haVlng | given a negative reply, for the sixth time to the question: You wear love charm don't your" From that moment l resolved to get as many addresses as I could of eminent seeresses, and thus equipped to start out on pilgrim age of inquiry to obtain the most pot ent the most unique, "the very latest love charm that could be found. was l even determined to "O'erstep the bounds" of my pocketbOOk and be most recklessly extravagant if need be in acquiring the proper love charm and | happiness.
 So, with my address book filled with l the euphonious names of the various 1 seeresses whom 1 gathered from my girl | friends, I started forth.
 ! The first doOrbell I rang was in a well known downtown boarding house,
 and after inquiring for the seeress l | was shown Into a very handsomely fur | nished reception room.
 ! The walls were hung with tapestries. armOr, handsome Turkish jars and vases. A jeweled lamp of antique shape | shed thin bluish light over the room. l The portieres parted and 1 was beck ! oned into the inner sanctuary" by the ] seeress.
 She was gowned in a robe of Turkish pattern which in every degree harmon ized with her apartments
 She was superb, indeed. Quite an up- to-date seeress. She wore rings of won derful workmanship and curious de- 1 sign. At her neck she wore large tusk-shaped ivory pin in which was inn bedded, in Egyptian gold, the word
 'Mizpah.''
 well, my dear" she began, confi- dently and conf1dentialIy, you want your fortune told or do you intend buy 1 ing a love charm "a love charm, cer- | tainly. was sure of it; for all the dear | young ladies are buying them now" l l assented, and the seeress continued: : l 'Ah, l see that you think you are in 1 love with a young gentleman, and see three young gentlemen in love with | you. Now, darling"-One must tolerate 1 eXtravagant terms of endearment if one wishes to buy a love charm-'I do not want to interfere with your love affairs, but 1 do want my dear young lady to be happy. Now, I can work you a love charm that will make it easy for you to give up the young gen. tleman with whom you think you are In love, for 1t Is not to your advantage to marry him.
 This charm which I will make for you is one that will direct your heart to another man, who really is the one chosen of heaven for you, my dear. He is in love with you, but you are not at this time aware of it. 1 solemnly avow that before the moon is crescent you will have a proposal of marriage and accept this gentleman, who Is your fate
 If you do not wear this charm you will have a most unpleasant breaking off with the gentleman to whom you have decided to trust your happiness" How much will such a love charm cOst?" intrepidly interjected.
 My dear, 1 make several kinds of love charms, but this one suited to your case, powerful enough not only to bring your true love to you, but also to take this man from you uncondition- ally and without pang of regret, I will make for $40, and you will be glad to pay a hundred for 1t two weeks hence."
 Tell me what this charm is made off" I asked, fearful of mysterious in gradients.
 "Oh, I will tell you the material things. but of course the magic in f1uences exerted can never be known but to myself and the higher powers First, you must give me your first name and that of the young gentleman 
 These l will copy in blood upon a piece of parchment made from the skin of a goat belonging to my great-grand- father in India, who was the greatest seer in the kingdom. Upon this parch- ment I will also copy the name of the gentleman you give me, but that only in blue ink, which. as the charm begins to work, will fade out and in it's place will be written by magic the name of the man whom you are destined to marry. This parchment I will sew in a silken bag wet in the mystic depths of a magic well in Asia. and after passing 1t through the magic flame I will call upon the occult powers to protect 1t and It's owner. This I will hang about your neck tied with a ribbon of your favorite color-blue Is your lucky color, my dear. and you should always wear 1t before your admirers. I cannot begin the charm until the hour of mid night, when the proper conditions pre- vail, so leave a deposit and call for it tomorrow, my dear"
 This charm appealed to me as won derfully potent, but as my determina- tion was to see a variety of charms be- fore l invested I told madame that I would consider the matter over night before deciding and bade her good-day.
 My next address took me out of the fashionable uptown quarter over to Nt.- toma street. I was agreeably surprised when I reached the address to find house freshly painted, clean and the stairs newly carpeted.
 Madame. the seeress. rustled in a silk gown. Her nails were badly kept, but her begrimed fingers were covered with rings. She seemed in great good spirits
 I asked her If she was doing a good business
 "Oh. my dear young lady business was never better. Since the war began people somehow are beginning to see the power In love charms and love phil | ters. knew they would see 1t some day so I never became discouraged. AL | though have been a seeress for twen- | ty-fve years I have sold more love charms during the past six months than during the rest of that entire time. My
 business hours used to be from 2 to 5 l o'clock in the afternoons and from to