The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-26

| And, you remember, 1 hadn't money
enough to hire models"
II know-poor Phil. what a blue-devtled
little chap you were. And yet, / wanted
- She smiled at this.
And yet l WanteG-'the morbid maiden.
with white fire laden, whom mortals cali
the moon-remeInber that one? Absurd
Tor man without money to want the
moon! l know somebody offered me $50
Tor that little picture-the maiden with
white IRE laden-you-and 1 wouldn't sell
It: l needed the money, too"
remember scolding you about it. Poor
Pnll. you never could be practical, and 1
liked you for 1T. But yet If you had
been, or if
Now, Josephine"
She was really too bad. 1 put down the
cup Of tea, which was bad, too. by the
way, and made some excuse about a for
gotten appointment.
"oh, never mind your appointment. I
was going to tell you something-some-
thing rather queer. That is, 1 wouldn t
tell you II you believed in such things
1 don't; go on. What is ft?"
Wen, l don't, either-not really you
know"
Exactly Ike the man who didn't be-
leVe IN ghosts, but was afraid of them.
Well?
'Well-promise not to laugh, now. It was
something that happened on the steamer
when mother and l were coming home
Josephine turned her head away from
me and stared at the piano while she told
the story
There was a fortune teller on board-a
WelshWoman, q second cabin passenger
One Of the ships officers had her brought
up one evening into the cabin, and she
read our hands. 1t certainly was ex-
traordinary. She told me how long had
oeen abroad, and that was coming home
to be married. And then she described
YOU. Phil, exactly She seemed to have
got it into her head that was going to
marry YOU"
II m sorry she wasn't better prophet"
said to fill UP a pause.
Well, then she said" Josephine went
on, that I should be widow in year
that my husband would be killed in some
sort of an accident"
'Cheerful-but she evidently meant that
should die within a year, as she de-
seribed-"
mo, she didn't?' cried Josephine an
grilys She said my husband"
We'll" said slowly, lin that case
suggest that you marry me. Then you
needn't worry about Ashenden, and I'll
promise to die within the year, as per
prophecy, and then you
Josephine laughed at this, twisting her
engagement ring round her finger.
but that isn't ALL, she went on.
'Soon after I got home Jack told me
that some gypsy up in Canada, where
he'd been canoeing, read his palm and
told him that he would die suddenly with
in a year
At this Josephine turned her head sharp
ly and looked at me.
Curious coincidence" I admitted
''And then the mirror-you know that's
a sign of-of death. to break a mirror"
She pulled a lace handkerchief out OF
her sleeve and began twisting it round
her wrist
Of course, If you do, there's the plan 1
suggested"
stopped in the middle of my sentence.
Josephine, too, was smiling, but I saw she
was not considering my suggestion.
Somehow a possibility occurred to me
which perhap s-whieh perhaps was what
she was smiling at.
Absurd. isn't it?" she said. ''I suppose
some people In my place would be super
stitious, but I'm not-not bit-no moro
than you are
mo more than I am" I echoed, and
then 1 became conscious that Josephine
was laughing noiseIessly-at me- There
was. endless malice in her long gray eyes.
got up to go. And then she came up to
me, smiling STILL but sweet, infinitely
troublante, as she was in the old days
when fell In love with her forever. That
was six years since, and she had never
let me go. Even now. with her wedding
day two weeks off, She
What are you laughing at now?' ask
ed Josephine.
81 was thinking" said frankly, chow
beautifully prehensile women are. How
they hate to lose anything-any rubbishy
old thing that may come handy some
time"
Josephine turned her head with that
long, proud, peacock-like curve of the
throat.
There's Jack" she said, softly.
The maid was opening the outer door
to him. went out through the library
where the wedding presents were laid out
and where the broken mirror was
Somehow 1 felt less than ever like seeing
him just then.