The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-20
CONTINUOUS PERFORMANCES.
AFTERNOONS, Csc. EVENINGS, Is and Soc

cup OF tea, which was bad, too, by the
way, and made some excuse about for
gotten appointment.
'Oh, never mind your appointment. l
was going to tell you something-sOme-
thing rather queer. That is wouldn't
tell you if you believed in such things-
Il don't: go on. What is it?"
well, / don't either-not really. you
know :.
Exactly like the man who didn't believe
in ghosts. but was afraid of them. Well?'
"Well-promise to laugh, now. 1t was
something that happened on the steamer
when mother and 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. second cabin passenger.
One of the ships officers had her brought
up one evening into the cabin and size
read cur hands. 1t certainly was extrao.-
binary. She told me how long l had been
abroad ard that l was coming home to tie
married. And then she described you,
Phil exactly. She seemed to have get
it into her head that l was going 20 marry
you"
And, then she said" Josephine went
On, that I should be a widow in year
that my husband would be killed in come
sort oil an accident.
.tCheerful--but she evidently meant that
should die within year. as she de-
scribed--''
mo, she didn't. cried Josephine. an
grily. She said my husband"
Well" / said slowly In that case 1
suggest that you marry me. Then you
needn't worry about Ashenden, and III
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 l got home Jack told me that some
gypsy up in Canada. where he'd been ca
noeing. read his palm and told him that he
would die suddenly within year"
AT this Josephine turned her head sharp
ly and looked at me-
Curious coincidence" / admitted.
"And then the mirror-you know that's
sign of-of death, to break mirror"
She pulled lace handkerchie out of her
sleeve and began twisting it about Ter
wrist.
still. wouldn't worry" said. But.
of course. If you do. there's the pan l
suggested"
1 stopped in the middle of my sentence.
Josephine. too. was smiling. but l saw she
was not considering my suggestion. Some
perhaps was what she was smiling at.
Absurd. isn't 2" she said. II suppose
some people in my place would be super
stitious. but I'm not-not bit-no more
than you are
mo more than am echoed, and then
l became conscious that Josephine was
laughing noiselessly-at me. There was
endless malice in her long grey 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 l 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 ?" asked Jo-
sephine.
Il was thinking" said frankly, chow
beautifully prehensile women are. How
they hate to lose anything-any rubhishy
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. Some
how | felt less than ever like seeing him
lust theu.-New York Commercial Adyer-
User.