The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-09-17

done more miscnief than 1 can tell. II IS
absurd that it should be so, but it is a
fact You have upset a lady's health and
unbalanced her mind"
ooh, Johnw whispered Annie reproach-
fully, but | went on, shaking my fist at
the prophet:
"a woman who believes that your non
sense is prophecy got hold of one of those
yellow envelopes that foretold her speedy
death, and, as l said, the consequences
were deplorable and are still. She will
not listen to reason. She may die of over
wrought imagination, and if she dies you
die alsol I've mind to kill you now"
The prophet retreated again as / shook
my fist at him, but he stared at me in
amazement as he did so.
'Look here, SIR said he, eve don't
put no prophecies of that there character
into none of our envelups. Them sort
wouldn't be popular. Our'n is all favor
able and encouraging. We make rule
they shall be. Besides,
Him that prigs what isn't his'n,
When he's cotched shall be sent to prison,
which is in the gents basket and is. re-
garded as a joke. There amt no evil
prophecies in the collection. Oh, no, it's
some other prophet There is two or
three of them along the Bowery. None
genuine but me-"
"NIy friend" said l, you are the per-
son who had a booth at the state fair at
Hobbswich last autumn"
''Yes, l was there" said the prophet,
"but, as l said, our'n, especially for the
ladies' is all encouraging"
'Do you call this encouragingW l ask
ed, taking the envelope from my pocket
book, where had kept it since that fatal
day. "Read it,"
Mr.. Mesrom took the slip of paper from
me, gazed at it, and read it aloud:
"'Lovely lady, you will die before the
violets blow" he repeated.
"Now, eff that amt blamed shame,
I'm a Donkey See here-that amt no
fault Of mine. I'll explain. But the lady
hasn't read the rest of the printing; it's
been folded up and tucked under some
how-reading it altogether amt so bad"
He had smoothed the paper now, and 1t
was evident that it had been folded so as
to conceal several words which followed
those l had read.
"'Lovely lady, he began again, you
will die before the violets blow if you let
that cold run on and don't take good old
DR.. Dodds' Magic Cough Strip this win
ter. For sale in the great hall. One dol
lar per bottle
"Don't you see?' Mr.. Mesrom said, APP
pealing to me, ''that that amt no proph-
ecy, but just a regular ad? I'll tell you
the way of it: That old quack, DIR. Dodds,
had his cough sirup at the fair, and he
bribed our boy to stick some of them cir
cylars into our envelups. l suppose some
was dstribbyted before l caught him at
it and dismissed him with as good a welt
ing as boy ever had. Why that amt no
prophecy, lady! Here, lady, let Polly
pick you out a true one to make up for it.
No charge whatever"
He held the parrakeet toward the basket.
She jerked out an envelope with her beak
and dropped it into Annies hand.
"Open it" said l. "Open it and read
it. 1t is the true one, you know" And en-
the instant the dear girl obeyed and read
aloud:
you'll be bride in June"
CAPS we'll that ends WE'LL" said the
prophet. "Hope you are satisfied, sir?'
ENTIRELY" said l, offering him my
cigar case, and Annie and l went home
together in state of utter beatitude, to
which we had been strangers since our
first interview with the prophet, and
when we arrived at the door Annie rush
ed into her mothers arms, crying out:
ooh, mamma, dear, / am not to die
when the violets blow-I am to be mar
ried in June"