The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-18
TORIES
OF THE
T . w N

From unimpeachable sources she had heard
marvellous tales of the uncanny happenings
TO be witnessed through the intervention of
mediums, the sort of tales which make one
shudder deliciously and which one prefers
TO hear in a brightly-lighted room in good
company, of messages received from poets
long dead and of visits from loved ones
these many years in their quiet graves. AS
none OF these occult happenings had been
vouchsafed to her personally, this girl de-
cided TO take her life in her hands and ven
ture into the house of a certain Oriental
princess and see for herself some of those
things ''undreamt of in philosophers"
You wouldn't have thought il the abode
of princess Git was, in fact. particularly
dingy little house in the suburbs), but her
heart beat unpleasantly as she was ushered
into the front room herself. This room, she
decided, she sat on the extreme edge of
a moth-eaten sofa with her cold hands
clasped nervously together, was a parlor,
although il contained a species of folding
bed with a curious cretonne arrangement in
front of ii. Not for all the wealth OF the
Indies would she have crossed the room
and peered behind that curtain. No doubt
! it was the mediums cabinet, about which
she had heard so much. The princess, mean
while, was occupied with her dinner, judg-
ing from the odor of boiled cabbage which
pervaded the house. She soon entered, how
ever, attired in n lowered wrapper much
the worse for wear. As preliminary, the
medium crossed the girls hand with a
good hard silver dollar evidently she was
taking no chances), once to bring good luck
and again to ward off i'll luck. So far so
good.
You have been crossed in love-" said the
medium impressively. The girl didn't know
that she had been, but since the princess
was positive, why, perhaps she had been,
after all.
Taking silence for consent, the medium re-
sumed, with her brilliant soulful eyes
fixed compellingly on the girls face. There
is one man you think more of than of any
other in the world, is there not? Now, what
you must have is the power
THE power? What is that?''
MY influence. which exert to bring
about engagements and marriages. locate
missing documents, prevent divorces, re-
| unite friends There is nothing impossible
for me to accomplish with my power 1t is
mind influence, very deep. The American
| people don't understand 1T. Come now, you
you like to become engaged to him."
| Her listener gasped. do you mean to say
that you could arrange an engagement be-
| tween me and this-this MANI"
Certainly. I have one marriage coming
off next week for which 1 am to receive
$1,000. in addition to $500 which was presented
to me by the backgrounds upon the
contamination of his engagement
4
Hundreds The best people in this city
come to me and thank me for their success
in life. am rich. could buy and sell many
so-called wealthy people in this city, and
all accomplished in ten years. However,
love my work, and as 1 am able to do a
great deal of good 1 have not yet abandoned
it. Some day shall retire and reside in a
mansion. am busy at my work every mo-
/ rnent."
you are successful them"
81 have never lost a case
what would such an arrangement cost
me?'
"Well, I could cause your engagement to
occur within twenty days. and your mar
riage in two months. Your engagement
would cost you, let me see, 1 would do the
| work for you for $50. Your marriage would
cost you only $780,"
The dazzling prospect thus opened made
the girl thoughtful. AS an experiment it
would certainly be vastly interesting but
her conscience told her that so cold blooded
and one-sided arrangement was hardly just
She began to feel sorry for the innocent and
unsuspecting young man thus made the VIC
tim of a womans determination to have him
| willy-nilly. OF course there are ways and
ways of ensnaring the right man-every
girl knows lots of them-but this method
seemed hardly legitimate. Then, too hor-
rible thought. suppose, through her over
anxiety. she should chance upon the wrong
young man. Would the princess be able to
set things back again? Probably not The
| unromantic divorce courts would be the only
recourse. Then, too, injured fate might step
in and say, Look here. you have meddled
with my game. You have not picked out the
man 1 intended for you at ALL" The girl
hastily decided it unwise TO NEEDLE with
fate's proper business.
The princess. who had been in an apparent
trance, opened her eyes and said: 1.-The
spirit says you need the influence. Come is
il a bargain? You can do absolutely moth
ing without me, and can do nothing with
out your cooperation. Them that hesitates
is lost,''
But the girl departed. followed by the
princess's urgent entreaties not to throw
away this unequaled proposition to become
bride whether or no, and betook herself
to another medium a colored woman highly
spoken of for her supernatural powers.
This woman's house was miracle of ex-
quisite neatness The door was opened by a
pleasant-faced white woman and the little
old medium herself was like a little dried
up sprite her wrinkled visage lighted UT
by pair of wonderfully brilliant eyes
She fixed these eyes on a remote corner OF
the room. '"They are all there calling you
she said. your relatives, Bertha. Clara
Emma, Frank" The young woman has a
host OF relatives. but ii happens not a
Bertha, nor a Clara. nor an Emma. nor
Frank among them. "Ah, 1 have it, it is
Donald. Surely you know Don, he has au.
burn hair and brown eyes. He tells you that
he is faithful Yes, she did know Don, hel
old setter. these many years under the
pear trees in the old garden. Dear Dom in
the happy hunting ground of all faithful
dogs, no doubt you are faithful yet to one
YOU never failed in life,
Then followed an incoherent tumble about
the dark-haired man and the hght-harec
man. and that was positively all that was
/ ra1 he da1la lie.