The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1903-08-14

chairs up to the center bile, and
handed me the cards to shfllue.
Then, in that same high, artificial
voice, she began the usual jargon of
the fortune-teller. had been to many,
and I knew it we'll. But in vain /
waited for those curious flashes of in
sight and intuitive perception into the
hidden secrets of life which often fit
so curiously through the stock -in-trade
patter of the professional fortune-tellcr.
This woman was ordinary in the ex-
treme, and in my heart 1 reviled my
discriminating friend who had bid
me come to this stupid and fraudulent
woman.
"There's bright young gentleman
between colors wanting to marry you,
but seeing as how he's over the wa
ter" She stopped short and turn
ed her head sharply. From the room
on the other side of the thin PARTITION
there came child's short, hacking
cough, the cough which belongs to an
advanced stage of consumption, and
every time she heard it, it seemed to
me that beneath her tawdry mask the
woman winched as though with a
twinge of physical pain.
"And there's money coming to you
from a far-off land, and there's a dark
woman that's bad enemy making
mischief against you, and there's a
very fine soldier, beautiful, tall, fair
gentleman with bags of gold in his
hands and diamond rings on his fingers,
and he's coming across the seas to WOO
you; and before the summers out he'll
offer you his hand and his heart on his
bended knee. Oh! there's marriage
bells for you. I hear them ringing
merrily." Cough, cough, cough,
from the other room was all the sound
1 heard).
The woman paused with an air of
finality, gathered up the greasy cards,
and shuffled them. l felt that this
disappointing seance had come to an
end, and l laid my two balfcrowns
upon the table. The woman's rough,
red hand closed over them, and she
turned to me? "May trust the lady
to recommend me? l attend parties
and soirees at ladies' own houses, and
my charges out of the season is very
low. May trust the lady?" There
was an almost tragical note. Of intense
human anxiety in her voice, which
contrasted curiously with the mechan-
ical sing-song tone she had adopted
when telling my fortune.
1 assured her perfunctorily that l
would not forget her, making an in
ward VOW that not to the greatest bore
l knew would l recommend anything
so futile and ignorant as this tiresome
impostor. But the woman's latent in
tuition stood her in good stead. She
saw that the impression she had made
on me was bad, and she made an effort
to correct it.
"Here, you just stay moment and
shuttle them cards again" she said.
"There's the wish Of your heart l amt
told you yet.
Though I had risen to 60, the fancy
took me for moment to stop and turn
the tables upon her. Once I had met
woman abroad, and she had told me
something of that which really lies
hidden within this strange, discredited
art of which the DEVILS playthings are
mere symbols. l handed the cards
back to her.
"You wish,' l said, "wsh for that
which shall come; wish for that which
shall 60. Wish that the evil you
dread may be kept away, and the good
you desire be left by your side, to love
and to guard you, as you travel through
distant years."
1t was as though l had spoken a
spell. The womans whole manner
changed, and she seized my wrist.
"Who taught you that?' she said.
"Who? | learnt them words too, once,
bat I'd most forgotten them. One
does forget when one makes a trade
out of this, as I've been and had to do. "
"But why make trade out Of it?''
| asked. eff you know anything
about the real thing, if you have any
real power, it's almost wicked to use
it and drag it down as you are doing"
The woman loosed my wrist, and
putting up her hand, pushed up the
black mask, and the features Of the
worried woman who had let me in were
revealed.
"Why do l make trade of il?" she
said, fercely. "Why? D'you hear