The Indianapolis journal., 1903-12-13

hand reveals character with much more GER
tainty than the face does; people with any,
thing to conceal learn to control and dis
guise their faces, but the lines of the hand
tell the truth with brutal frankness. 1t
seemed so unreasonable to her own mind
that she could decipher a persons past as
she did, from the lines alone, that she
sometimes speculated on the possibility of
part of her information being derived from
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, unconscious on both
sides.
However this explanation sometimes
seemed inapplicable. For instance. she said
d stately old lady, You have been en-
gagged twice."
mo. indeed" was the response. never to
any one but the man 1 married"
"But it's In your hand. perfectly plain: it
was when you were very young, not more
than fifteen"
''Why, yes, 1 was, come to think of it,
before we left Maryland, when I was
scarcely more than a child. 1 had not
thought of it for forty years."
1t scarcely seems probable that knowledge
so dormant could have been transferred.
In regard TO the future, the amateur palm
ist felt that it was absurd to have faith in
the indications OF the palm. Nor was II
easy 10 verify them. OF the thousands OF
persons whose hands she read in the course
of few years, for one charity fair and
another, she knew the future fate of but
few, and could remember her own predic.
tions for fewer; but among those she die
know about there were certainly some sur.
prising condolences, to say the least.
inc In
afternoon to get their palms read. To the
pretty young bride she said, You are tc
be married twice.
Indignant and fearful reputation of the
possibility naturally followed But the
young husband magnificent specimen OF
stalwart manhood. died within a year. The
bride returned to her girlhoods home, AND
it is not known whether she has remarked
but, being childless, very young and pretty
and of the appealing, dependent type. il
seems highly probable she will ultimately
| do so.
The other caller, a handsome brunette
had been occupied IN being young lady fol
! the last twenty years To her the
| palmist said, You Will be married withir
| three years TO young man whom you have
| known ever since he was small child, but
| whom you have never thought of as
| possible admirer." adding in a mental pa
| renthesis, because he is so much younger
than you are" All of which prediction wa.
fulfilled to the letter.
American hands are very complicated IL
| their lines. The majority OF them contain
many lines not laid down in the books
Many of these, by observation and com
parison, she learned to interpret but hel
own hand remained a puzzle. There were
too many uncharted lines In it. Partly tC
find out how the professionals did it, anC
partly TO see how they would interpret thai
tangle of lines, she had her hand read by {
number of professional palmists.
The first one she consulted was a maj
with national reputation as mind
reader. His health had given way under
the nervous strain of mind-reading and h
had taken up palmistry an easy way t.
make a living. He took her hand, glared a
II, fixed his eyes on the corner of the ceiling
and chanted off the standing description o
the character indicated by hands of tn,
artistic" type, as given in all books o.
palrnistry. He added the admontion, "Al
ways follow your intutions. If you act ac
cording to your judgment instead. you will
make mistakes-your intuition is never mis-
taken"
But" said the seeker after knowledge
what does this line mean, and this?" III
vain did the seer wriggle and endeavor t.
change the subject. She held to the poin
until she found out that he did not know
the heart line from the head line, nor il
fact. the a, Il. c of palmistry.
Then she went To a man who proclaim,
himself revealer of all mysteries and al
unexampled palmist He took her hanC
and gave her pretty good reading of hel
character. but all the while he looked no
at her hand but her face. She spied an ole
chart in a dark corner. and said abruptly
You are a phrenologist, not a palmist
aren't you?'
The man was too startled for evasion.
Yes" he confessed. 1--WE lectured OF
phrenology and examined heads for grea
many years. but people don't take any in
terest in phrenology any more and rv
had to take up palmistry for living.
She looked at him thoughtfully. "Whel
you began lecturing on phrenology. yol
were an honest man. and really believe,
| slowly. but how can you descend to sucl
| things as that-cheating poor servan
| girlsi" And she pointed to a prominen
| placard. advertising love philters at ex
| travagant prices.
Yes. il is true. / was an honest man. anC
now-that Is not an honest business" h,
| confessed, dismaly, but. after all, do n,
| harm. And you'd be surprised to know tn,
i demand there Is for those things and IN,
| class Of people who buy them"
| This man was not quite so ignorant o
| palmistry the mind reader. but he knew
| very little OF IL and was appalled, at tn
| subject. You would he the greatest palm
/ list in the world he told her, as she de
1 parted. IF you hadn't conscience!"
| Then friend persuaded her to go witt
her TO a clairvoyant, trance-medum pair
who made no profession of palmistry. Her