The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-01-03


e. AANhA WiaAea that E.6i would
laush o. even smile as he used d
do Two gsaE ag8 he had Seen ths Ifs
81 her Halloween dinner. 30 Be sure
he had been % the Philippines since end
had iust come home with Bullet
wound q BIS shouldeF ead leave
aenee in his pocket She supposed the
Philippines naturally would make
man feel someWhat solemn and 81
bullet in the shoulder had NOS an-
dency to spperInduce 8 rollieSing mood
But then leave ought "a saeQaraGa
man Into an occasional smile ei sooa
fellow ID She Wondered e EZittis Wins
aton had ngthg to do With his melaa-
choiy. she bad ncied once that re and
Kittie were pe fond nf each other. and
recently Nittie herself had seemed toe
brilliant IN her gaye and had talked
ana laughed overmRch to be really
happy girl Mrs. Lacey did not feel SC
her duty 50 untangle the complication,
but she did think ie TIaiis is duty to try to
be agreeable at her Halloween cele
bration
The nuts and wine were on and horse
shoes and clover leaves with four petals
and luck stones had been found tucked
away In almond shells. Prophecies,
varying all the way from gold mines
and orange blossoms to Wall street pan-
les and cypress, had ben discovered in
innocent-looking bon-bon wrappers.
A solemn silence fell over the scene;
all waited for the next movement Of
Fate.
Coming events cast their shadows
before quoted Tom with gloomy tn-
tonation. Mrs Lacey lifted warning
finger
A dark curtain which had hung unob-
served ia an Unlighted corner of the op-
POsite wall was drawn aside and tall
form robed iii black draperies that
trailed in somber folds across the floor
moved with stately tread to the head Of
the table. The face was hidden n q
flmy veil fastened to its Rlace by tiara
Of silver stars.
mistress Fate, herself said Tom in
an awe-struck whisper
As the mysterious form reaehed the
table 1t paused for a moment that
seemed full Of awful premonlfion and
then white hand slipped from under a
black fold ard threw silver bail Into
the middle Of the table. Then the
strange yisitant turned and left Che
room as silently as she had appeafsd
Mrs. Lacey caught hold Of the end 81
the silver cord that hung from the BAN
and It began to unroll slowly
''UnraReling the web Of fate, said
Tom
Once there was q man and a girl,
she began ia sAbterranean tones
Tragic com binaton ihterp0iated
Tom.
DO not inteflup he tory 81 fate,
said Mrs. Lacey n warming voice
The girl dad eyes IKE the june sky
at MONDAY and hair like the cloud that
floats over tas mountain when the
storm rises darlSly from the west
Absolutely fatal mixture, groanad
Tom
"And they loved each other with q
love that they thought was arm and
abiding as the eternal stars"
High tragedy and deep gloom, NUT.
tered Tom
There came an eventide when they
wandered alone ander the lnsne
stars Of a moonless night and 8tf
drew the threads from the beautiful wei
the poets have wrought Wlth flowers 3.
rhyme to mark the places where the
shuttle turns
Most dangerous business possible,
objected Tom. Thawing out dynamite
BY the FIRE is nothing "a it,
"And suddenly the stars fell from The
sky and pail Of darkness hung ovel
the world and the maiden walked 81
alone into wide desert where there
was no moon nor stars nor vet the faint
est light to guide her way across til,
burning sand And the youth turned
him aside into the wilderness where thc
thorns pierced his feet and tore hi,
hands and the briars caught and held
him as he tried to so on his way AND
II came to pass
Mrs Lacey paused to detaeh from the
silver cord a small object that was Gas.
tened 20 Il BY a peculiarly complicated
knot which clEimed her attention fol
some moments. It was wound arOunt
with silver paper and stamped with
name % gold letters.
tof YOU Mamie ahe aalai putting
It down on the plate o young girl who
sat near her and who opened her priz,
20 And a prophetic line which sh,
quickly concealed. the light q her eye
seeming ia indicate chat il was Of an ac
ceptable nature But then Mrs. Laeel
was too amiable hostess To draw ou
from any ban Of fate prophecy other.
wise than cheerful
s6interested did The company becom,
in what the mysterious BAN might bring
forth that they ceased to follow the for
tunes Of misiortunes oG Mrs LaseYl
sentimental youth and maiden.
Here's q compass for YOU Tom
Dame Fortune knows that you need
one
She s fully aware how Ter you fall
"a Youn duty % ne ana tries 60 supple