The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-10-23


tethered horses. In the foreground
smoldered the ashes of a fire. Round
this clustered few half naked chill
dren and some wrinkled crones with
huge gilt earrings in their ears.
'"The men of the camp had evidently
gone foraging, nor were the women
slow to turn penny, for one of them
called out to Clayton that she would
tell his fortune Clayton shook his
head impatiently and went on. If he
had it told at ALL 1t must be by some
young, black eyed girl, such one as
he saw approaching half a mile be-
yond the camp, tall, 1.-THE creature,
who walked with the grace of those
accustomed to the open. She wore a
red skirt, a white blouse falling away
from her throat and caught with a bit
of dull yellow that matched her girdle.
One sleeve was torn, and her arm
showed through, dusky and rounded.
Her dark hair was twisted with what
looked to be scarlet beads, but which
upon nearer inspection proved to be
rose fruit strung on grass.
1.-THE princess of her tribe" thought
Clayton.
She was playing with a curious dag
ger that she held and did not see him
till he accosted her. Then she looked
up, startled.
''Will you tell my fortune?" he que
ried, smiling, and held out his hand.
when it has been crossed with sill
ver," she answered, her black eyes
cleaning.
1.-THE life line is Deep" she went on
quickly. You have made your way
so far, for you are ambitious and
Woodworking. You Go not come from
Brierley village nor from the country
round here. You are from the city
You are nearly thirty and unmarried
Do l read trueY' she asked, with
swift upward glance
"Quite true" said Clayton amusedly.
''No woman has touched your heart,
but there is one who soon will"
Ozark or fair?'
Oakland very wealthy. You will
see her this afternoon at O'clock"
well, I'm glad I'm warned" said
Clayton, with a laugh. How long
have you seen here?' nodding in the
direction Of the camp.
She shrugged her shoulders.
Glow can l tell? A few days-a
week maybe. We gypsies do not meas.
ure time"
"And what is your nameT
"Jan," she answered, turning on her
heel with the Indifference of a queen.
Now that she had told his fortune she
seemed anxious to be gone.
ga mercenary young wretch, like the
rest of them,' murmured Clayton,
looking after her.
That afternoon he strolled toward
the village. The season was over, and
most of the large hotels We're closed
So were the handsome private cottages,
save few whose owners preferred the
luxury of solitude.
Arden, the summer home of Alyard,
the copper king. was still open. Miss
Alyard, it was said, caring more for
her stables and kennels than for So
ciety.
AS Clayton passed it. admiring its
green lawn and well kept flower beds,
a smart trap came down the driveway
In it sat girl dressed in white. Clay
ton could not see her face, for she held
lace parasol to screen her eyes, but
he liked the patrician poise of her head
AS they ratified past him with a gay
aTa
man turned in answer to some ques-
ton.
ITS exactly o'clock, Miss Alyard,"
he said deferentially.
Clayton started and then laughed at
himself for being foolish enough to
mind a gypsy's prophecy. And yet
the prospect was alluring-a rich wife
and money to pursue his studies in
Paris untrammeled, for, though Clay
tons name was beginning to be known
in the world Of architecture, 1t had
been hard fighting every step of the
way. Even now he was not free from
financial difficulties, and instead of put
ting up at the luxurious country club
which was still open to visitors he
was housed in a farm at the village
outskirts.
But, whether the gypsy had read his
fate truly or not. there was something
tantalizing and mysterious about her
prophecy, aud next day he went again
to the camp. Jan was nowhere IN
sight. In vain he questioned the old
bag who had offered to tell his fortune
the day before. She declared there was
no such person and called on q
swarthy deyil-may-care young fellow
who loungeI close by to confirm her in
what she said
NO ne reiterated NO Jan is
here"
1t was useless to argue. and Clayton
turned homeward with a feeling Of de-
feat, when, perched on a fence near
where he had first seen her, he espied
Jan
'I've been to find you at the camp"
he said, "and they told me there was
40 such person"
"They told you that?" She threw
back her head, and her brown throat
shook with laughter.
''And there was young fellow there
who looked as if he would like to muir
der me-"
You mean zingare? He is terribly
jealous. The least thing puts him in a
passion. That is why he pretended not
to know where l was
"And where were your
"Out in the woods at the edge of the
hill to see the sunrise. 1t was like a
campfire burning behind the trees"
She was as voluble as she had been
reticent before, and, vaulting up on the
fence beside her, Clayton sat and talk
ed till noon.
1t was only when he reached his
! farmhouse that he remembered that
he had meant to ask her about his fu-
| ture, aud she had bewitched him so
that he had forgotten it. The next two
days 1t rained, and on the third he
found the gypsy camp deserted. A
charred spot marked the place where
their fires had been, and that was all.
They had vanished as silently as they
had come.
And no one seemed to know what
trail had. been taken. Clayton was dis