Red River prospector. (Red River, Taos County, N.M.) 1900-190?, 1907-02-28

her front door. No n was there,
but lying on the step was a tract of
some kind. Miss Middleton took up
the paper and turned back into the
house.
There were four pages devoted to
the advertisement of the wonderful
powers Of Madam Geraty, ~Soothsay-
err" Among other things was the an
nouncement that Madam Geraty
would remain in the city but six days
and could be consulted at her suite Of
rooms In the Hotel Gerome.
Miss Middleton read the paper
through carefully, then laid it away
on her dresser. Hers was a lonely life,
for no one occupied with her this old
heirloom of a building which she
called home. For years she hardly
had left it for more than a few hours
at a time, and the humdrum ono
tony of her daily existence was sell
dom disturbed. But she still INDUCED
in the dreams that had been pleasant
to her in her youth, and never had
quite despaired of some day resigning
her spinsterhood for the more roman
&c estate of matrimony. Yet when
Miss Middleton thought seriously of
LNese things she knew in her heart
theye was but one in all the world for
whom she ever could have cared in
this way; and he-alas! it had been
years since she even had heard of
Kim.
She was in a reminiscent mood
this morning. Several times she al
most pronounced aloud a name, Der
tram" so wildly did memory portray
the setting.
Later in the day she took up the
soothsayer's folder again and glanced
over its contents. your future re-
vealed," was the caption of a long
paragraph. Miss Middleton read it
over for the third time and realized
that after all she was not free from
the influence of the mystic wonders.
YES" h said to herself, 81 should
like to know my future, and l am al
most tempted to try"
AS the day grew older the tempta-
ton grew stronger; and Madam Ger
atty already had won a patron.
Madam Geraty received her patron
with a beautiful grace and a charm
ing cordiality which placed Miss Mid
dleton at such ease in her presence
that she became ready almost to con-
ide her closest secrets. But any
Thing of this kind was not asked.
madam Geraty wanted only an impress
zion of her patrons thumb. This she
$500 - A.. -.Is.,--r n,,A 4,
few moments later she had produced
an enlarged photograph of the impress
sion, which she proceeded to study
with the utmost care. Then she began
and told Miss Middleton a great many
things about herself which the latter
acknowledged to be absolutely cor
Iect; and her eagerness and amaze
rhent increased as the s%oothsayer con-
tinued. But Madam Geraty concluded
presently by saying:
You still have a long and happy
life before you. But listen. There is
something you must do just as l tell
you to do it. On the first day when
Venus may be seen as the evening
star before sunset, go into your gar
AGA anu AaA uBOh gOuA hhCCb Wy AhO
love-vine tangle that surrounds your
old fountain, and utter three times the
name you love best; and an old sweet
heart Jf yours will drop down to you
from the sky"
At this Miss Middleton gasped. Up
to this time the soothsayer had not
said anything that transcribed hui
man possibilities; but now that a man
should fall at her feet from the sky
was more than Miss Middleton's mind
could grasp at that moment. Madam
Geraty smiled, for she could see that
her patron had reached a point that
tried her faith severely.
This reading is a wonderful reve-
lation to me as well as to you" she
said, MOI is it given to me to tell you
or to explain how this phenomenon is
to come about; but | never yet have
had reason to doubt any of the read
ings that appear to me, however in
applicable they at first may SEEM"
Miss Middleton found Madam Ger
aty's words repeating themselves over
and over in her mind, as from day 10
day she ~pondered the strange read
ing. She even looked up a current al
manac and inquired into the position
of Venus; and when she found that
within a week, or ten days at the
most, she would be able to see this
beautiful planet while a part Of the
suns rays still remained above the
horizon, she became strangely ex-
cited. She debated with herself as to
whether she should even carry out
the formality which had been en-
Joined; although the peculiarly gifted
little French woman had described
accurately just such a love-vine tan
GLE surroul ding an old fountain. as
did actually exist In Miss Middleton's
garden, which was a seductive, dense.
ly shaded, fowery and fragrant plot
of ground entirely enclosed by a high.
moss-grown stone wall, which effectu,
ally cut of from all chance observa-
ton from the street
AS the days passed by. Miss Middle.
ton found herself watching the eve
ming sky with a minute d~irectness