The Democratic advocate., 1907-01-11
The Fortune Teller.

''Good morning, sir, said the fortune
teller. Morning" said the man as he
sank into chair. He looked at Nine.
Zero with twinkling, hard eyes.
''I suppose it merely is matter of money
with your he asked But the fortune
teller would not commit herself. She
waited to hear the particulars.
He took roll of greenbacks from his
pocket and suggestively tipped the rubber
band that held the bills in place.
''There's girl coming here this after
noon,'' he continued. 81 want you to tell
her few things. Will you do it p
eff it nothing wrong, said the fortune
teller. She spoke to the man, but her
eyes were glued to the roll of money.
90, it's not wrong" said the man.
ats dead right. l mean to marry the
GIRL but she thinks She s in love with an
other fellow
"And you want me to make her believe
that you are her fate? That she is bound
to marry you-that it is so written in the
stars p Madame looked at the man in
admiration.
"You have the idea. Here is The ma
terial, +" said the man, giving the fortune
teller typewriter sheet. You'll find all
the particulars there-girl's early history
and some intimate personal facts. When
you string her along with these She Il be
ready to believe anything you say. You
look at me- You see how 1 look. Well,
I'm her fate. The other fellow-the man
that isn't her fate-is slender and dark,
and dreamy eyed. He's sweet thing all
right, the big man laughed-''but he
never will have any money. Hesimprac-
tical. 1t would be crime for the girl to
marry him. I'm the man that can take
care of her. So if you We got any con
science you can let it rest in peace. I'm
paying you for doing the right thing this
| time.
Once more he tipped the band that held
the roll of bills.
Chow much p he asked.
''Tll leave it to you,'' said the fortune
teller, after a moments thought. 1.-The
more you give me the better job I'll do. y
The man laughed and tossed the roll OF
bills into her lap.
"Then do your BEST he said. "You
will know the girl when she comes, be
cause there'll be middle aged woman,
red haired and of the name of Brown, with
her. The girl herself is young and as
sweet as flower. Her name is Lillian,
and the other woman will call her that, SO
you will know her whatever name she
happens to give"
"rll do my part, said the fortune tel
Ter. 'If she doesn believe in clairvoyance
when she comes here she will when she
goes away, and even if her heart is broken
she will resign herself to the inevitable. y
go, her heart won't break said the
man, laughing good humoredly. eff it
does L Il mend it. -
After he had gone out Nine. Zero
slipped off the rubber band and counted
the money. The amount was so large
that she was astonished. Then she read
the typewriter memoranda and learned
her lesson thoroughly.
That afternoon the girl came, laughing
and blushing, with the older woman. The
trip to the fortune teller's evidently was
regarded as a great lark.
After the two women had been gone
for an hour the man came back. He was
laughing still, but clearly anxious to know
how the plot had worked
at was an ingenious scheme said the
fortune teller. ''There was no chance fol
it to fail. After | had told her about
her own childhood, and about her mother S
death and her fathers journey to the
Philippines, she was ready to believe
everything else. -
''I knew it, said the man.
II told her about her two lovers-your-
self and the other-and | discovered that
you were wrong
eyes, in what p
''She does not think merely that she
loves the other man-she loves him. Ii
would have made your heart bleed to see
the pitiful, broken way she looked at me
when 1 began to tell her that she must
| give Hill up. Oue ID HoI Sii " io'S
lightly. She never will forget him.
go, I'll see that she does, said the
man.
81 hate to disappoint you, said the
fortune teller, ''but when reached this
point my heart failed me and l switched
back. | could not shatter the child S
dream. There are some things that even
a fortune teller can't do for money
"You took the money, though, y
sneered the man.
''But I'm going to give it back you.
She opened her purse and took out the
same roll of greenbacks, held together by
the same rubber band, and tossed it into
the mans lap.
''Perhaps she'll invite you to the wed
ding" said the fortune teller, consolingly
He laughed again as he went out-bu'
his laug h was forced.