Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-10-29
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the handsof the elder lady and he now
had It in his, mumbhng over it amid
the laughter Of the rest Curiously
the man bent forward listening, ana
as the reading finished, concealment
forgotten, the shabby figure stepped
out of the shadoWed corner.
Read mine" he said simply. It
was an oddly consisting request and
the palmist looked him over keenlY
and then took the scanned thin hand.
"A long life," he said. He looked up
seriously into the attentive face. but
as he bent his head again he cast
mischevious glance towards his
friends.
Yours isn't fortunate hand, he
said. I see sickness and trouble. You
never have succeeded in anything you
undertook to do. You never will, my
friend, You're the kind Of man that
the fates are against. You've dreamed
of having something some time, but
you'll miss it somehow, and you won't
be able to see that it's your fault. You
are born to be a sort of blight on
everyone you are connected with. /
see good wife, for whom it might
have been better If she had never seen
you; child or two, to feel the need
OF more fortunate parent-and
that's all.
It's enough" muttered the man. He
thanked the palmist shortly and went
out
''That was pretty hard" deprecated
the old lady.
The worst of it is," said the palm
1st, turning with vigor to his supper,
that my really good lecture won't do
him bit of good. He drinks, prob
ably
But the man, who stumbled along
In the dark outside, had taken it seri-
ously- His lips moved constantly with
an agonized appeal.
is that why?" he said DULY. rs
that why?"
After a while he gathered himself
together to think connectedly. It was
the truth. Had he not blighted her
young life? Had his children not al
ready missed too many of the cheap
pleasures Of childhood because he was
their father? Her people had written
her only last week that when she
would leave him her old place at
nome was open to her and her babies,
but she had not answered Her loyal
heart had clung to him in their mis-
fortune and he had allowed her to
make the sacrifice. Somehow, as he
thought Of it all, the solution came to
him. He thrust his hand into the
deep pocket OF his coat and sighed
With relief that there was something
there from which. though more val
liable things had gone long ago. he
had been loath to part. BY and by he
came to the poor place which he called
nome, and went close to a window at
which there was a little white curtain
which she had put there in memory
OF their brighter days. Through it
Iphe saw her leaning over the two little
children. She was singing to them.
She who had never voiced complaint,
and they lay peacefully, unconscious
of their fathers eyes.
He turned away, great throbb1ng
In his heart. Where was the some
thing that let these things be? That
let her and hers suffer: that made
him blight upon the lives OF those
| he loved. An immense anger filed
]: him a11d>shook his frame.
/ 'Tn cheat destiny!" he cried fierce
II ekn renoFe ihoss Il the blIxhtn. Ifinn "arzAe
There was kind &C exultation In
his eyes as he tore something from his
coat and held it up, cleaning in the
cool moonlight. There was some
thing that was like achievement in
his gesture as he flung his clenched
hand in defiance up toward the wink
ing, curious stars. The cleaning
thing spoke sharply; and even as be
went down, his face turned with
kind OF triumph toward the infinite
/ sky.-Boston Sunday Post.