The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-07-13
THE FORTUNE TELLER
By N. ouAp.
Copyright. 1903. BY Associated Literary
Press.I

bers and not well on It was known
that the necessary sum could not be
raised without a struggle. II was
finally decided that festival and fair
should be given. and the various com
mittees went to work with a win The
minister was new 10 his position and
young man at that, and his zeal
probably carried him further than It
would an older man. when the com
mittee on entertainment came to him
to get bis opinion as to introducing a
fortune teller for the great evening
he seemed a little doubtful, but did not
decidedly object It would bring IN
good many extra dimes, and Of course
no one would take the matter seri-
ously.
The FIRST idea Of the committee was
for one OF themselves 10 dress up as
gypsy, but better thing offered. A
strange lady who was stopping at the
Inn for few days volunteered her
services and was on hand at the APP
pointed hour. Her robe was a great
success. In fact, II was the attrnc-
ton Of the evening II might have
been noticed by a close observer, how
ever. that, while each patron Of the
tent entered 1t with a grin, be or she
came out OF it with an altogether diff
ferent expression; also that after
about an hour the people began TO
cool or toward each other, and in a
few instances wrangles arose. The
festival broke up early and was not
the success hoped for. Something had
gone wrong, but II anybody could tell
Just what lie didn't come forward.
The next day and every day for a
week afterward reports that made the
minister uneasy reached bis ears he
heard OF family quarrels and gossip
with an edge to 1t and at length ascer-
tanned that he himself was being
talked about. He made one or two
efforts 70 pin certain persons down to
certain things and then called for an
evening meeting OF the entire congre-
gation They came to the last one fl
response, and some Of them refused to
rub elbows with each other. In a
plain way and in plain language the
good man wanted to know all about
it and called on one Of bis deacons to
lead on.
Well, / can ten you what ais me,
replied the deacon as he arose. MY
wife paid 10 cents 70 have her fortune
told, and the woman told her that I
had pizen in the house to XIII her Off
SOS l could get another It's an infer
nal lie, but my wife seems to believe
II and won't eat at the table with me.
The other deacon was then called
upon, and he said that bis wife had
also had her fortune told She was
told that he had committed murder
before their marriage and would soon
be arrested and hanged for it, She
was grooming all day and walking the
door all night. and every time she saw
constable pass she had a fainting
spell
Miss Jackson. the spinster, was re-
luctant to take the floor, she said. and
still more reluctant to repeat the words
OF the prophecies. She felt 1t her du-
ty, however, and she must say that
she was told that the minister was Sc
cretly in love with her and would pro-
pose within three months, She never
had believed ID fortune telling and
never should, but-but-you know
And she sat down amid a painful St
lence.
Elder Todd, who hadn't been an
elder for twenty years, but had ven
cradle look and had passed his seven
tieth birthday, arose to say that his
wife had had her fortune told. He had
given her a dime. and she had gone
into the tent with a smile on her face, I
but had come out with buzzsaw ex-
preston to tell him that II be didn't
take her right home she would muir
der him After reaching home she
charged him with having kissed the /
Widow Scott on the bridge one night a
week before and her loud talk had
probably been overheard by the neigh I
bors He wanted to deny the kissing
in toto. He was getting ready for the +
grave instead OF froiicking around at I
his age. His wife still stuck to it that /
he was a guilty wretch, but that was
one Of the crosses he must bear
The Widow Scott was waiting for
him to finish. She had had her for.
tune told, Nothing had been said
about her being kissed on a bridge In
the dark Of the moon BY q man with
venerable whiskers What she had
been told was that Mr.. Taylor, a neigh
Dor. bad stolen cucumbers from her
garden. She had charged him with
1t, and be had threatened to begin
lawsuit Let him begin and be hanged
to himl She was a woman that
couldn't be biuffed.
Then there was the case Of the
Widow Clvmer She had always had
a contempt for fortune telling, but
what could she say when told the ex-
act date of her poor husbands death.
the color Of his hair and the age Of
the COW that stove his ribs in with a
kick? Then she had been told that
three different sisters Of the church
were gossining about her and saying
she used powder and dyed her hair,
and she wanted them and all others
TO understand that she was no such
woman. Others were waiting to speak,
but the mystery had now become
clear to the minister, and be said:
fThe money that we raised viii 20
to the heather instead Of for paint,
and In ftffrlra nnr nhllrnh fnsfit.nIs MN