The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-08-16
Gypsy FORTUNE TELLING.
How It Happens That "D~uhkering'' Is
a Mixture of Common Sense and
the Marvellous.

the Marvellous.
(Riley NJ. Fletcher Berry's "The
Am rican Gypsy in August Century,
Il fortune telling Of the Gipsies,
or "dukkering.' as they themselves
call it, is a wonderful thing, and a
power un~deniahly supernorrnal which
reads past, present and future, yer
wish an all We want to know" But,
though the Romany's gifts are mar
velous, they cannot strictly be a 1
TO be related TO psychical phenomena.
Yet they are as interesting, being
delightfully."- human and as inysteri-
Gus and battling IS East Indian jug
glery.
The Romany's usual method of di-
vining the future is by the palm,
though it is sometimes by cards,
sometimes by dropping coins into
charms, varied by trifling sleight-of-
hand performances. In the Gipsy's
palmistry there is no book learning
and little "science,' although she pro-
fesses to attach some Importance to
the lines OF the heart and life. For
the lines and mounts Giosies have
their own explanations, which some
times happen to coincide with those
OF the ordinary gorgio PIANIST, but
which for the most part are not to
be found in any written book.
It is almost entirely upon face
reading and a cultivated. keen, ready
perception of general characteristics
that the Gypsy depends. Nothing
escapes her quick eye and brain. The
bearing Of a stranger, the dress.
speech, and manner, the expression
and type OF feature and a thousand
details which would be overlooked
as u~ninPortant trifses by a gorEio,
to "dukker" before more than one
person at a time, possibly on the
plea that she belongs to a secret
order" Which forbids it, or thai q for
tune told in such Il would not
co1ne true. These statements, though
de!iciously appealing, are lacking in
truth, for the act is only that She
needs the undivided attention Of the
one who consults her in order to get
the best results of concentration of
mind. IN justice to the Gypsy, it
should be taken into consideration
that the atmosphere of skepticisrn
which is apt to surround a gay party
of curiosity seekers is not conducive
TO success IN the exercise Of any pro-
fession.
The Romany fortune teller is All
adept in the art Of flattery, for there
nothing is so Interesting as ones self.
The Gypsy knows how to draw out
unconscious admissions or confess
slons by her oft-repeated, do ye
on erstan' me?' and Can ye look me
in the eyes an say it is not the
truth I'm a-tellin you?'' She forces
the acknowledgment Of truths at
which h has already shreWdly
guessed, and such admissions are the
stepping stones by which her
knowledge grows from more to
more" h can, for instance. recog-
nize at a glance the tokens of sad
ness to which the casual observer
is blind, and whether the unmistak-
able stamp is from sorrow by vista
ton Of death or the result of bitter
earthly disappointment, the odds are
that the Gypsy will make the sitter
tell her without being aware Of hay-
ing done so.
AS a rule, as I have said, she flat
ters with brave promises of fair flu
ture, but if displeased she may so
threaten with the vigorous. com
peiling. dramatic art of which she is
complete mistress that he horrors
conjured from imagination stand out
before the doomed hearer with the
real effect of q curse