Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1918-12-13
CHAPTER u.
| Meet the Silent Woman and SllaS
Wright, Jr.


Wright, Jr.
Amos Grimshaw was there In our
dooryard the day that the old ragged
woman came along and told our for
tunes-she was called Rovin' Kate
and was said to have the gift Of sec
ond sight" whatever that may be. IL
was a bright autumn day and the
leaves lay deep In the edge OF the
woodlands. She spoke never a word
but stood pointing at her palm ana
then at Amos and at me.
Aunt Deel nodded and said:
"Ayes, Kate-tell their fortunes II
we've anything to say-ayes
She brought two sheets of paper ana
the old woman sat down upon the
grass and began to write with lit
tie stub of pencil. ! have now those
fateful sheets Of paper covered by
the scrswls Of old Kate. remember
how she shook her head and sighed
and sat beating her forehead with
the knuckles of her bOny hands after
she had looked at the palm Of Amos.
Swiftly the point of her pencil ran
over and up and down the sheet like
the movements of a frightened SER
dent. In the silence how loudly the
pencil seemed to hiss in its swift lines
and loops.
My aunt exclaimed Mercy! as she
looked at the sheet; for while | knew
not, then, the strange device upon
the paper, | knew, by and by, that
it was a gibbet. Beneath 1t were the
words: money thirst shall burn like
a fire in him."
She rose and smiled as she looked
into my face l saw kind, gentle
glow in her eyes that treasured me.
She clapped her hands with JOY. She
examined my palm and grew serious
and stood looking thoughtfully at the
setting sun.
l see, now, her dark figure stand
ing against the sunlight as 1t stood
that day with Amos in its shadow.
What singular eloquence in her pose
and gestures and in her silence! l
remember how 1t bound our tongues
that silence Of hers
The woman turned with kindly
smile and sat down in the grass again
and took the sheet Of paper and
resting it on yellow-covered book be-
gan to write these words:
IL see the longing Of the helper
One, two, three, four great perils
shall strike at him. He shall not
be afraid God shall fill his heart
with laughter. l hear guns, l hear
many voices. His name is in them.
He shall be strong. The powers OF
darkness shall fear him, he shall be
a lawmaker and the friend Of God and
of many people, and great men shall
bow to his judgment and he shall"
She began shaking her head
thoughtfully and did not finish the
sentence, and by and by the notion
came to me that some unpleasant WIS.,
ion must have halted her pencil.
Aunt Deel brought some luncheon
wrapped in paper and the ole woman
took 1t and went away. My aunt fold
ed the sheets and put them In her
trunk and we thought no more Of
them until-but we shall know soon
what reminded us Of the prophet
woman.
The autumn passed swiftly. went
to the village one Saturday with Un-
Gle Peabody in high hope Of seeing
the Dunkelbergs, but at their door
we learned that they had gone up
the river on a picnic. What a blow
1t was to me! Tears flowed down
my cheeks and l chung to my uncle's
hand and walked back to the main
street Of the village. A squad Of small
boys jeered and stuck out their
tongues at me. 1t was pity for my
sorrows, no doubt, that led Uncle Pea.
hody to take me to the tavern for
elmer, where they were assuaged by
cakes and jellies and chicken pie.
At Christmas l got a picture-book
and forty raisins and three sticks of
candy with red stripes on them and a
jeY's-harp. That was the Christmas
we went down to Aunt Liza's to
spend the day and 1 helped myself to
two pieces of cake when the plate
was passed and cried because they all
laughed at my greediness 1t was the
day when Aunt Lizas boy, Truman,
got a silver watch and chain and her
daughter Mary a gold ring, and when
all the relatives were invited to come
and be convinced, once and for all'
of Uncle Roswell's prosperity. and
be filled with envy and reconciled
with jelly and preserves and roast
turkey with sage dressing and mince
kzuuriuua3,iNltaa- pia What an amount OF