Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-05
The Fortunc Teller

1t was an ancient diary in a faded
leather cover, The writing was nne
and delicate and the ink yellow
with age. Monsieur Jonquelle
turned the pages slowly and with
care, for the paper was fragile. we
had dined early and come in later 10
his house on the Faubourg st. Ger
main in Paris.
He wished to show me- this old
diary that had come down TO MIN,
from a branch OF MS mothers lam
ily n Virginia. branch thai rad
gone out with a Kings grant Wnen
Virginia was a crown colony. Inc
collateral ancestor Pendleton a
been a Justice of the e IN var
GINA, and a spfnster daughter ndo
written down some OF the strange
cases with which her father a
been concerned. Monsieur Jonque44e
believed that these cases In tneIr
tragic details. and their lnsplratlonat
seductive handling equaled any OF
modern times. The great LpraI!
overlooking the 81 Gel,
nnain was curtained off from Paris
MONSIEUR Jonquelle read by the nre'
nnd 1 listened, returned as by some
recession of time TO the Virginia Oh a
vanished decade. The narrative OIL
b diary follows:
It was a big, sunny room.
bong windows looked out on a Tor
nal garden, great beech trees anu
IN BOW of the river. Within 1t was
q sort of library. There were book
cases built into the wall, TO n
s1eiebt of a mans mead. and at IN
sarvals between them, rising from
the floor to the cornice or the
shelves, were rows of mahogany
drawers with glass KNOBS; 4heFe
was also a fat writing table.
It was the room OF a traYeIer, a
man of letters, a dreamer. ON
ssbia we're an inkpot of carved jade,
: naperknife of ivory with gold but
~teriies set in; three bronze storks'
with their back together, held an e2-
uuisite Japanese crystal.
The room was in disorder-hs
drawers pulled out and the contents
NV father stood leaning against
the easement OF. the window, ook1ns
ont. The lawyer. Mr.. Lewis, sal d
chair beside the table, his ayes on
the violated room.
sPendleton," he said, y don't ike
this Englishman Gosrord.
Tba words seemed to arouse my
fafher out of the depths OF some re-
anu AZ |
yer. Mr.. Lewis.
"Gosford!" he echoed.
.rHe is behind this business, ZEN
dIeton," the lawyer, Mr.. LeWls' WenL
IN Mark my word! He comes
hera when Marshall is dying; ma
forces his way 10 the mans ped ne
nnts the servants out; he locks the
door. Now, what business had TINS
Englishman with Marshall on ms
.eathbed? What business OF a Sc
crecy SO close hal MarshalIs son Is
out by a LOCKED ooo[: ~
He paused and tWlsleo LIS sea-
ring on his finger. 4 !
when you and l came to Visit
The sick man, Gosford was always
here. as though he kept a watch
us, and when we lett' ne Went
always to this room to Write MS 4et-
ters, as he said. u.
anymore than this. Pendleton'
.,aIl is hardly in his grave pc
fore Gosford writes me to INQUIRE py
what legal process the dead 1nans
papers may be M Ior d WIN
And it is Gosford VINO SENDS a negro
riding, as if the devl! were on tne
rupper, to summon me in the name
the Commonwealth of Virginia, TO
,npear and examine into the cir
of this burglary.
II mistrust the man, He USED 10
,ang about Marshall IN his life, upon
enterprise of secrecy; n now
ne takes possession and leadership
n mis- affairs, and sets the mans son
side. In what right, Pendleton'
aoes this adventurous Engllshman
eel himself ~secure?"
MY father did not reply to LeWlss
His comment was in an
other quarter.
Here is young Marshall and
he said.
The lawyer rose and came over
The window.
Two persons were advancing from
he direction of the stables-a tall,
delicate boy, and a strange old man.
The old mar walked with a quick,
lerky stride. 1t was the old country
doctor Gaeki. And, unlike any
other man in his profession, he
would work as long and as carefully
the body of a horse as he would
the body of q man. swapping out
his quaint oaths and in a stress of
as though he struggled with
some invisible creature for its prey.
Tie negroes used to say that the