Judge — February 11, 1911 — page 17: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

FATMA, THE FORTUNE-TELLER. By ELLIS PARKER BUTLER, Author of “ Pigs by Pigs.” DO NOT, as arule, place much faith in fortune- tellers. consider them frauds. There are, however, some excep- tions, Itis wonderful, indeed, how they can peer into the past and the future, tell the in- most secrets of one’s life, and lay bare what is hidden. I ran across one such at Cot Island last summer. Her name ‘atma. I do not know whether she certainly fat. I s that I better re- was was ama, but she \ had .tr thought a fatone might giv . So Tentered her tent, ntly on the's fore her, and handed her my . She took it wiped the palm with a wet “dso many thin seere: ated myself daintil rag, and, after gazing at it a moment, looked me full in the e: fiv ents,"’ she It is in your pocket. naturally startled. » twenty-fiv wed it at the very first divine. “It is mar- I did, in- cents. She had “You are right,"’ I said. velous how you"’ lent Fourth held onto my dexter So I coughed up. She left with marvelous while she slid the quarter into her own with the grace of a true seventh daughter. “Si she her man." hand aid, poking my palm with finger, “youse is a perfesshinal “Corre I admitted. ‘Can you see in my palm what profession? She wiped my palm again with the wet rag and peered in- to it. I mean the rag. “*Youse stokes coal on a tug- boat,’’ she said. Yo, no!’? I said slyly thor, little Fatma. ll, mebby youse is said scornfully. ‘If youse is, all I gotta say is youse is, off your proper beat. You got a hand what's cut out for a stoker on a tugboat. I got t’ go by at the hand says. I ain't no fake guesser. If youse ain't a stoker, be.” “Thank you,’’ Isaid. ‘I'll change my profession to-mor- youse had oughta row. Do you know a nice little tugboat that needs'’—— “I knows a seeress what don’t stand” no kiddin’ !"" she said flatly. ‘‘I read in your palm that youse ain’t married’’—— “Oh, Celeste!’’ I cried. ‘*What will my poor wife say to that?” **You don’t need to tell her nothin’ about it, and then she won’t say noth- in’,"’ said Fatma. ‘*She’s a brunette,” she added, looking at my palm again. “*Who is a brunette?"’ I asked. “Your wife is'’— “You said I wasn’t married."’ “Look Fatma angrily, “I'm a puffick lady, I am, an’ it don’t interes’ me at all to know whether youse is married or not. I ain't here to be flirted with. What do youse suppose I care whether youse is married or not?” me,” I contrit But my here !"* id “Pardon said “That was a slip on my part. wife “She said Fatma scornfully, ‘*L ain't the only lady what blondines her hair, I gu ms “But my wife is a natural blonde. “Then she ought to dye her h said Fatma shortly. ‘I ain’t goin’ tv’ let no Mister Smarty rag me jus’ be- You is blonde."” is so far as you know,” cause a woman won't dye her hair. got three children." “Three !"’ I said, ama: ‘ep! All boy Even the girl “Yep!’’ she said. * L exclaimed. ‘*And I al- Fatma, “Curs ways thought they were girls! I am grateful—I am grateful, indeed! If I had not known this, I might have gone on buying hats and dresses all my life’ —— “+ Youse has just bad a long spell of sickness,’ she said, looking into my palm,’ Mlustrations by zim.” “Is youse kiddin’ me?’ she asked. “No, indeed! But I was startled. It was so unexpected. You can under- stand, yourself, what must be the feel- ings of a father whe “Youse has just had a long spell of sickness,’’ she said, looking into my palm. “*No,’’ I said, ‘I have not’’—— “*Youse’s life line is broke off short. Youse will die when youse is thirty years old.”” “I'm forty-one now, and I’m not dead yet and’’—— “Youse hasn’t been sick for a long while,’ continued Fatma, ‘‘an’ youse has a long life line. Youse will be eighty-four’ —— “Hold on, Fatma!"’ I said. said just now’’—— Perhaps I accented the Fat in her name too strongly and thus offended her. She picked up my hand and handed it back to me, as if she did not want it and wished I would not leave it lying around. “Say!"? she said haughtily. ‘That's all the kiddin’ I kin stand for twent’- five cents.”” “But your barker promised, in his loud and melodious voice, that you would foretell the future,’’ I objected. ‘You haven’t foretold my future. That is not fair, little one, it is not fair!”” “*Say,’’ she said meaningly, ‘if youse wants some future foretold, I'll foretell youse some right now. Youseis goin’ to git out of this tent, see? An’ youse is goin’ to gitout right now, see? An’ if that ain’t no truthful foretell I’m goin’ to give one yelp, an’ Mike out there is goin’ t’ come in an’ pick youse up in one hand an’t’row youse over the scenic railway. An’I betone of them three foretells comes true !’’ It may seem marvelous, but one of them did. In fact, two of them did. I got out of the tent, and I got out right then. Really, you know, I wanted to remain and see if the third would come true; but I had pity on Mike. I am a kind- hearted man, and I was afraid that if he tried to throw me over the scenic railway with one hand he might overexert himself, But if Fatma had said two hands! But that is the way with these palmists; they al- ways leave some loophole. comicbooks.com