Life — November 1, 1906 — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

“aleal FE: A Fairy Tale By Watter F. Rice O NCE upon a time, when fairies in- habited Manhattan, Lawton found himself one evening in the company of an enchantress who claimed to possess necromantic ability of a high order. Having volunteered to exhibit her power she bade Lawton express his fondest wish. Instead of instantly wish- ing that the fair sorceress might be his forthwith, Lawton remarked in a busi- nesslike way that he would like a little time to think it over, and after reflect- ing a moment he said he would take a copy of the Herald of Septem- ber 10. Concealing her surprise, she produced from nothingness somewhere a Herald of the date Lawton had specified, and immediately vanished. Lawton could hardly believe his good fortune. He rubbed his eyes to sce if be were awake, but there could be no mistake about it. There was the date pain as type could make it: New York, September ro. Lawton called a waiter and asked him the day of the month, and upon being assured that it was the roth of August, Lawton handed his stupefied informant a fve-dollar bill, and thrusting the priceless sheet into his pocket he left the glace and hurried home 4 In the seclusion of his own room, Lawton unfolded the paper and eagerly scanned the stock quotations. It was even better than he had dared hope. The market was booming. The rise in certain stocks had been continuous and vaprecedented. Speculators were buying frantically. | Lawton began quietly at first, as his capital was limited, but became gradually bolder, and within two weeks his phenomenal success was the talk of Wail Street. Every one who accepted his advice prospered, and as he acquired a habit of dropping casual remarks concerning people and events which were invariably substantiated a few days later, Lawton’s wealth was rivaled only by his fame as anoracle. * He never dared to carry the paper with him, but kept it securely locked and studied its awful secrets only in the privacy of his own room. At first, aside from the market, Lawton had paid little attention to anything but items of political, social or dramatic interest, but now he began to read other things. As he morbidly absorbed the casualties for one day, he groaned aloud. What could he do? He might seek out these victims, if it were possible, and warn them; he might go to them with tears in his eyes and beseech them to defer their plans, but what would be the result? They would only laugh at his fears and perhaps put him in an asylum. As the month wore away he spent more and more time alone, locked in his room with the Herald. Its unacted tragedies depressed and yet fascinated him ‘To-morrow a high Russian official was to be blown into small pieces. “I might cable him,” Lawton thought—and be arrested before morning ! He was about to return the paper to its customary hiding-place one night when his eye caught an obscure item down in the corner of the page that had | heretofore escaped him, but which now riveted his attention. Lawton felt a big | lump rising in his throat. He sighed deeply, read it over again and, letting the paper fall to the floor, stood staring vacantly at the figures in the carpet. With an effort he recalled the day of the week. Well, he thought, T have just five days to live. He sat down, took out a cigar and lighted it, and tried to think calmly of the inexorable fate that awaited him. When morning came he had determined upon the course he would pursue. Registered Trade Mart HIS season for our are using “ Viyella,’ nels. Owing to the mend it unqualifiedly. IODEL No. 987 jaided and striped flan- nels onl: ” Scotch and German Flan- and the fact that it will wash without shrinking, it is especially adapted for Ladies’ Waists, and we recom- G Our new models are very attractive and stylish, and include striped Scotch Flannel at $5.00; “ Viyella”’ Flannel Waists in all the fashionable plain shades and in plaided and striped designs at $6.00, and some Ger- man Novelty Flannels in stripesat $7.50 and $8.50 each. g In addition to the above we show Plaided Silk Waists at $10.00 and $15.00; Black Taffeta and White Messaline Waists at $10.00; Fancy Black Silk Waists at $6.75 to $13.75; White Lace Waists at $8.00 to $37.00, and French Hand Embroidered Lingerie Waists at from $10.50 to $75.00. Mail orders have our prompt attention “THE LINEN STORE” James McCutcheon & Co., 14 West 23d Street, N. Y. FLANNEL WAISTS : : S exclusive waist models we 4 light weight of “ Viyella” MODEL No. 988 Made in plain colors—flannels only. a ee ate ee | comicbooks.com