The Argosy — page 296: what you’re looking at

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

278 A Great Mystery. ‘“‘T b’lieve thev does, sir. I’ve knowed ‘em to tell over true now and again—more’s the pity !” “Why do you say more’s the pity?” asked Anna. ‘When they’ve foretelled bad things, my sweet, pretty young lady. ‘© Death, and what not.” ‘But how it must frighten the people who are having them told !” cried Anna. : * Well, to speak the truth, young gentlefolks, when its very bad, I generally softens it over to "em—says the cards is cloudy, or some’at 0’ that,” was the old woman’s candid answer. ‘‘ It don’t do to make folks uneasy.” -“ Look here,” said Helen, who had been to find the cards, “I should not like to hear it if its anything bad.” ‘“ Aly my dear young lady, I don’t think you need fear any but a good fortune, with that handsome face and them bright eyes of yours,” re- turned the old dame—who really seemed to speak, not in assumed flattery but from the bottom of her heart. ‘I don’t know what the young lords ’ud be about, to pass you by.” Helen hiked that ; she was just as vain as a peacock, and thought no end of herself. ‘‘ Who'll begin ?” asked she. ‘Begin yourself, Helen,” said Tod. “It’s sure to be something good.” | So she shuffled and cut the cards as directed: and the old woman, sitting at the table, spread them out before her, talking a little bit to herself, and pointing with her finger here and there. ‘You've been upon a journey lately,” she said, ‘“‘ and you'll soon be going on another. You'll have a present before many days is gone ; and you'll—stay, there’s that black card—you’ll hear of somebody that’s sick. And—dear me! there’s an offer for you—an offer of marriage, — but it won’t come to anything. Well now, shuffle and cut ’em again, please.” Helen did so. This was repeated three times in all. But, so far as we could understand it, her future seemed to be very uneventful—to have nothing in it—something like Miss Deveen’s. “It’s a brave fortune, as I thought, young lady,” cried Mrs. Ness. ‘¢ No trouble or care in store for you.” ‘ But there’s nothing,” said Helen, too intently earnest to mind any of us. ‘' When am I to be married ?” ‘ Well, m: dear, the cards haven’t told so much this time. There'll be an offer, as I said—and I think a bit of trouble over it ; but—” “But you said it would not come to anything,” interrupted Helen. “Well, and no more it won’t: leastways, it seemed so by the cards ; and it seemed to bring a bother with it—old folks pulling one way maybe, and young ‘uns t’other. You'll have to wait a bit for the right gentleman, my pretty miss.” ECoOMmicloooks (CO) in —_)