you can get whatever money you need from the cashier. All I ask is that
everything be done in the best manner. When you are ready to begin
operations let me know, so that I can have an audience with the great
fortune-teller in advance of the general public."
During the next four days, nothing of any consequence occurred. The
Captain reported that his sister was gaining so fast in health and
strength that he thought she was able to go back to Connecticut. Of
course, I was obliged to oppose the journey at that time, since I wished
to bring Mrs. Thayer before my fortune-teller. Miss Seaton reported that
she was on quite intimate terms with Mrs. Thayer; but the latter never
talked about her own affairs. She wrote daily to Pattmore, and received
daily letters in reply.
At length, Mrs. Warne reported that her temple of magic was in complete
order, and that she would be ready to receive me that afternoon.
"Very well," I replied; "I will drop in to have my fortune told about
three o'clock. Have you arranged it wholly to your own satisfaction?"
"Yes; it is nearly perfect."
"Whom have you engaged for an usher?" I inquired.
"You must not ask questions now," she answered, laughing. "I have taken
more liberties than I ever dared to take before; but I think, when you
consider the object to be gained, that you will be satisfied."
"Well, I hope your rooms are as mysterious as your answers would lead me
to expect," said I. "However, I shall be there promptly at three
o'clock, so I will restrain my curiosity for the present."
At the appointed hour, therefore, I called at the rooms, where I was
received by a young negro of the blackest type. He was dressed in full
Turkish costume, and his actions gave me the impression that he was
dumb. This black mute first ushered me into a very large front room,
elegantly furnished in the style of a modern _salon_. Heavy curtains
hung in graceful folds from richly gilded cornices, sufficiently
obscuring the windows to prevent the strong glare of the afternoon sun
from penetrating directly into the room; arm-chairs and sofas were
plentifully scattered about, to accommodate the throng of persons who
were expected to visit the fortune-teller; the walls were hung with
engravings and paintings; and on the floor was a thick Brussels carpet
into which my feet sank noiselessly, as I walked about inspecting the
pictures and furniture. After scanning the sable usher for a few
minutes, I said:
"Now, if that color would wash off, I should feel sure of finding one of
my office boys, named Jack Scott, underneath." The mute grinned
responsively, and I saw that I had guessed correctly. "Well, Jack," I
continued, "I don't think you need fear detection. Where is Mrs. Warne?"
Jack still remained mute; but he went into another room, and soon
beckoned me to follow him. As I crossed the threshold, the door closed
noiselessly behind me. It took me several seconds to accustom my eyes to
the change in the light. Then I began to gather an idea of the
surroundings, and my surprise at Mrs. Warne's success was equalled only
by my admiration of her good taste and judgment.
The room was nearly square, but a large mirror, at the end opposite the
entrance, gave a duplicate view of the whole; the shape of the mirror
being that of a large doorway, the effect was to give an appearance of
two rooms, instead of one. The walls and windows were hung with some
dark colored material, which wholly shut out every ray of sunlight; but
a soft, dim radiance was shed from five swinging lamps, one in each
corner and the fifth in the centre of the room. These lamps were of
bronzed silver, of Oriental patterns, and were all in motion; the corner
lamps swinging back and forth toward the centre, and the centre one,
swinging slowly around in a circle. On the walls, were hung several
charts and mystic symbols, while the floor was covered with a close
matting of white straw, upon which was painted the common representation
of the signs of the zodiac. A number of small globes stood upon a low
shelf in one corner, and on a table in the centre of the room was a
large globe standing on a chart. With the exception of one large
easy-chair and a lounge, there were no other articles of furniture in
the room. A pair of skeletons stood facing each other, one at each side
of the mirror, and their ghastly appearance, duplicated in the mirror,
added to the unnatural effect. Near the table was a small portable
furnace upon which stood a peculiarly shaped retort, and from this,
issued a pungent, aromatic incense.
While I was examining the globe and chart, Mrs. Warne slipped into the
room, through the folds of a curtain at one side of the mirror, and
swept down toward me. I should hardly have known her, so great was her
disguise; her face and hands were stained a clear olive, and her hair
hung down in heavy masses to her waist; her dress was of rich material,
trimmed with Oriental extravagance; the sleeves were large and flowing,
and the skirt trailed over a yard. In her right hand she carried a small
wand, around which two serpents twined. Her whole appearance was
dignified and imposing. The light and atmosphere added to the general
effect, and I felt wholly satisfied with Mrs. Warne's work.
"Well, Mrs. Warne," said I, "you have certainly made a great success;
but I am afraid I shall not be so much pleased when the bills come in."
"Don't be very much alarmed on that score," replied Mrs. Warne. "I have
been very economical. Many of the most expensive articles have been
hired for the occasion, while the rest have been picked up cheap at
auction sales. The expense, I assure you, will not be great."
"All right," I rejoined; "the Captain will have to foot the bill,
whatever it may be; but, if we succeed in our object, he will not have
any reason to regret the cost."
Mrs. Warne showed me the door through which she had entered, and asked
me to seat myself behind the curtains. She then called her usher into
the room, and conversed with him; though they spoke in low tones, I was
able to hear every word. The door where I was sitting, was hung on
noiseless hinges, and it led into the last room of the suite; from this
room, another door opened on a hall leading to a pair of side stairs. I
was thus able to reach my ambush without entering by the front way.
"Now, Mrs. Warne, nothing remains to be done but to advertise you
thoroughly," I said, after I had inspected all her preparations.
"Very well," she replied; "but you must recollect that I shall not be
able to oversee all my general work, unless you make my office hours as
a fortune-teller very short. Three hours will be the longest time I can
spare daily."
I then returned to my office and wrote out the following advertisement:
THE GREAT ASIATIC SIBYL,
L. L. LUCILLE, the only living descendant of Hermes,
the Egyptian, who has traveled through all the
known parts of the world, now makes her first
appearance in Chicago. She will cast
the horoscope of all callers; will
tell them the events of their
past life, and reveal what
the future has in store
for them. She has
cast the horo-
scope of
all the
crowned
heads of Eu-
rope, Asia, Africa,
and Oceanica; she will
cast the horoscope, or celes-
tial map, for the hour and mo-
ment of the inquiry for any visitor
with the same care, and by the same
method as that used in the case of the Sultan
of Turkey, and the Pacha of Trincomalee. She
will remain only a short time in Chicago; hence the
SORROWFUL AND AFFLICTED,
who wish to know what the future has in store for them,
had better CALL AT ONCE.
She will tell
WHO LOVES YOU; WHO HATES YOU;
and who is trying to injure you.
She will show you
YOUR FUTURE HUSBAND OR WIFE.
L. L. LUCILLE is the
Seventh Daughter of
a Seventh Daughter.
She never fails to give satisfaction.
Visit her and learn your fate.
Office hours--10 a. m. to 1 p. m.
Fee $10.00.
OFFICE AT THE TEMPLE OF MAGIC,
50 SOUTH CLARK STREET.
This advertisement was inserted in the daily newspapers for a week, and
I also had a number of small handbills printed for distribution in the
street. In this way Lucille's name was brought before the public very
conspicuously. At that time the trade of fortune-telling was not so
common as it is now, and those engaged in it rarely had the means to
advertise themselves so extensively; hence Lucille's half column in the
newspapers attracted an unusual amount of attention.
_CHAPTER VIII._
The next morning Miss Seaton called on Mrs. Thayer as usual, and found
her eagerly reading Lucille's advertisement in one of the newspapers.
Miss Seaton asked Mrs. Thayer whether she was ready to go out for their
regular morning walk, and Mrs. Thayer soon prepared to accompany her.
They first went to the post-office; and, as they walked away, after Mrs.
Thayer had received a letter, they met a boy distributing hand-bills.
They each took one and walked along slowly in order to read Lucille's
glowing advertisement. Mrs. Thayer folded her bill up carefully and
said:
"I wonder whether this woman can do what she claims; if I thought so, I
would call on her myself."
"Well, I don't have much faith in these people, as a rule," replied Miss
Seaton, "but it is a fact that some of them really have a strange and
inexplicable power to foresee events. Whether it is a genuine science,
or a mere application of general rules of physiognomy to the particular
features of each visitor, I do not profess to say; but there is no
doubt, I believe, that they have been very successful in reading the
future for some people."
"I am so glad to hear you say that," said Mrs. Thayer, "for I was afraid
that you would laugh at me. Now I have a real desire to see this woman,
just to test her powers. The moment I read her advertisement in this
morning's paper, I had a strong presentiment that she could help me out
of my troubles, and I determined to visit her. See, here we are, right
at the door, No. 50 Clark street. Won't you go up with me while I get my
fortune told, Miss Seaton?"
"Oh, certainly; if you really wish to try your fortune, to-day is as
good a time as any other."
They therefore ascended to Madam Lucille's rooms and rang a bell at the
reception-room door. The sable usher immediately admitted them and asked
them to be seated for a short time, as Madam was engaged at that moment.
He then left them alone, while he went to inquire how soon they could
have an audience with the great sibyl. Having told Mrs. Warne who her
visitors were, the usher hurried over to my office and informed me. I
instantly called my stenographer, and we proceeded quickly to the back
room, where we took our seats behind the curtain.
A lady was already in Mrs. Warne's room, but she was easily dismissed
with instructions to return next day. When she retired, Mrs. Thayer was
admitted, and Miss Seaton wished to follow, but this could not be
allowed, as only one could have an audience at a time. Mrs. Thayer
entered the room with her veil down; and, what with her nervousness and
the superstitious terror inspired by the weird appearance of the room,
she was hardly able to walk to the visitor's chair. When she became
somewhat accustomed to the peculiar light, she saw Madam Lucille
standing beside the table. Her tall, commanding figure struck Mrs.
Thayer with awe, and Mrs. Warne already felt sure of drawing out
everything that she knew.
"Come hither, my daughter," said Lucille, in a clear, sweet voice.
Mrs. Thayer advanced falteringly, and sank into the large chair which
the sibyl pointed out.
"What would you know, my child?" continued Lucille. "State your errand
quickly; as my time is short, to unfold the mysteries of the future.
Like the Wandering Jew, I must forever advance upon my mission. What do
you seek to know?"
Lucille's powerful mind, aided by her fantastic surroundings, had gained
a complete ascendency over Mrs. Thayer's superstitious nature; in a
voice trembling with emotion, she replied:
"I have come to learn my future."
"Then you must unveil; I can tell you nothing until I see your face,"
said Lucille.
Mrs. Thayer slowly removed her veil and sat motionless, regarding the
fortune-teller as a frightened bird watches a snake.
"You wish to know your destiny, do you?" asked Lucille, gently. "Well, I
can tell it, if the stars are propitious; but I must first look at your
hand."
She paused and waved her wand with several mysterious gestures over Mrs.
Thayer's head; then she swept forward and took her hand.
"Tell me the day and hour of your birth," continued Lucille.
"I was born about daybreak on the eighteenth of October, 1816," replied
Mrs. Thayer; "I cannot tell you the exact hour."
"That will be sufficiently accurate for the present," said Lucille;
"though it may cause me much trouble in casting your horoscope."
Lucille continued to examine the lines of the hand, and presently
commenced speaking in a low, but clear voice:
"Your parents are dead, and also one brother; your father passed through
great dangers safely--ah! I see, he was a sailor. You have been
surrounded by other sea-faring people; still, I cannot certainly tell
what relationship they bore to you. I shall learn all when I cast your
horoscope. Your father acquired moderate wealth, of which you have
received your share; but you desire more, and you are not too scrupulous
as to how you get it. Why, what means this?" she exclaimed, starting
back and fixing a piercing glance on the cowering woman before her. "You
are in danger! Yes; there is danger all about you, but it is impossible
to tell now how it will end. There is a man in your trouble, who claims
to love you; and there is a woman who comes between you. Ah! what is she
doing!" she suddenly demanded in tragical tones, starting back with a
look of terror in her eyes.
Mrs. Thayer fell back as if stabbed to the heart, and her whole attitude
denoted guilty fear. Lucille, fearing that she would faint, handed her a
glass of water, which soon revived her strength.
As soon as Mrs. Thayer had sufficiently recovered, Lucille again took
her hand and carefully examined it; she then continued:
"I cannot do much now, but you must come again, when I have more time;
then I will cast your horoscope, and will be able to tell you all you
can wish to know----" Breaking off suddenly, she changed her tone and
demanded imperiously: "Who is this woman? Is she his enemy, or yours?
_Are you sure that man loves you?_"
"Oh, yes; I am sure he does," Mrs. Thayer replied, hastily.
"Then what is the trouble between you and this woman?" asked Lucille.
"She is older than you, yet she constantly crosses your path." Then,
closing her eyes, Lucille broke out passionately and rapidly, like a
person in a trance: "Why does she act so? What is the matter with her?
She is often interfering with you, but is always followed by that man;
he must be her enemy. See! a shadow falls over her! What does it mean!
She fades away and vanishes--_it must be death_!"
"Death!" shrieked Mrs. Thayer, and then she fell back lifeless.
[Illustration: "_'Death!' shrieked Mrs. Thayer, and then she fell back
lifeless._"--Page 199.]
Lucille did everything possible to revive her visitor, but it was some
minutes before she recovered sufficiently to be able to stand alone. She
finally joined Miss Seaton, but promised to call the next day to have
her horoscope read. She left a fee of ten dollars for the prepayment of
the labor which Lucille would be forced to perform in reading the stars.
When Miss Seaton and Mrs. Thayer left the room, the latter was scarcely
able to walk, so much was she agitated and alarmed. They reached their
boarding house in safety, however, and Mrs. Thayer at once retired to
her room.
A large crowd of visitors had already assembled in Madam Lucille's
reception room, so that there seemed to be a fair prospect that all the
expenses of the affair would be paid out of the fortune-teller's
receipts. Indeed, from the very first, Mrs. Warne had a great many more
callers than she could attend to; but, by granting each one a short
interview on the first day, long enough to learn what information they
desired, it was an easy matter to satisfy them all to an exceptional
extent. I put two good detectives at work to find out everything
possible about the parties making the inquiries, and Lucille was thus
able to astonish them with the accuracy of her knowledge as to the past.
Of course, she was at liberty to exercise her own judgment as to her
predictions for the future, since no one could tell whether they would
prove true or not.
When every one had gone, Mrs. Warne changed her dress and returned to my
office, where we had a hearty laugh over the superstitious folly of the
many ladies who had consulted her. She told me many amusing secrets,
which her fair visitors had confided to her, and I learned that some of
the most fashionable people in the city had invoked her aid. She was
rather fatigued by her labors, however, as the weather was warm, and the
atmosphere of her room, at times, became almost suffocating. She said
that she had made an engagement to admit Mrs. Thayer the first one, the
next morning.
"Very well," said I, "you have succeeded in startling her very much
indeed, and to-morrow you will be able to do much more. Be careful,
however, to warn her against informing any one else of what you have
told her, until her whole future is determined. It will not do to have
her alarm Pattmore."
"I will caution her particularly on that point," replied Mrs. Warne; "I
think I understand pretty well about how far I can go without terrifying
her too much. I will send for Miss Seaton, and learn how Mrs. Thayer has
acted since visiting me."
In the afternoon, Captain Sumner came in and asked what steps I had
taken in his case. I told him that I could not tell him what I had done,
nor what I was doing; but he could rest assured that the best talent I
had was employed in his behalf; if everything worked as I hoped, I
should accomplish the object which he sought, inside of a month.
"Well," he replied, "I should like to take Annie back to Springfield as
soon as possible; for I fear that she is again losing her health, and
for the last day or two, she has been quite ill. Yesterday she received
a letter from Pattmore, which I tried to snatch from her; but she was
too quick for me, and I obtained only a small part of it. Here it is,"
he continued, showing me the lower corner of a letter; "see how he signs
himself."
I took the fragment and saw the same signature as that which Pattmore
had used in his former letters: "Your affectionate husband." The Captain
went on:
"My blood got up when I read this, and I told her that if she ever saw
Pattmore again, I would shoot them both; that I would no longer permit
her to disgrace our family. Then she also flew into a violent passion,
and said that she loved Pattmore, and that he intended to marry her
when he next came to Chicago. As usual, she finally succeeded in
appeasing my anger, and she promised to leave Pattmore forever. I also
agreed to make my will in her favor, and we thus became friends again. I
may now be able to get her away, as she has promised to go as soon as
she is able; but I can easily destroy my will, if she refuses to keep
her promise. What do you think about it?"
"Well, it can't do much harm, I guess, for you are probably in no
particular danger just now."
"Then I will make my will to-day. By-the-by, there is a great
fortune-teller in town; have you seen her advertisement?"
"Yes," I replied; "but there is nothing unusual in that. You can find
such people here at all times."
"I know that," said the Captain; "but they are generally mere humbugs,
while this one appears to be of a different class. She has been in the
East Indies, and the fortune-tellers there are not humbugs, as I know by
experience. I shall go to see her to-morrow. I had my fortune told once
by a Hindoo in Calcutta, and he was correct in every particular as far
as he went."
After the Captain had gone away, I sent for Mrs. Warne and told her that
she would receive a visit from the Captain next day, and that she could
learn all about his past history by referring to the conversation which
my stenographer had taken down some time before. I then looked over a
report I had just received from Miller, who was still watching Pattmore
in Greenville. There was little of importance in it except an account of
a conversation between Miller and Pattmore, in which the latter said
that he was staking everything upon the hope of getting the
congressional nomination; if he should fail in that, he would not remain
in Greenville, but would go to Kansas to live. Miller added that
Pattmore received letters daily from Mrs. Thayer.
I immediately wrote to Miller to secure a copy of one of Mrs. Thayer's
letters; and, if possible, to intercept every one of them. I felt
confident that she would describe her visit to the fortune-teller in
part, at least, and I was anxious to know how much she would reveal to
him. Besides if he were disposed to be superstitious, he would probably
be more or less affected by her account, and I might use the knowledge
thus gained, to good advantage.
Late in the evening, Miss Seaton came in and told Mrs. Warne that Mrs.
Thayer had been greatly agitated by her interview with Lucille; that she
had shown great dejection and grief all the way home; and that she had
immediately retired to her room, where she had thrown herself on the
bed; that she had risen, late in the evening, and had written a very
long letter, which she had asked Miss Seaton to put in the post-office
for her, being too weak to go out herself. Of course, Miss Seaton gave
the letter to Mrs. Warne, who immediately brought it to me. I opened it
at once and hastily read it through. It began, "My dear husband," and
went on to describe her visit to Lucille. She gave a full account of all
that Lucille had said, and also related the effect which the
fortune-teller's revelations had had upon her. She said significantly
that Pattmore could understand how much she had been alarmed by the
references to the woman who came between them, for the inference was
that Lucille meant Mrs. Pattmore. However, she was going, she said, to
have her full fortune told the following day, and she would write all
about it in her next letter.
I had the letter copied and sent to the post-office in time for the
first mail.
_CHAPTER IX._
I had sent word to my New York correspondent to make a thorough search
for Henry Thayer, as I wished to learn definitely whether he was alive
or dead. By communicating with the London board of underwriters, my
agent learned that Henry Thayer was in command of an English whaler in
the South Sea. At the latest advices from him, he was nearly ready to
sail for England, as he needed only a few more whales to complete his
cargo. I received this information the morning after Mrs. Thayer's first
visit to Lucille, and I communicated the news to Mrs. Warne at once,
instructing her to make the best possible use of it in her coming
interview with Mrs. Thayer.
Shortly before ten o'clock the next morning, I took my place behind the
curtain. In a few minutes Mrs. Thayer and Miss Seaton arrived, and Mrs.
Thayer was promptly admitted to Lucille's presence. She removed her veil
and sank into the visitor's chair with an expression half of longing and
half of dread. Again Lucille waved her snaky wand, and, as before, the
room was filled with the fumes of burning incense. Lucille looked at
Mrs. Thayer's face intently, and said:
"My child, I am pleased to see you; I have worked at your horoscope
unremittingly, but it is not completed to my satisfaction. There is
some peculiar influence about you which prevents a clear reading of your
future. Even your past, though much of it is easily determined, seems
obscured by strange inconsistencies--not to say impossibilities. Some of
the results were so startling as to make it necessary for me to refuse
to reveal them, until, by a second test, I can decide whether there was
no mistake in the solution of certain calculations. To-night, therefore,
I shall do what rarely is necessary in reading the horoscope of ordinary
humans--I must invoke the aid of my progenitor and master, Hermes. It is
a dreadful task; one for which I must nerve myself to meet the greatest
dangers and the most frightful scenes; but I never shrink from the path
of duty, and I have confidence that the sanctity of my mission will give
me safe conduct, even through the hosts of demons who must be met before
I can come face to face with the great Egyptian king."