“Say, Ollie,” burst out Mr. Sikes, “there’s a couple of women out here from that gypsy camp. They claim to be fortune-tellers. What’ll I do about ’em?” “Fortune-tellers?” cried Mrs. Sage eagerly. “I adore fortune-tellers.” “Frauds, my dear—unholy frauds,” remonstrated Mr. Sage. “What do they want, Joe?” inquired Baxter. “Well, one of ’em wants to tell the baby’s fortune. Says she heard about him a couple of weeks ago and she’s been talking to the stars ever—” “Good gracious! That proves what a liar she is,” cried Mrs. Grimes. “Wait a minute,” exclaimed Mr. Sikes. “Hold your horses, Serepty. She says she knowed a couple of weeks ago that he was going to be born to-day, that’s what she says. And if that ain’t reading the future, I’d like to know what it is. Now here’s what she says she can do. She says she can tell exactly what an infant’s future life is going to be if she can get at him before his first two sunrises. Guarantees it.” “Well, I’m not going to allow any gypsy woman to go nigh that infant. I never saw a gypsy in my life that looked as if she’d ever seen a cake of soap. Send ’em away, Joe.” “But, Serepty,” argued Sikes, “don’t you know what might happen if we make ’em mad? They put a curse on you that won’t ever come off. Now, I don’t think we ought to take a chance—” “They sha’n’t go near that baby, so that settles it.” “Well, I should say not,” exclaimed Mrs. Gooch loudly. “Wait a minute,” said Sikes, struck by an idea. He hurried to the front door. As he passed into the hall, Horace Gooch strode over and slammed the sitting-room door after him. “Say, Serepty,” began Mr. Baxter, a pleading note in his voice, “I’d kind of like to know whether my son is going to be President of the United States some day.” “How would you like it if she was to tell you he’s going to turn out to be a jail-bird or something like that, Oliver Baxter?” “Oh, but they never tell you anything unpleasant, you know,” said Mrs. Sage, nudging Mr. Baxter. “My dear Josephine, please do not—” Once more Mr. Sikes burst into the room—and again he left the door open. “She says it ain’t necessary to even see the baby. When they’re as young as he is, it’s always her rule to tell their fortunes sight unseen. What’s more, she says if all she says don’t come true she’ll refund the money. Nothing could be fairer than that.” “Nothing,” agreed Mr. Baxter enthusiastically. “Absolutely fair,” put in Mr. Link. “How can she tell a fortune without seeing the object of it?” demanded Mrs. Gooch. “Well,” began Mr. Sikes, and then was forced to scratch his head for want of a convincing answer. “Wait a minute. I’ll see.” He hurried out again. “Old Bob Hawkins that used to drive the hearse for me had his fortune told just about two weeks after he got married, and every word of it came true,” said Mr. Link. “He always claimed if he’d had it told two or three weeks sooner he might have had enough sense to skip out or something.”