Seeing An Astrologer.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 143, 18 June 1887, Page 4 (Supplement)

Seeing An Astrologer.

Sow a Fat Woman Makes Aβ ISasy Living.

I- have been "looking into some of, the business done by such men as the so-called ■astrologer, De Leon, who was sentenced recently for kidnapping a young girl:. The police tell me thatas a rule the business of the people, who advertise that they can read the stars for your benefit for £1, cash down, is practically harmless,' except to the_ gudgeons who are induced to part with their money for .nothing, the victims being mostly women or very young men. The business as a rule is profitable enough without- resorting .to anything-' which will bring them into the clutches of the police to keep them from such games as De Leon' wasiipto. In order to get a glimpse of astrology in the 19fch century and East Fourth street. New York, I selected one of tile advertisements which seemed to promise well. It was. as follows: ." Madam— - the seventh' 'daughter of a" .seventh daughter, for $1 gents , and 50 cents' ladies',' will give infornaation of the greatest value to persons; in need of it at her -. Those; : who arc in love oi , wish to make money by speculation, or who are sick and wish to get well, or who are about to enter into any enterprise of importance will'do well, to ca11.., Mme.—-is never .known to fail; ij .. - ..:■.:■. ,:•'.? '::■:; : u<,,'.'. .:

Leaving my. watch, at homey jihcl providing myself with just $1, I rang the bell

in the neighbourhood indicated, and was shown into a dark and dirty hall by a little girli who held ft potato in one'hand and a knife in the other, while her mouth: was full of bread and butter. ,1 inquired of the child for Mine.—, when, with an unintelligible mumble, she pointed with the knife up stairs and, 'slamming the door, left me to feel my way up a greasy staircase. The house had the abominable smell with which old boarding-houses far gone in decline are saturated, and I felt that I had had my dollar's worth before I had got to the top of the stairs. But once there my dif-ficulties-ended, i Standing at the top was Mine. in person, a woman who might have taken a prize at a Bowery fat-women's contest, very frowsy, very greasy, and,exhaling t a strong smell of garlic. In half a minute she had made .mo confess that I had come bo consult Mmc, —— aa to whether Delaware and Laokawanna stock was a good thing to buy, and whether I .had 'better get married. My inquiries did nob seem to astonish Mme. , who backed into a sitting-room furnished in horse-hair furniture .of '.fov-ty years ago, and having in one corner a model of the solar system, apparently from somo pawn shop. Mine. sat down on a sofa which I expected to Bee collapse, and said: " Yabvash dot sthock vat you vants to buy? Write dot." I scribbled it off on a slip of paper and handed ib to her. As tho onormous woman got near tho light to look at my speculation sho was quite'a picture—dark-eyed, black frowsy hair, and enormous rolls of fat sloping oil" in various directions. With her fat and dirty hands holding the paper she looked once or twice at it, and crumpling it up, said, with an air of mystery, "Sit dare, v.ile I go .conshulfc do oracle," putting the accent ion the second syllable. With that sho walked out, • pressing the paper to her forehead. For two minutes I sat'taking a survey, and then I ventured to nuke somo investigations as to wJiab tho priestesd was doing with tho oracle. She had fastened the door after her, but from the sounds and the smell I was pretty sure that she was frying steak and onions for dinner and making me pay for the feast. There was absolutely nothing in the room to amuse me except a few German books, and so X waited patiently until Mme. reappeared, very red in tho face and followed by a whiff of onions and steak. " You mnslVb buy datshtock, unci right avay buy. Ib ish a good pizness. One dollar. It is sheep." " But," 1 hazarded, "at what price shall I buy and how long shall I keep on ?" "If you vish to pay vun dollar more, I vill again der oraclo conshult." This time I suppose she would have boiled the potatoes or made the pie, and as I had helped along that dinner sufficiently I gave the dollar and mado off without evon reminding her I wanted to know whether the young Indy whqm I thought of marrying was the fair speculation or not? —Town Talk, in "Brooklyn Englo."