Part 4

The Ten of Spades means considerable worry and is followed by the Ace of Diamonds, reversed, which also indicates bad tidings in which the King of Diamonds, an old soldier with a deceitful turn of mind and who has a grievance against the inquirer, will have recourse to scandal and slander, as indicated by the Seven of Diamonds.

Next comes the Eight of Diamonds, which shows that the inquirer will indulge in love-making, but he is in for considerable worry as his offer of marriage will be rejected.

The Seven of Clubs tells him that money matters will also cause worry until the Nine of Clubs, reversed, indicates that a gift of money will relieve the situation somewhat. However, there will still be vexatious hindrances, as indicated by the Nine of Diamonds.

The “Surprise” may now be turned up, and contains, let us say, the King of Clubs—a warm-hearted, true friend, straight in his dealings, thru whom happiness and prosperity may come to the inquirer.

_The Significance of the Three Packs._

As before stated, after having read these cards as a continuous message, the cards must be again shuffled and cut into three packs. The inquirer is asked to choose one of the packs. We will take it for granted that he takes the middle pack, containing 7 cards. Let us say, for example, that this pack contains the following cards: Knave of Diamonds, Seven of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs, Queen of Spades (reversed), Ace of Spades, Ace of Diamonds, Eight of Diamonds. Reading these cards, we notice three Aces, which indicate a lot of trouble—possibly a faithless lover—to be followed by good news. The Knave of Diamonds, an untrustworthy friend mixed up in a scandal which is shown by the Seven of Diamonds, and is brought about by a letter relating to money, as shown by the Ace of Clubs. A widow with an intriguing mind, shown by the Queen of Spades, has something to do in this trouble. The Ace of Spades foretells enjoyment—probably an offer of marriage or a letter, as indicated by the Ace of Diamonds. The Eight of Diamonds foretells a happy marriage after all these troubles.

The inquirer now selects another pack, which is to be read in the same manner, and finally the third pack is to be similarly interpreted.

THE FRENCH SYSTEM.

Thirty-two cards are required, rejecting all under the Sevens. They must be shuffled and cut as usual and divided into two packs of 16 each. The inquirer chooses one of the packs, and the first card is laid aside for the “Surprise.” The remaining 15 cards are turned face upward and laid on the table from left to right. A certain card must be selected to represent the inquirer. And this must be in the pack he selects. If not, the division must be gone over again until this card is found in the selected pack.

_Method of Reading._

If there are any 2, 3 or 4 of a kind their explanation must first be given. Next start from the card representing the inquirer and count in groups of 7 from right to left. Next, pair the end cards together and read their meaning. After this shuffle the 15 cards again and divide them into three packs of 5 cards each. The top card of each is first removed and placed with the other which has been set apart as the “Surprise.” This will leave three packs of 4 cards each. Inquirer then chooses one of the packs, and the 4 cards are laid out on the table from left to right and their meaning is read. The left-hand pack is “for the house,” the right-hand pack “for those who do not expect,” and the remaining pack is “for the surprise.”

Let us suppose, for example, that the inquirer, being a woman, is represented by the Queen of Clubs. She chooses the middle of the three packs, which contains the Knave of Clubs, Eight of Diamonds (reversed), Eight of Hearts, Queen of Clubs. These will be read as follows: “A clever young man is ardent in his love and is flirting with the inquirer. He has thoughts of marriage in which the inquirer plays a very important part. And the prospects are favorable.”

The next pack, which is “for the house,” may have the following cards: Knave of Spades, Ace of Spades, Knave of Hearts, King of Spades. They are read as follows: There are 3 Spades, which indicate disappointment. Two Knaves coming together indicate loss of goods and other trouble. The Knave of Spades indicates a legal gentleman of not very refined character who is employed by his master, an unscrupulous lawyer, as shown by the King of Spades, and who is an enemy of the inquirer. A young bachelor devoted to pleasure, however, will help the inquirer out of difficulty. The next pack, which is for “those who do not expect,” is, we will say, composed of the Queen of Hearts, Ten of Spades, Ace of Clubs, Nine of Clubs. These indicate that a fair-haired lady, who has had considerable grief, will bring letters relating to money to the inquirer, possibly an unlooked-for inheritance which will change the career of the inquirer. In the case of a merchant, it may mean new customers.

Finally comes the pack “The Surprise,” in which we will find The Ace of Hearts, Queen of Spades, Nine of Diamonds, Ten of Hearts. These are read as follows: “A love letter with the best of news will be received. A dark-haired lady will throw hindrances and trouble into the path of the inquirer, in spite of which happiness and success will be the final outcome.”

AN ENGLISH SYSTEM OF TELLING THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.

We will present an easy and generally accepted method of telling fortunes by means of cards. Thirty-two cards are required, which are shuffled and cut in the usual way. After being cut, the top card of the lower pack and the bottom card of the upper pack are laid aside and form the “Surprise,” then the packs are placed one upon the other. This leaves 30 cards, which are dealt into three equal parts; the pack at the left representing the _past_, the one in the middle the _present_, and the one to the right the _future_.

The man or woman wishing to know what Fortune has in store is called the “Inquirer”; he is represented by a card (supposing him to be a man) which we will say is the Knave of Hearts. Let us now suppose that the ten cards representing the _past_ are as follows:

Ace of Clubs (reversed) King of Spades Knave of Diamonds King of Clubs Nine of Hearts Ten of Spades. Seven of Spades (reversed) Eight of Spades (reversed) Seven of Clubs. Nine of Clubs.

If we refer to the meaning of the cards as already given, we will find the following as to the man’s past:

The Ace of Clubs shows that happiness has been of short duration.

The King of Spades denotes that an unscrupulous friend has been at work.

The Knave of Diamonds shows that this man has been a mischief-maker.

The King of Clubs indicates that a warm heart and true friend have been of considerable assistance.

The Nine of Hearts shows that this man has brought good luck.

The Ten of Spades indicates that there has been considerable grief and some loss of freedom due to circumstances over which the inquirer had no control.

The Seven of Spades (reversed) shows that silly love-making has cast its influence over the inquirer.

The Eight of Spades (reversed) shows, however, that the engagement has been canceled or rejected.

The Seven of Clubs indicates that trifling financial matters have at times made life sorrowful.

The Nine of Clubs indicates that this financial condition will be solved by an unlooked-for inheritance.

The next pack being in the center represents the _present_, and we find, perhaps, that the cards run as follows:

Ace of Diamonds Ten of Diamonds Knave of Hearts (reversed) King of Hearts (reversed) Seven of Diamonds Nine of Spades Eight of Hearts Queen of Hearts Seven of Hearts Queen of Diamonds (reversed).

The reading of the cards will be as follows:

The Ace of Diamonds denotes the coming of an offer of marriage or a letter.

The Ten of Diamonds, following immediately after, indicates that the letter is about a voyage or a removal.

This is followed by the Knave of Hearts, and indicates that it is a question of a young bachelor who is devoted to enjoyment.

Being followed by the King of Hearts (reversed), it indicates that his dealings with the inquirer will be very disappointing.

The Seven of Diamonds, which follows, explains that the inquirer will come in for considerable unkindly chaff.

The Nine of Spades (reversed) foretells a loss of one that is near and dear, thru death.

The Eight of Hearts, which follows, tells that the inquirer is harboring an affection for a fair lady. She is revealed to us in the Queen of Hearts as a good-natured, lovable woman who, according to the Seven of Hearts, is quietly and contentedly awaiting developments.

The Queen of Diamonds (reversed) tells him to beware of a woman who is a spiteful flirt and apt to make trouble.

The third pack represents the _future_, and we have the following cards:

Queen of Clubs King of Diamonds Eight of Diamonds Ten of Clubs Nine of Diamonds Eight of Clubs Ace of Diamonds (reversed) Ace of Hearts (reversed) Knave of Spades (reversed) Queen of Spades (reversed)

The Queen of Clubs indicates a dark-haired woman, rather loving but apt to cause trouble.

The King of Diamonds is an old man who is also inclined to make mischief.

The Eight of Diamonds shows that there have been some love passages between the inquirer and the lady which may develop into a romance, which, according to the Ten of Clubs, promises to be prosperous.

The Nine of Diamonds, however, shows that all will not be smooth sailing, for, according to the Eighth of Clubs, a dark-haired man is also paying attention to this woman and may make headway in his attentions.

According to the Ace of Diamonds (reversed) the inquirer must be prepared for evil tidings.

The Ace of Hearts (reversed) foretells a visit from a friend, which the Knave of Spades (reversed) shows is a medical student, not of the most refined character.

The Queen of Spades (reversed) shows that an unscrupulous and spiteful woman is weaving her spell around the inquirer, and he had better beware.

Again examining the cards of the _future_, we find two Queens, one reversed, which means rivalry between the women influencing this fortune. There are also two Eights, which indicate intrigue and opposition.

This is but a brief summary of the way in which this method is worked. A great deal depends, of course, upon the cleverness of the fortune-teller in interpreting the cards according to the disposition of the inquirer.

THE GYPSY METHOD.

A very simple method, especially when there are many fortunes to be told, which is often used by the Romany folks, is the following. In this method the meanings are somewhat different from those given in previous chapters. These new meanings may better suit the characteristics of the inquirer, and in connection with the readings already given they add many facts of importance.

Thirty-two cards are taken, the numbers under 7 being thrown out. The cards are shuffled and cut into three packs by the inquirer, each pack being turned face up. The center pack is taken first, then the one to the right, finally the one to the left, and placed upon each other in this position. The fortune-teller holds this newly arranged pack in his left hand and takes off 3 cards facing upwards, selecting the highest card of any suit that may appear. He retains this one and lays the others aside for the next deal. Continue doing this until the pack is finished. Then shuffle all the discarded cards together, until you have 21 cards or more on the table. If 3 cards of any suit appear, or 3 cards of the same value, they must all be taken.

A card must now be selected to represent the inquirer. If she be fair of complexion she selects Diamonds; if medium fair, Hearts; if of brown hair, she selects Clubs; and if very dark, Spades. A man selects the King and a woman the Queen. This representative card is shuffled with the others and taken out when it is the highest of its suit. Should there be 21 or more cards selected before it appears, then it must be taken from the remainder and placed last of all.

The cards are read from left to right, and are placed in horseshoe shape as they are drawn out. Picture cards represent people, and the number of spots relates to money or events. Diamonds concern themselves with money and interest; Hearts, with love affairs and affection; Clubs, with business events; and Spades, with the more serious affairs of life.

The following gives the significance of each card:

_Hearts_ King A fair man Queen A woman of similar complexion Knave An honest friend Ten A wedding Nine A wish Eight Love Seven Friendship Ace Home.

_Diamonds_ King A fair man Queen A fair woman Knave A companion Ten A wealthy marriage Nine Rise in social position Eight Success thru speculation Seven A good income Ace A present.

_Clubs_ King A man of medium complexion Queen A woman Knave A successful friend Ten A trip by water Nine Successful business Eight Social pleasure Seven A business affair Ace A letter or legal document.

_Spades_ King A dark man Queen A dark woman (or widow) Knave Thoughts of personal matters Ten A journey by land Nine Sorrow or sickness Eight A loss of money or friends Seven A quarrel.

Three Kings coming together indicate a new friend; a Knave and 2 Kings, meeting an old friend; 3 Knaves, business at law; 3 Queens, a quarrel with a woman; 3 Tens, a lucky deal. If the Ten of Hearts, Ten of Clubs and Ten of Diamonds come together, it means that a wealthy marriage will follow a journey across the sea. Three Nines indicate good news; 3 Eights, a removal; 3 Sevens, unsatisfactory news; 3 Aces, very good luck. An Ace of Clubs and of Diamonds together, a letter which will bring an offer of marriage. The Ace and Nine of Hearts indicate that a desire will be realized at home; the Ace and Nine of Spades foretell death and sorrow in your family; the King, Queen and Ten of any suit mean that you will hear of a marriage soon.

_Reading the Cards_

Let us now take a typical example of this method. Let the inquirer be represented by the Queen of Hearts. Shuffle and divide the pack into 3, giving the King, Knave and Seven of Hearts, indicating that the inquirer has a male friend of medium complexion and good intentions. Lay these 3 cards in order beginning with the left hand. The fortune-teller now proceeds to draw off 3 cards, making his selection as above explained. Having finished the pack, he repeats the process twice more. We will suppose that in these deals the following cards have been selected:

King, Knave, Seven of Hearts, Ace of Clubs, King of Spades, Queen of Clubs, Queen of Diamonds, Queen of Spades, King of Clubs, Knave of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts, Knave of Spades, King of Diamonds, Knave of Clubs, Queen of Hearts, Ace of Diamonds, Ten of Hearts, Eight of Clubs, Seven of Spades, Ace of Spades, Ten of Clubs, Ten of Spades and Ten of Diamonds.

Beginning from the Queen of Hearts, as the starting-point, we proceed to count 7 to the left. The seventh card being the Queen of Spades, the seventh from this is the King of Hearts, and again counting to the seventh we get the Ten of Hearts.

This is to be read as follows:

The inquirer has many good friends, but the Queen of Spades represents a woman who will interpose difficulties to her marriage, but without effect. The next card is the Knave of Diamonds followed by the Seven of Hearts and the Seven of Spades; which combination represents news coming soon, but which may not be advantageous to the inquirer. The Knave of Spades is followed by the King and Ten of Clubs, which denotes that a dark man is separated from the inquirer, but thinks of her and hopes to be with her soon.

THE CREOLE METHOD

You will no doubt remember the fascinating story of how Josephine, the wife of Napoleon I. and Empress of France, had her fortune told when still a girl. She was a Creole—that is a native of the West Indies and of French descent. Tradition tells us that she went to an old colored witch, who laid out the cards according to the Creole system and from them prophesied, “You will be greater than a queen.” Josephine at first had faith in this prediction, but after waiting for a king to propose to her, she married a French soldier named Beauharnais, by whom she had two children. He died during the early part of the French Revolution. Napoleon, who at that time was a poor lieutenant, deeply in debt and without prospects, proposed to her. He did not seem likely to carry out the prophecy and raise her to be more than queen; so she refused him. At last she was won over by his persistency and married him. In the course of years she became Empress of France.

Just what the Creole method of divination was had been forgotten for many years. The following system, however, has recently been declared by an old gypsy of Martinique to be the exact method used by the fortune-teller of Josephine. It will not be found in any other book. It will be interesting principally because it differs materially from all the methods given in other books on cartomancy.

Begin by shuffling all the 52 cards thoroughly. The inquirer then cuts them and takes the pack in his left hand, first holding it on his forehead and saying, “Que le cerveau parle!” which means, “Let the Brain speak,”—then holding it over the heart, saying, “Que le cœur décide!” or in English, “Let the Heart decide.” The operator then takes the cards and spreads them fanwise before her on the table, with the backs up. The inquirer then draws out at random the mystic number of 9 cards, arranging them as follows, face up:

The first card is called the “Key Card,” for it decides the interpretation to be put on the rest. If it is a Heart, it foretells the height of success; if a Diamond, it foretells wealth; if a Spade, it brings misfortune; if a Club, it denotes hard work. The next two cards decide the time in which the fortune will be determined. The low spots indicate a short space, the higher spots, a longer space of time. The court cards indicate a remote fortune, but a happy one. The next three cards indicate the rank or station to which Fortune will elevate the inquirer. If court cards, the Fates will be kind; if ordinary or low cards, the inquirer will have to be content with mediocrity. The Ace means disgrace or, at best, a very low station.

The next two cards denote the course of married life. If court cards, the marital relations will be happy; if low cards, there will be trouble and friction, The Ace means unhappiness at home. The last card is devoted to health. A court card means the best of health; the lower, more or less serious illness, according to the degree indicated by their spots. The Ace means an early death. The cards that were drawn by Josephine were (so we are informed):

King of Hearts Ten of Diamonds Nine of Diamonds Queen of Hearts Queen of Diamonds Queen of Clubs King of Diamonds King of Clubs Ten of Hearts

It will be seen that every card denotes the height of fortune—a combination that is rarely met with. After reading the mystic nine, the remaining cards are again shuffled and the inquirer draws out thirteen cards at random from the pack. These are arranged in the form of a cross as shown in the diagram.

Put the first card in the center and the remaining cards to left, right, top and bottom as indicated by the numbers. The reading of the cards is as follows:

Hearts denote love; Diamonds, wealth; Clubs, hard work; and Spades, misfortune.

Of the court cards, Kings are lucky for women inquirers and Queens for men. Knaves are lucky if red and unlucky if black.

The Ace is always a sign of coming evil.

The odd numbers are lucky for men and unlucky for women, and the even numbers are the reverse. A 2-spot means a gift; a 3-spot, a letter; a 4-spot, news; a 5-spot, an accident; a 6-spot, a change; a 7-spot, friendship; an 8-spot, assistance; a 9-spot, home conditions; a 10-spot, business conditions.

Let us suppose the cards just laid out in a cross are the following:

Knave of Hearts Ten of Clubs Ace of Spades Three of Diamonds King of Spades Eight of Hearts Four of Hearts Queen of Spades Ten of Hearts Four of Hearts Seven of Diamonds Knave of Spades Two of Clubs

This we would read as follows, the inquirer being a lady:

The Knave of Hearts denotes luck in love; probably a suitor if the inquirer be unmarried, or a loving husband if the inquirer be married.

The Ten of Clubs indicates that business conditions will soon improve, for an even number is lucky for ladies. The Ace of Spades shows a very dark and pressing trouble that threatens. Three of Diamonds shows that money will be lost by a foolish transaction. Eight of Hearts shows that fortunate assistance will be at hand. Ten of Hearts means that through friendship the business conditions will have greatly improved.

The King of Spades means that a dark man will have a disagreeable effect upon the inquirer, and the Queen of Spades, the man’s wife, will be instrumental in making things unpleasant. Be careful not to get into their bad graces.

The Four of Hearts indicates welcome news from a dear friend. The Seven of Diamonds shows that this friendship will bring gain of money as well. Knave of Spades means, “Beware of a treacherous man who is disposed to do you harm!” The Two of Clubs means an unexpected gift from a business man, or possibly a gain through hard luck. Other interpretations may be put on these cards according to the temperament of the fortune-teller.

A modification of this method is to draw 21 cards instead of 13. Arrange 12 of these in the form of a semicircle, and the other 9 in the form of a triangle within the circle. To discover the past, read the circle first from left to right. Then to predict the future, read the triangle beginning at the left-hand angle, going up to the apex, down on the right-hand side, and across the base.

CARD ORACLES.

Answering questions by means of cards is a popular pastime. If the inquirer wishes to know—

“_When will my wedding be?_”

she draws four cards and lays them face up on the table. The spots must be counted to get the number of weeks. A Queen or King means a speedy marriage with prosperity. A Knave means a delay. An Ace signifies trouble and bids the inquirer consider well before taking the important step.

“_Will my lover be true to me?_”

Lay the top 15 cards on the table face up. If the Ten, Nine or Eight of Hearts is among them, the chances are favorable. If the Ace of Spades is among them, the omen is bad. If the King of Hearts turns up, you can trust him for life.

“_Have I cause for jealousy?_”

Count off the top 9 cards. If the Ace of any suit is among them, beware, for there is someone he loves better than you.

“_Shall we ever part?_”

Lay out 4 cards from the top in the form of a cross. Count the spots. If odd, then you will never part; if even, be prepared for a short parting in the future. If an Ace is among them, the parting will be a long one.

“_Is it advisable for me to change my residence?_”

Lay 9 cards in a circle face up. If the middle card is a picture card, remain where you are. If a small card, the number of spots indicate in how many months you should move. If an Ace, it indicates the need of great care.

“_What fortune is there in store for me?_”