University of South Carolina Libraries
By MIKE HEMBRE E Fortune-telling is a dying business, In fact, it may already be dead in this country. But its successor---graphology-.--s very much alive. Better known as handwriting analysts, graphologists are most commonly found at county fairs and other such expositions. They are immediately recognizable by their showy, useless I BM-type machines with computer type lights blinking on and off intermittently. Although the "sales pitch" may be very nearly the same, these present-day ''analysts" have very little in common with the fortune teller history has made famous, or in some cases, infamous. That seer is the gypsy fortune teller of cloudy crystal ball fame --- the one who could see thousands of things floating 'around in what you always thought was only your hand. A alysts are a rare breed in Columbia. Only two are listed in the all-knowing Yellow Pages. But one of those happens to be a lady who shirks the modern concept of machine analysis for the ways of the old country. She goes by the name of Madam Rose Adams. Rose resides and conducts her business in an ancient two-story frame house on U. S. 76, approximately 10 miles from Columbia. It becomes evident upon the first sight of this omnipotent one and her surroundings that she does not make any strenuous efforts to attract a booming business. I made my way up Rose's dirt driveway and parked between a Volkswagen with a "For Sale'' sign on the windshield and a white late model Cadillac which apparently belonged to the house's inhabitants. Earth-mobiles are here! SA T. You don't need snow, sand, surf or gas to have fun on a Raleigh. All you need is a little earth. One * nice way to find out is on the new * Raleigh Sprite 27". Handle bar shift lever connected to 5-speed * or 10-speed gear and 27" wheels * for effortless cycling. Come in *u 7 andsee our full line of Raleigh bicycles. BRCYLEACETE M* OF COLUMBIA* I ae -y wasue os'nvrtdicwyan 74e bAeeen A- oEN * coeluiA. S. C. 2l205 Rose rejeci I listened Rose was taking in the afternoon sun on the porch. The man of the family, clad in un dershirt and pants and at least three days away from a razor, met me at the doorstep and asked how he could help me. He and Rose seemed surprised that they actually had a customer. They led me through a swarm of flies and into the house. The first noticeable object in the living room was another woman, apparently Rose's sister. She, like Rose, was overweight and had her body curled up on the ragged couch for an af ternoon snooze. She was not disrupted by the rude intruders. Rose then directed me into what was ap parently the analyzing room, and we sat down on an old yellow couch. The unkempt room, which provided the impression of a consolidated Woolworth's - junk shop, had its own unique odor. An old Easter basket sat among the ashes in the fireplace, its life evidently spared when spring came for good. A set of electric Christmas candles with yellow lights accented the end table beside the couch, and the coffee table, apparently the room's catch-all, was burdened with an endless array of assorted junk. 4N KATANICUS ~ - ~ Golde S pu * ff1ehos *d y :0 -0:0 p. . Free efres men* s machine an r for the telltale 'This is a recording' Rose, dressed in a baggy dark blue dress, have a S was the perfect picture of the gypsy fortune- 'Yoi teller America has come to know and love --- make y minus the crystal ball. She had the dark skin She helc and mysterious eyes necessary for such a role. minute pr My first task before analysis was to write my for the t, name, address, phone number and occupation nounceme on a piece of paper. I complied with fictitious Rose the information. bill from Rose then took my right hand and gazed hand. My rather uninterestingly at it from every angle. to her prc She then charged into her analysis, first within its warning me that she was going to tell me all, She took "You are admired by many women, but you it through and wisi money for my readfr The othe as I left, nesting pid again. And Ros returned ti whether it was good or bad. 'You are a very good and honest man," she said, and I cast a guilty glance at my fictitious name on the now-forgotten paper. "You will be a success at whatever it is that you choose to be a success at," she continued. On that note, I braced myself for what was sure to be a rambling rendition of "fortune teller-ese." And it was. "You come from a good family," she said, "but you don't depend on your family. You do for yourself. "You will one day have much money, but not soon. Classified ads TE ~ )lk i Pa t Iep ant for a 14olk dance. I. S''im ' om i orPyia ~sell Hfouse patio. Thursday and IfC ('te.u'wthwihnm riday'. 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