Prologue

On a sacred altar where lies have been told, many have come to see horrors sold: Though one will tell of a better tomorrow, The end will come with a burning sorrow.  -- Nostradamus 1564.

 I am the instrument appointed to uncurtain this ancient mystery. -- Mark Twain: "A Strange Dream" 1866.

From:

Professor Jordan, Occult Investigator,  1862

Subject:

Code Name: Beyond the Blue and the Gray

 I am proud to report that I have expanded our effort to unveil charlatans employing mysticism, carnival tricks, and séances to take advantage of vulnerable citizens to focus on crimes against those who have loved ones in the line of battle, my attention has been drawn to a potentially dangerous area.

Recently I received a package, anonymously, of course, containing a book of the 16th Century Prophecies of Nostradamus. While the sender remains anonymous, the sender's intent seems clear: to portend some mystical development to challenge the Department to stop some monstrous event from happening.

These badly rhymed quatrains are written in French with a dash of Italian, Greek, and Latin; and they have been and continue to be interpreted to predict events to and beyond the millennium. Historically the writings of Nostradamus (Michel de Notre dame) are supposed to have predicted the death of popes, the rise of tyrants, and the occurrence of natural disasters; but his quatrains are sufficiently obscure to predict any occurrence to any people, famous or not.

While I shall try to prevent this unknown person from reaching his goals, exactly which of the warnings contained in Nostradamus's 492 quatrains are to be heeded today I can not say. Nevertheless, it remains frightening that the destinies of our citizens may be teetering on 16th Century poetry that can be interpreted to support conflicting, not to say contradictory, conclusions.

The only present departmental connection to the mystery implied here concerns a young lady named Jancy Hall, who performs with a stage magician named Tonio de Aldo, whose ancestry reportedly contains the unlikely mixture of Italian and American Indian blood. Miss Hall came to my attention through reports of her "Gift of Seeing," a claimed ability to see what has happened miles away--specifically in the Hall woman's case, on current battlefields.

Some currency manipulation (notably gold) appears to be linked with the Hall woman's predictions and prophecies. To advance the investigation, I have hired a young man who is conversant with Jancy Hall's background. He claims she is linked romantically to the magician de Aldo. My expectation is that this woman's relationship with the illusionist may be the twist of fate needed to uncork the bottled warnings of Nostradamus that have surfaced in our sea of the occult.

Chapter 23: Lullaby to the Lost

When we left our story,

When we left our story, the interest was on buttoning down tomorrow's headline, but for Jancy it was yesterday's news that would cause her to be undone.


The fatal everlasting order through the chain

will come to turn through consistent order:

The chain of the city will be broken,

The city shaken, the enemy at the same time.

-- Nostradamus C3:Q79


Outside the office of The Daily Pulpit, Chester rejoined Jancy as the Professor approached Tonio to go over details of how to accomplish the tricks promised for the next morning.

Once satisfied with the mechanics of the magic, the Professor pressed the issue of when Tonio was going to give Jancy an honest account of his identity and of his feelings.

"My dear boy, the quality of love depends upon the amount of respect it contains. You, Tonio, have denied Jancy the opportunity of meeting the real Tonio. This sweet girl has been so engrossed in her happiness that she has never given it a second thought."

Tonio responded, "Jancy was able to reach an untouchable part of my identity, a hidden state which contained the eternal love needed to lock us into a marriage perhaps not of this world but of the next. But I assure you I shall do the right thing and make her my wife."

Meanwhile, Chester had accompanied Jancy to the doctor's office in regards to her pregnancy. As she came out of the door, she saw the expression on Chester's face and said, "The doctor says everything is all right, and another thing Chester, your gloomy-gloom is not going to work on me. I do not feel guilty about what I have done."

Chester ran his hand through his hair trying to focus his thoughts. "It's just that I'm thinking about the future for you and your baby."

- - - - -

Outside their hotel the Professor and Tonio had been waiting for Jancy and Chester when a group of men, whom the Professor identified as Confederate agents, rode down the street on horseback, handing out placards reading 'No Draft.'

In no time, people took those signs and began milling around to form gangs along the street to block the path of any incoming carriages.

When Jancy's carriage could not penetrate the mob, Tonio decided to distract enough people so that she could find passage.

With a theatrical flourish, Tonio began to show a hotel doorman how to fence. Using the man's walking stick like a sword, Tonio undid the buttons on the man's vest. One by one the crowd became fascinated, but the distraction did not last long. When they saw a black man, Stanford, riding toward Tonio, the mob ran to chase the "nigger" .

Quick to react, an infuriated Tonio pulled a Confederate agent off his horse and rode off to help his friend Stanford.

As Jancy left her carriage, the Professor explained why Tonio had acted in such a manner. "A brave man thinks no one to be his inferior."

As he said those words, the Professor thought of Tonio's double identity, but made no mention of it to Jancy, knowing that such an exposure must come from the source itself. But when the same thought returned to the Professor, he was left to wonder if Tonio had spent more time concerned with Jancy's feelings than being brave, wouldn't things be much better now?

Through the course of these happenings, Tonio's secret remained intact with the Professor, but the fact that Jancy was pregnant did not. It was no longer withheld by Chester.

On delivering the news to the Professor, he asked, "What was she thinking? He's an Italian Indian who's a magician!"

"Ah, but what an Italian Indian! While his heart is fashioned from a loving Italian tradition, his soul is muscled with an ancestry of Indian courage. And the parts fit together like a bow and arrow."

Chester seemed to concede that fact. "Yeah, and he's turned Jancy into a champion archer!"

- - - - -

With the weather being so hot, most people seated themselves on the front stoops, as did Jancy, as she awaited Tonio's return.

Meanwhile up the street, Chester and the Professor had taken up with a couple of soldiers in blue frock coats and braids, U.S. Marines who lead the way to a smoky tavern in hopes of uncovering a counterfeiting ring believed to be linked to Arlen Rooney.

At the tavern, the Professor ordered the Marines to search the outer premises and he assigned Chester to go into the barroom and wait for him there. "Also be on the lookout for one of our secret agents. He or she will be in some sort of disguise, so you will have to look closely."

Chester entered into the saloon and into a blast of cigar smoke. The first thing that became visible was the showman P. T. Barnum, who was holding court in one of the high-backed booths. Sitting in the place of honor were the acclaimed Midgets Tom Thumb and his wife. Also in the party were Chang and Eng, the equally famous Siamese Twins. Barnum asked everybody who went by to give a toast to Tom Thumb and his spouse.

"My two dear friends have been married five months to the day, and they have not had the smallest of arguments."

As those before him had done, Chester was obliged to raise a glass and offer a toast to the two prized midgets. "May all your ups and downs be between the sheets."

The Siamese Twins thought that Chester's remark was hilarious and began to slap their other knee.

Tom Thumb gave them a dirty look and sidled over with a whisper to Chester. "Those guys need a good kick in their asses."

Meantime, there was talk at the bar. Chester went to check out someone wearing a checkered suit giving out unchecked remarks. "I'll tell ya, old Abe ain't too happy with his army lettin' Bobby Lee get away at Gettysburg."

A longhaired tobacco chewer chimed in with Southern feelings. "Maybe the Union ain't so dumb as to fool with Bobby Lee."

The whole bar erupted with laughter. As Chester eyed each sympathizer, thinking anyone of them could be a possible agent faking his sentiments, a waitress appeared from behind a steamy cauldron where the soup of the day was boiling. She was a shadowy redhead, a cold beauty with a hot dusting of freckles. She was so tall that Chester thought she could have eaten soup off his head.

Seeing that Chester was checking her out, the robust woman asked him a question. "You know who I am?"

"How about the captain of your wrestling team?"

The waitress moved on, unfazed, handing a drink to an old veteran who had a pinch-faced dummy on his knee. The man was very pale and gray and had the same face creases running down the corners of his mouth as his dummy.

Chester leaned forward to see how the dummy's face was carved and found a permanent smack of mischief to it. In turn, the dummy took a look at Chester and gave his opinion. "It's nice to see that I'm not the only dummy in here."

As the shadowy redhead started back their way, the dummy rolled his eyes and gave Chester a warning. "You don't want to fool with her. She belongs to Arlen Rooney."

...continued above right, column two

How the Civil War changed America

Why the South lost the Civil War