"Elsie's Palmistry Evening" is a short story written by Annie Fellows Johnston in 1902. The story follows the character of Elsie, a young woman who becomes fascinated with palmistry after attending an evening party where she has her palms read by a skilled palmist. Obsessed with understanding the secrets of her own palms, Elsie begins to study palmistry in depth and eventually becomes quite skilled at it herself. However, as she delves deeper into the mysteries of palmistry, Elsie begins to question the accuracy of the readings and the true meaning of the lines on her own palms. Ultimately, the story raises questions about the nature of identity and the ways in which we try to understand ourselves and our place in the world through various means, including palmistry.
By Annie Fellows Johnston · First published 1908 · Genre: Mystery, Drama, Fantasy