Elsie's "Palmistry Evening"

Name: Elsie's "Palmistry Evening"
Author: Annie Fellows Johnston

"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 · 4,314 words

First lines

As Helen Jaynes stood before the mirror in her room, putting the last touches to her toilet, there was a rap at the door.

"I'm ready, Jane," she called, thinking it was the maid who had come to tell her the carriage was ready. But instead, her fifteen-year-old sister Sara peeped into the room. "Oh, sister Helen!" she exclaimed, in a disappointed tone. "Are you going out? Olive and I wanted to ask you something very particularly."

What this Textopian page supports

Elsie's "Palmistry Evening" is listed on Textopian as a short story by Annie Fellows Johnston, dated 1908 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Short story
Author: Annie Fellows Johnston
Date: 1908 CE
Language: English
Genres: Mystery, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
Length: 4,314 words
Structure: 1 section, 70 paragraphs
Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

Good citation fit

Work identity for Elsie's "Palmistry Evening" by Annie Fellows Johnston
Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters

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Similar titles

Genres

Mystery — The plot revolves around a palm-reading event, which often means a mystery to be unravelled by interpreting the lines on the palm.
Drama — The title suggests a specific event with personal interactions, which implies a level of drama.
Fantasy — Palmistry involves supernatural elements of predicting the future, placing it within the fantasy genre.
Thriller — The mystery surrounding palmistry could suggest suspense or intense excitement, lending it to the thriller genre.