The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-08-19
! IN ring for my servant, and send out for a

fll ring for my servant, and send out tor "
! 6 Dc nothing of the kind =" replied De
CASTOR, /" We can do just as well without cards
as with them, by simply imagining that we
have them" "Now," he continued holding
out his hand, "Just imagine that | am offer
ing ycu pack of cards, from which you Sc
lect four.
NJ g. extending his hand in turn,
feigned to draw out four cards, and to place
them before him on the table.
"Be good enough to write on paper what
cards you have chosen, and fold it up as
soon as written"
NJ. C. did as requested.
You have chosen the ace of spades, the
king of clubs, the knave of diamonds and
the queen of hearts," quietly remarked the
wizard, as NJ. G. finished folding his
paper; those being the cards of which
NJ. c. had just written down the names.
After performing several other feats,
equally inexplicabl", with the imaginary
cards, and with the dorinos, which came IN
! play next, be CASTOR asked NJ. c. to
! write number of historical dates on piece
of pape-, fold it up and hold it in his hand.
81 have my list already!" cried NJ G.
trium pbantly, and produced the paper he had
prepared the day before. wf1!
.Verv good replied De CASTOR, with
smile and u bow, 'be so kin1 as to open the
paper / gave you on entering your study.
Judge of my stupetcation, SAID NJ c.,
on recounting this little scene to your cor
respondent, ''when found that the paper he
had given me, on coming into the room,
contained an nexact duplicate of my list, not
one being changed or missing, and the dates
following each oother In exactly the same
order as mine!
On another occasion, NJ. c. being also
present, little group of scientific men,
including the great astronomer. Nj LIE Yer:
rer, had assembled privately 10 witness De
Cast1n's wonders.
Il DO not pretend I'd ery va amount of
science.ii remarked that gentleman to his
learned audience. "but | have discovered
ME hod Of calculation which enables me to
resolve any mathematical problem, no matter
how difficult, instantaneouslv." ''Nonsense,
SIR" shouted VI. lie Verrier, who is Very
irascible and very rude when out OF temper.
''ihe thing is impossible! !!
'.rry me- returned DE CASTOR, requesting
a great mathematician present TO PROFOUND
some very difficult problem i'll the upper
regions of algebra. The mathematician
took out his pencil ard wrote out the terms
Of some terriicihy abstruse and complicated
coEpu: alton. upon which all present at once
Sc, to work, pencil in hand, when d. CASTOR.
placing his paper on the instant before the
mathematician, remarked, Il think, Mon
sieur, Won will find that this is the correct
solution of your prohlem.' ~ y 1
'You see, Monsieur, that my method Of
| calculation really Yields very useful results :"
/ said De CASTOR to I.e ferrier. But the lat
( ter, furious at seeing his statement reiu'ed,
: T,til
( sailed De CastDn with torrents OF inyec'Ive,
/ calling him a trick,ter, bnhonn, 3 charla
/ tan. and declaring that he would NOT stay To
witness such impudeut knavery, took his
/ deharture Ia 81 RI re.
/ II seems that d. Clston is often greatly
/ excited and iatigued by the performance ot
( his frats; aud that he often .fers from
Headache aft performing them. But what
| is to be thought of operaiie-,, me- tai
! or otherwise. producing res9lts utterly
ncomprehensible?-Le from Paris.