Litchfield enquirer., 1874-08-13

] exquisite young creature Of seventeen.
 It was not every day that found my
 self Ill familiar conversation with n pro-
 phet, and the opportunity for obtaining q
 glimpse of the inner mechanism of the
 profession was too precious to the neg glect-
 ed. I questioned the Professor about his
 travels, his expenses, his profits, and the
 mingled emotions of the itinerant show
 mans lot; and then, talking the bull by
 the horns, I asked him whether, between
 ourselves, an accomplished medium had
 not to be also tolerable coniurcr? lie l leaned his head on one side and stood
 stroking his beard, ard looking at me be-
 tween lids shrewdly half closed. Then he
 gave little dry chuckle, which expressed,
 at my choice, compassion either for my
 disbelief in his miracles or for my faith in his urbanity.
 "l confess frankly" 1 said, ''that I'm a
 skeptic. don't believe in messages from
 the spirit world. I don't believe that
 even the depressing prospect of immortal
 lty IS capable of converting people who
 talked plain sense here on earth into the
 authors of the inflated platitudes which people of your profession pretend to l transmit from them. | don't believe peo-
 pie who have expressed themselves for q
 lifetime i'll excellent English can ever be
 content with conversation by raps on tho 1 dinner table. I don't believe that you know anything moro about tho future
 world than you do about tho penal code
 of China. Ny impression Is that you don believe so yourself. 1 can hardly expect you, of course, to take the wind out of your own sails. What I should vastly like you to do is, to tell me aiU0 voce, in so many words, that your intcn- tions are pure and your miracles genuine. J | The Professor remained silent, still caressing his prophetic beard. At last, in benevolent drawl, "Have you got any dear friend in the spirit land?'' he asked. l ''I don't know what you call the spirit 1 land,' answered. Several of my friends have died"
 Would you like to see 'cm?" tho Pro lessor promptly demanded.
 "No, confess I shouldn'tl''
 The Professor shook his head. l You've not rich nature,' he rejoined 1 blandly.
 ''It depends on what you call rich. I l possess on some points a wealth of curios- 1 ty It would gratlfY me peculiarly to havo you say outright, standing there on your own platform, that you re an honest l man."
 It seemed to give him pleasure to trifio with my longing for this sensation. ''Ill give you leave" he said, for all answer. ''to tic my hands into the tightest knGt you can invent-and then I'll mako your great-grandfather come in and stop the l clock. You know 1 couldn't stop clock, perched mp on mantel shelf five feet high | with my heels.'
 II don't know,' said I. ''I fancy you're very clever"
 'Cleverness has nothing to do with 1t. I've great magnetism"
 You'd magnetize my cat-grandfath- ! CT down from heaven?"
 ''Yes, sir, If could establish comm,lni- | cation. You'll see to- night what l can do. I'll satisfy you. If don't shall be happy to give you a private sitting. I'm also & healing medium. You don't hap pun tU hnv0 ]ooth~ol.o2- I,d-eoi s.4-a down there and pull it right out, as I'd pull off your boot"
 1 could only make him my bow. His, at least, was ''rich nature" I bade him farewell, with the assurance that skcptic as was, would applaud him impartial ly in the evening. had reached the top of the hall, on my way out, when I heard him give low, mellifiuous whistle. turned round, and he beckoncd to mo to rc- turn. l walked back, and he learned for ward from the platform, uplifting his stout foretinger. ''I simply desire to re- mark, he said, ''that I'm an honest mani"
 On my return to the hotel found that my impatience for the Prosessor's further elucldation of his honesty mado the inter- val look long. Fortune, however, assisted me to traverse 1t at an elastic pace. Rum maging idly on bookshelf Ill the tavern parlor, l found, amid pile of farmers almanacs and Methodist tracts, a tattered volume of ''Don Quixote." Ircpaired to my room, tilted back my chair, and com muned deliciously with the ingenious hi dalgo- Here was magnetism" superior even to that of Professor Fargo. It prov ed so effective that lost all note of time, aBtl, at last on looking at my watch, per celved that dinner must have been over for an hour. Of "service" at this unsoph- isticated hostelry there was but rigidly democratic measure, and if I chose to cultivate too elegant absence of eager ness for beefsteak pie and hnckleberry pudding, the young lady in long, tight ringlets and short sleeves, who adminis- tered the delicacies in tho dining room, was altogether too naughty spirit to urge them on my attention. So l sat alone and ate them cold. After dinner I returned for hour to La Mancha, and then stroll led forth, according to my mornings VOW, to see the headstones in the cemetery cast longer shadows. was disappointed in tho epitaphs; they were posterior to the age of theological H0iUct6 The cemetery covered the two opposie sides of hill, and on walking up to the ridge and looking over 1t, discovered that I was not tho only visitor. Two persons had chosen the spot for quiet talk. One of them was young girl, dressed in black, and seated on headstone, with her face turn ed toward me. In spite of her attitude, however, she seemed not to perceive me, wrapt as she was in attention to her com panion-a tall, stout fellow, standing be- fore her, with his back to me- They were at too great distance for mo to hear their talk, and indeed in few minutes began to fancy they were not speaking. Never theless, the young girls eyes remained fix ed on tho mans face; he was holding her spellbound by an influence best known to himself. She was very pretty. Her hat was off, and she was holding 1t in her lap; her lips were parted, and her eyes fixed intently on her compan1on's face. Suddenly she gave bright, quick smile, made rapid gesture in the air, and laid her forefnger on her lips The movement, and the manner off told her story. She was deaf and dumb, and the man had been talking to her with his fingers. I would willingly have looked at her longer, but turned away in delicacy, and walked i'll another direction. As was leaving the cemetry, however, saw her advancing with her companion to take the path which led to the gate. The mans face was now turned to me, and I straigItway recognizing it, in spite of the high peak ed white hat which surmounted 1t. It was natural enough, suppose, to find Professor Fargo in q graveyard; as the simplest expedient for ascertaining what goes on beyond the tomb might seem to be to get close as possible to the hither cope of it. Besides, if he was to treat the townsfolk to messages from their buried relatives, 1t was not amiss to 'tget up" few names and dates by the perusal of the local epitaphs. As he passed me, however, and houriShed his hand in the air by NAY