Litchfield enquirer., 1874-08-20

Ing, and walked with his eyes on the pave ment. l imagined that, in a phrase with which he had made me familiar, he had caught the tail of an idea and was holding 1t fast, Tn spite of its slippery contortions. As we neared his lodgings at the end of our walk, he stopped abruptly in the mid dle of the street, and had to give him a violent pull to rescue him from rattling butchers cart. When we reached tho pavement he stopped again, grasped mo by the hand, and fixed his eyes on me with very extraordinary exaltation. We were at the top of the shabby cross-street
 in which he had found 8 shelter, A row of squalid tenements faced us, and half a dozen little Irish ragmuffins were sprawl ing beneath our feet, between their door
 ways and the gutter. "Eurekal Eureka!'
 he cried. "Ive found tive found it!' And on my asking him what he had found,
 Something science has groped for, for ages-the solution of the incalculable!
 Perhaps, too, my fortune; certainly my immortality! Quick, quick! Before it vanlshes must get at my pen." And he hurried me along to his dingy little dwell ing. On the doorstep he paused. I can't tell you now," he cried. ''I must fling It down Tn black and white. But for heavens sake, como tonight to the lec- ture, and in tho first flush of apprehen- sion think can knock off a statementp' To the lecture l promised to come. At the same moment I raised my eyes and
 beheld in the window of tho Colonel's apartment the ominous visage of Profes- sor Fargo. I had been kindled by the Coloners ardor, but somehow I was sud- denly chilled by the presence of the Pro- lessor. feared that, be the brilliancy of my friends sudden illumination what 1t might, tho shock of meeting his un-
 loved cOnta6re under his own roof would
 loosen his e1asp of his ideas. found pretext for keeping him standing a mo-
 ment, sand observed that tho Professor disappeared. Tho next moment the door opened and he stepped forth. He had put on his hat, suppose, hastily; it was cooked toward one side " .th iauntiness
 which seemed the climax of his habitual swagger. He was evidently in better spirits than when I listened to him at Ey- celsior Hall; but neither tho Professors smiles nor his froN IS were thoso of an
 honest man. He bestowed on my com panion and me ore of the most expansive of he flo, ner, gave his hat a cock in the opposite direction, and was about to pass
 on. But suddenly betf-r','ng f'mself, he paused and drow from his pocket small yellow ticket, which he presented to me.
 1t was adm 'ssion to Excelsior Hall.
 ''If you can use this tonight" he said,
 'I think you'll see someth Ing out of tho common" This intimation, accompanied
 with rk of extreme suggestiyencss.
 seemed to indicate that the Professor al- so, by Q singular coincidence, had had Q flash of al vistic inspiration. But g.ving mo no fui iher clue, he rapidly went his way. As l shook hands in farewell With tho Colonel, l saw that the light of tho old mans new inspiration had gone out in angry wonderment over tho Professors errand with his daughter.
 I can hardly define the va6 le ap- prehensiveness which led mo to make that ever'ng peculiarly prompt ap- pearancc at Excelsior Hall. There was no one there when arrived, and for half an hour the solitude remained unbroken. At last shabby little man came in and sat dow a on tho last bench, i'll the shade. We remained while star ing at the white wall behind the threo empty chairs of the performers and listen ing to the gas-burlers, which were h1s- sing With an expressiveness which, under the circumstances, was most distressing. At last my companion left his place and strolled doWl the aisle. He stopped be- fore tho platform. tul led about, su. Jeyed the capacity of the room, and muttered something between a groan and an impre- cation. Then he came back toward me and stopped. He had a dnGy shirt, scrubby beard, small, W.athful black eye, and nose unmistakably Judaic.
 eff you don't want to sit and be lcc- tured at all alone," he said "I guess you'd better go."
 I expressed hope that some ono would tulh up yet, and said that I preferred to remain, in any event, as had q particu- lar interest in tho performance
 "A particular interest?" he cried"that's what I've got. I've got the rent of my room to collect. This thing has been go- ing on here for three weeks now, and haven't seen the first dollar of m1y profits. it's going doWl hill steady, and i think the Professor, and tho Colonel, and the deaf and dumb young woman had better shut up shop. They aint appreciated they'd better try some other line. There's mighty little to this thing any way it ain't what call an attractive ex- hibition. I've got an offer for tho premi- ses for a month from the Canadian Giant ess, and mean to ask the present compa- ny to pay me down and vacate."
 It looked, certainly, as if tho "Combina. tion'' would have some difficulty in meet ing its engagements. The Professors head emerged inquiringly from Q door behind the stage and disappeared, after brief communion with the vacuity of the scene. In few minutes, however the customary trio came forth and seated it. self gravely on the platform The Pro- lessor thrust his thumbs into his waist ! coat and drummed on the floor with his 1 toes, as if 1t cost his shrcwdness painful l effort to play any longer at expectation. | The Colonel sat stiff and solemn, with his l eyes on the ground. The young girl gag cd forth upon the ungrateful void l with her enthusiastically irresponsible | tranquility. For myself, after listening some ten minutes more for an advancing tread, leaned my elbows on the back of l the bench before me and buried my head; l couldn't bear any longer to look at the l Colonel. At last heard scramble be- l hind me, and looking round, ,saw my little l Jew erecting himself on his feet on q | bench. l
 ''Gentlemen P he cried out, 'T don't | address the young woman I'm told she | can't hear. Isuppose the man with the l biggest audience has a right to speak. l The amount of money in this hall tonight | IS JusG tnlFIy cenLS-unieSS, indeed, my friend here IS on the free list Now it l stands to reason that you can't pay your nights expenses out of thirty cents. I l think we might as well turn down some of this gas we can still see to settle our little account. To have it paid will grati- | fy me considerably more than anything | you can do there. I don't judge your en- | teltainment I've no doubt it's a very smart thing But it's very evident it don't suit this city. It's too intellectual. I've got something else in view-I don't mind telling you it's the Canadian Giant ess. It is going to open tomorrow with matinee, and I want to put some props under that platform. So you'd better pay this young man his money back, and go home to supper. But before you leave, I'll trouble you for the sum of ninety three dollars and eighty seven cents.''
 The Professor stroked his beard the H-Vz Il 1--1h n T 1