Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1875-02-11
Popkins as a Mind Reader.
ny TIE FAT CONTRIBUTOR"


From the Cincinnati saturday Night
Popains said mind reading was easy
enough anybody could read minds lie
had studied the subject thoroughly. and
was satisfied he knew all about how 1t was
done. 30 one evening he invited a lot ui
ueiynbor> to his house to witness his dem
on-tratiouS Ia mind reading. Mrs Pop
kius dIdn't look with any favor AT all on
the business. She told PopkinS he didn't
know his own mind half the time, and how
could he tell about the minds Of others.
lie attempted few remarks. Mind,
said he then stopped and coughed. Then
he began again, "MiuI-'
Mind what?" snapped Mrs Popkins
Mind Your own business" popped in
Popkin>, testify. "When | speak OF mind
understand | am not making the remOtc,t
uliu sion Ia YOU. Now mind"
Mrs. PopkiuS stated "oh'" and subsid-
I'd into her Knittiug-work.
The mind continued Popkins lis ca
pAblr ut being read, ca dismal old maid
said hers was capable Of being very blucJ
Not all men can read the human mind. for
miud-readlns is special giit. have dis
covered j, In myself"
Mrs ropkius muJtrrcd her satisfaction
that he had discovered something ia him
self, a, no one else ever had.
Popku, then proceeded to tell various
persons in the room what they were think
inG OF, and 1t was astonishing how near he
came TO 1t. You, Sir" he said to a neigh
Dor, ARE thinkiu' of go.u' up in bal-
loon
Wonderful! !" cried the man, beats ey-
crythjuG how you hit IT,"
Then You contemplate goin' up in
bsiloou!' cried Fopkins. all in a glow.
"les-well. not exactly same thing.
though, I'm thinhin' Of diLglu' well"
Mr.. Popkins shrieked with laughter.
and all the young PopklnSes snickered At
their pop.
Pophins grew redder than ever. but said
nothing, Fastening his eagle eye on his
ncighbor Jones boy, ~ our mind is per
pIeX"d," said Popkins, "about money mat
teIs.'
True" said neighbor Jones boy, "true,
every word Of it,"
And you are thinkin'-"
Yes as you say, am thinking whether
you will ever pay me that five dollars you
borrowed more'n five years ago.
PopAins' face was blazing by this time,
and lie was sorry that he ever took up
mlnd-readiug. He was making no very
satisfactory headway with it. But he
wouldn't give up so. He came very close
to it number of times; as IN telling a red
nosed man that he was thinking OF some
thing to eat, when the red-nosed man was
thinking if Popkins wasn't going TO bring
on something To drink; or telling 4 sup
posed Old maid that she was thinking of
getting married, when the supposed old
maid was married woman contemplating
a divorce.
There was plain, blunt man in the par
ty, noted for always saving what he
thought. Popkins asked him if he might
read his thoughts. "Certainly." said the
blunt man, If you can; and III tell you
whether YOU are right or not"
Then Popkins held one hand against the
back OF the mans neck, pressed a thumb
between his eyes, scowled hard at his eye
brows, and said You are thinking of the
days of your childhood, OF the school
house and the brook down by the mill and
of your earliest love, when existence was
but lovely dream, and OF"
| Hold on, said the blunt man, "nothing
! of the sort"
What are you thinking of, them
| I'm thinking what id foel you're
making of yourself, Popkins !"
l When the roar of laughter that followed
| had subsidized, Popkins admitted that he
might have failed in some OF his expert
ments in undertaking, but said that he
had one final test that would carry linn
| through triumphantly. They might blind
| fold him, then after some member of the
company had fixed his mind on particu-
| lar article in the room, he would lead that
person to 1t and put his hand upon it. All
consenting. Popkins was blind-folded, and
/ Popkins' eldest boy selected to fix his mind
on something. he wasn't much of boy
for fixing his mind on things, but he was
adequate to this occasion. A handker-
| chief was tied around Popkins' eyes, and
taking hold of the boys hand, he went
searching after something the boy had fix
ed his mind on. Young Popkins' face was
grave as an undertaker's, but it was singu
lar how many times Popkins stumbled over
the same ottoman and ran his face against
the same decreasing. After falling over
nearly every article of furniture in the
room, tripping over every one of his seven
children, who developed a remarkable ia
tality In getting in the way. pitching head
first among the piano-keys, upsetting an
aquarium, and oyerthrowing the house
plants, he tumbled the whole length of the
! dining. room table. shot through an open
} door, aud went bump a-ti-bump down the
cellar stairs.
, This broke up the circle, and Popkin:
was laid up a week with his bruises. Hi:
eldest boy hasn't considered it healthy tC
come around the house since, and puts VI
with his grandmother.
p If Popkins says anything about mind
reading, Mrs. P. reads him a piece OF hel
. mind.
sz arsE u ~ tT