, 1877-12-28
Tricking a Magician.

In the car with Mr. Heller and q
friend, in Boston, the other day, were
some half dozen people, among them an
estlmable old lady who had evidently
been doing her marketing, for she carried
basket on her lap containing groceries,
vegetable, and 10 particular large
quantity Of eggs. Mr.. Heller sat down
beside the old lady, and for few in-
stauts nothing Of moment happened.
Mr.. Heller stopped down and picked up
two egg. from the floor, and handing
them to the old lady remarked that she
was losing them. The old lady, little
surprised, thanked the polite gentleman,
aud everything again relapsed into
silence, la u few moments a repetition
of the scene. The old lady wondered
how il was she hadn't noticed the eggs
fall and still more when Mr. Heller third
time picked up several eggs, which he
insisted had dropped from the basket.
This SO puzzled the old lady that she got
up, and taking the eggs out of the bas-
ket, she disposed Of them ON the seat,
and taking the vegetables out in the same
manner, put the eggs back and the other
articles on top of them, and then sat
down again. Dir. Heller then leaned
over to gentleman who was ON the
other side of the old lady, and remarked
audibly:
81 saw you do that. It's wrong"
"What do you mean, sir-whst's
wrongl' said the gentleman addre ssed,
rather indignant at being spoken to in
this way.
"You shouldn't have taken those
eggs"
The old lady turned toward the gentle
man, and looked at him very suspiCiously
while he answered with great gravity:
"Are you ma99 I took no eggs"
"But l saw YOU" said Heller.
BY this time the attention of the other
passengers In the car was directed to the
conversation.
ut is false" exclaimed the one ac-
cused, evidently feeling very uncomfort-
able.
"That is too much, sir, when say I
saw you," said Heller, and with that he
arose, and passing before the old lady,
who looked half frightened and half
aLgry, and stood before the gentleman
accused.
"What do you say to thatl" said Hell
Ter, taking from the mans overcoat two
eggs and handing them to the old lady;
"and thatl" taking two more from the
other pocket.
"Lord, o Lord, who would a. thought
itl" said the old lady.
The gentleman from whose pocket the
eggs had been taken, rose from his seat
and stood opposite Heller, saying:
~ don't understand this; perhaps We
can find some more"
mo doubt can," said Heller, putting
his hand in side pocket and taking out
three eggs, and two more from his trous-
ers. This occupied some minutes, ss
Heller proceeded very deliberately and
slowly, to the evident surprise and in
dignation of the other occupants of the
car. "And here, look here" continued
Heller, taking box of spice from the
mans hind pocket.
"Put that man off the car" said some
body.
The car was stopped and the man on
whom all this had been played waited
for no further development, and bolted
through the car as fast as his legs would
carry him.
The old lady confounded herself in
thanks to Mr.. Heller, and said she would
never have expected-he was such nice
looking gentleman, etc. Mr.. Heller's friend
whispered to somebody next him, however,
and pretty soon everybody in the car was
laughing, the old lady being the only
one who remained in ignorance that this
was one of Mr.. Heller's Jokes.
By and by the car reached Cambridge
and Mr.. Heller and his friends got off.
AS they were walking along the friend
said he thought he had noticed that Mr..
Heller had had pin in his scarf.
$50 have" said Mr.. Heller, and he
felt for the pin, but the pin was not
there. "Could l have put it in my pock-
etf" and he searched in his vest.
"Halloo!" he exclaimed, "where's the
money I" and he nervously sought through
all his pockets. "Sold, by JoveW
Mr. Heller was minus a cameo scarf
pin, $2S in bills and gold matchbox.
He had for once struck the wrong man,
who, while Heller was extracting eggs
from his pockets, had been quietly going
through Heller. Strange to say, when
Mr.. Heller got back to Boston, he men
toned the incident to nobody and en-
joined strict secrecy on his friend. All
of which shows that il takes two to play
joke, and the "biters are sometimes
bitten. ."-NeO York Democratic Neus.