The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-09-24
SOMERSET, PA, WEDNESDAY. SEPT. "a, 1872

landers, but whom we greet with zap
turous effusion when we meet tkem
J in strange place. Jack knew the
lady whom he escorted into dinu1f ss
q gossipy dame, who, when bis'9ack
was turned, made as much sport Of
him as of her other friends.
], Il have been fighting your bst,lee
all day." began Mrs. Sitwell
WAS it necessary / should have
thought myself too insigni6cantp
i "Tbey were talking at lunch of
your wonderful knack in confusing,
and some one said that the skill night
prove inconvenient-whcn you Day
ed cards for instance.n
"A charitable imputation! With
whom did it originate ?n
"Sir Lewis Mallshyp
/ please point him out to me.
! He was shown q grave, scowling
face upon tie right of the hostess
face like o mask, its surface rough and
wrinkled, through which the eyes
shone out with o baleful light like
corpse candles 10 sepulchre.
Pleasant creature I'd rather not
meet him alone on o dark nighsr
HE has o terrible cbaracter, GER
tainly. Turned his wife out cf6oors
because she would not give him an
heir. 1t is this wan. of children to
inherit his title and estates which
preys upon his mind, they say, and
that makes him 80 morose and nelan-
choly."
Jack let his companion chatter on.
1t was his habit to get ell the iafor-
nation possible about any company
in which be found himself, f0r his
own purpose as q clairvoyant and
when Mrs. Sitvell tagged be Piled
her with artless questions, and led
her on from one person to anothef,
making mental notes to serve him
hereafter 1t is thus, by careful aud
laborious preparation, that many of
the strange and seemingly myaterious
feats of the clairvoya1t copjurof are
performed.
When the whole party was aesem-
bled in the drawing-room after dipner
q cnorus Of voices, headed BY that of
the hostess, summoned Jack to his
work.
i There appeared to be only one dis.
sentient-Sir Lewis Mallaby--~who
not only did not trouble himself to
back rp the invitation, but wHsn the
performance was actually begun was
at no pains to conceal his contempt
and disgust.
The copjuror made the convention
al plum pudding in q hat, fred we'd
ding rings into quarter loaves, did ell
manner of card tricks, knife tricks,
pistol tricks, and juggled on conscien.
tiously right through his repertoire
There was never a smile on Sir Lew
ISIS face be sneered unmistskablY.
Finally, with an ostentation that
savored of rudeness, he took cut his
watch, great gold repeater then
looked at IL, and u0mistaksbly gave
a yawn.
i Jack hungered for that watch al
rectly be saw it. Perhaps through it
be might make its owner uncSnfort.
able, If only for moment. Bs3how
to getit into bis hands. He 1nked
for watch, q dozen were oeed.
No, none of these would do. It must
be gold watch, a repeater.
| Sir Lewis Mallaby's was the only
one in the room, and he at first dis
tinctly refused to lend it. But SO
many earnest entreaties were ad.
dressed to him, the hostess leading
the attack, that he could not in com.
mon courtesy continue to refuse.
With something like growl he took
his watch off the chain and banded it
to Jack Newbiggin.
]! A curious, old-fashiored watch it
was, which would have gladdened
the heart of watch collector-all
Ijeweled and enameled, adorned with
crest and inscription-an heirloom,
which had probably been in the fami-
ly for years. Jack looked it over Gu
rionsly, meditatively, then suddenly
raising bis eyes he stared intently
into Sir Lewis MalIaby's face, and
almost as quickly dropped them
again.
"This is fa- 700 valuable,n be said
courteously, 100 much Of treasure
to be risked in any copjuring trick
an ordinary modern watch l might
replace, but not work of art like
this.n
He handed it back to Sir Lewis,
who received it with ilLconcealed
satisfaction. He was as much pleas
ed, probably, at Jacks expression of
possible failure in the proposed trick
as at the recovery OF his valuable
, property.
Another watch, however, was
pounded up into a jelly, and brought
out whole from a cabinet in az adj
joining room; and this trick success
fully accomplished, Jack Newbiggin,
who was now completely on his met
tie, passed on to higher flights. He
had spent the vacation of the year
previous in France as the pupil of o
wizard of European fame, and had
mastered many of the strange feats
which are usually attributed to clair
voyauce.
There is something especially un-
canny about these tricks, and Jacks
reputation rapidly increased with
this new exhibition of his powers
Thanks to bis cross-examinatioD of
Mrs. Sitwell at dinner, be was in the
possession of many facts connected
with the company. although mostly
strangers to him; and some Of his
bits were 30 palpably happy that be
raised shouts OF surprise, followed by
that terrified hush which not uncom-
monty succeeds the display Of SEEM
ingly supernatural powers.
"Oh, but this is too preposterous,"
Sir Lewis MaIlaby was heard to say
quite angrily. The continued ap-
plause profoundly disgusted him.
This is the merest charlatanism.
1t mast be put an end to. 1t is the
commonest imposture. These are
things which be has coached up in
advance. Let him be tried with
something which upon the face of i'll
be cannot have learned beforehand by