The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-09-04
shall Succeed, but I will do my best.
Will you trust me with the note for a

shall succeed, but / will do my best.
Will you trust me with the note for a
:" Surely sir, with the, greatest OF
pleasure. If you could but find the otlier
half. it would give Harry--that's what
we call him-such q grand start in life;
schooling and the price of binding him
to some honest.trade."
Jack shook the mans hand and prom
ised to do his best, and left the cottage.
] lbue *sr T. - ste.*al *g7.* su*'93l
- When Jack Newbiggin got back to the
parsonage he found that his host had ac-
cepted an invitation for them both to
dine at the b" Big House," as it was
called, the country seat of the squire Of
the parish. - .5 -
They were cordially received at the
"Big House.n Jack was handed over
fortha ith to his old friends, who figura-
lively rushed into his arms. They were
London acquaintances, no more; of the
sort we meet here and there and every
where during the season, who care for
US, and we for them, as much as for the
South Sea Islanders, but whom we greet
with rapturous effusion when we meet
them in a strange place. Jack knew the
lady whom he escorted into dinner as a
gossipy dame, who, when his back was
turned, made as much sport of him as of
her other friends. '.'' .t
Il have been fighting your battles all
day." began Mrs. Sitwell.
"Was it necessary l should have
thought myself too insignificant"
"They were talking at lunch of your
wonderful knack in cOnjuring, and some
one said that the skill might prove in
convenient-when you played cards, for
instance" erral Hnr #"f..r fal- .r.....
"A charitable imputation! With
whom did it originated"
Sir Lewis Mallaby."
please point him out to me-" 49,
He was shown a grave, scowling. face
upon the right Of the hostess-a face like
a mask, its surface rough and wrinkled.
through which the eyes shone out with
baleful light, like corpse-candles in a
sepulcher. ''@''''A
g Pleasant creature! I'd rather not
meet him alone on a dark night nvVF
:" He has terrible character, Ger
tainly. Turned his wife out of doors
because she would not give him an heir.
1t is this want of children to inherit his
title and estates which preys upon his
mind, they say, and makes him so
morose and melancholy
Jack let his companion chatter on. 1t
was his habit to get all the information
| possible about any company in which he
found himself for his own purposes as a
clairvoyant; and when Mrs. Sitwel
tagged, he piled her with questions, and
led her on from one person to another
making mental notes to serve him here
after. 1t is thus by careful and labori-
Gus preparation that many of the strange
and seemingly mysterious feats of the
clairvoyant cOnjurer are performed.
When the whole party was assembled
in the drawing-rOom after dinner, a
chorus of voices, headed by that of the
hostess, summoned Jack to his work.
There appeared to be only one dissenti-
ent, Sir Lewis 'Mallaby, who not only
did not trouble himself to back up the
Invitation, but when the performance
was actually begun was at no pains to
conceal his contempt and disgust.
The conjuror made the conventional
| plum-pudding in a hat, fired wedding
rings into quartern loves, did all manner
of card tricks. knife tricks, pistol
| tricks. and juggled on conscienti0usly
right through his repertoire. There was
never smile on Sir Lewis face; he
sneered Enthusiastically. Finally, with
ln Ostentation that savOred of rudeness,
he took out his watch, great gold re-
peater. looked at it, and Enthusiastically
yawned.
Jack hungered for that watch directly
he saw it. Perhaps through it he might
make its owner uncomfortable, if only
for a moment. But how to get it into
his hands? He asked for a watch-a
dozen were offered. No; none of these
would do. 1t must be agold watch, a
repeater. Sir Lewis Mallaby's was the
only one in the room, and he at first dis
tlnetly refused to lend it. But so mary
entreaties were addressed to him, the
hostess leading the attack, that he could
not N common courtesy continue to re-
fuse:- With something like a growl he
took his watch off the chain and handed
it to Jack Newbiggin.
A curious old-fashioned watch it was,
which would have gladd ened the heart
of a watch collector; all jeweled and
enameled, adorned with crest and in
scription-an heirloom, which had pro-
badly been in the Mallaby family for
years. Jack looked it-over ouriously
meditatively, then suddenly raising his
eyes he stared intently into Sir Lewis
Mallaby's face, and almost as quickly
dropped them again. ~
This is far too valuable" he said,
courteously, "tOo much of treasure to
be risked in any conjuring trick; an
ordinary modern watch might replace,
but not work of art like this"
And he handed it back to Sir Lewis,
who received it with ill-concealed salts
faction. He was as much pleased, pro-
badly, at Jacks expression of possible
failure in the proposed trick as at the re-
covery of his property.
Another watch. however, was pounded
up into Jelly, and brought out whole
from a cabinet in an adjoining room !;
and this trick successfully accomplished,
Jack Newbiggin, who was now COM
pletely on his metal, passed on to higher
flights. He had spent the vacation of
the year previous in France as the pupil
of wizard of European fame, and had
mastered many of the strange feats which
are usually attributed to clairvoyance.
There is something especially uncanny
about these tri ks, and Jacks reputation
rapidly increased with this new exhibit
ton of his powers. Thanks to his cross
examination of Mrs. Sitwell at dinner,
he was in possession of many facts con-
nected with the company, although
mostly strangers to him; and some of
his hits were so palpably happy that he
raised shouts of surprise, followed by
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