Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-08-27
The Sturp Teller.
THE CONJURER'S BRIDE.

THE CONJURER'S BRIDE.
Professor George Sholbach was magician.
He was not commonplace conjurer with
blocks and balls and canes and trick tables.
He appeared before his audience with no
stage trappings of any kind, and borrowing
rings and handkerchiefs, he amused the au-
dience with really wonderful feats. The
second part of his entertainment consisted
of "mind reading" and it was with that ne
most astonished and confounded the minds
of the Western and Southern people among
whom he performed. He had circuit of
towns, in each of which he appeared atr
ular intervals. He never went off his beat
en- track, and yet he always had crowded
houses, for at each temperance he an
nounced some startling new illusion, which
proved to be more astonishing than any pre-
ceding one. Some of his tricks he import
ed from foreign countries quite as many
were of his own invention. His personal
appearance was of some assistance to him,
for he looked like magician. His hair was
let black, long and wavy. His complexion
was pale and bloodless. His forehead was
low. and under his sharply marked black
broWs burned pair of coal black eyes, bril-
liant as diamonds and restless as flame.
In Montrose he was great favorite. lie
had given his entertainments there num-
Der Of times, and was admired much by the
townspeople. He had never, however,
made any friends among them. He was
courteous to those who addressed him, but
he repelled all attempts at Intimacy.
Among those who constantly attended his
entertainments was Irene Washburne, the
daughter of the only editor in the place.
She was only nineteen years of age and was
remarkably handsome. Her dark brown
eyes and hair, coupled with complexion
in which the blood came and went like
waves on a summer sea, her rosy lips ana
milk-white teeth were the loadstones that
attracted many of the village beaux to her
fathers house. She was very Intelligent
girl, but was given to too much reading OF
the sombre tales of Poe and the weird fan
cies of Shelley. Night after night she sat
in the town hall when Sholbach was giving
his performances, chained by a strange fas-
cination which she could not explain. She
shuddered with horror when the magiclan's s
keen, restless eye lighted upon her, and
when she found him gazing at her with
strangely steady, burning look, as he often
did, she wanted to cry out with horror, but
could not. After each entertainment she
vowed that she would never again visit the
his bills appeared in the town she found her.
self irresistibly moved to 60 and see him:
This had been the state OF matters for
some time, when suddenly Sholbach threw
off his reserve and began to make friends in
Montrose. Twice, after performing IN the
town, he invited several young men to his
rooms at the hotel, and there opened bottles
of wine and served them with cigars until
they vowed that he wasa royal good fellow;
l. lo Of q prlQf
of Editor Washburne's, to introduce him to
the newspaper man. The introduction was
performed and Sholbach made such pleas
ant impression on the editor that the latter
invited the magician to visit his house when
again in town.
When Sholbach next performed in Mont
rose the editor gave little reception to him
after the entertainment. Once in the house
of Washburne, Sholbach appeared to have
eyes only for Irene. He devoted himself to
her, and attended to all her wants with
grave and tender courtesy that could not
fail to make an impression on her. But the
impression was not such as the magician
wanted While he fascinated her, he filled
her with horror. He reminded her OF a
snake.
'Why do you shrink from me?" he asked
"Do shrink from you ?" she asked tim
idly.
She was afraid to acknowelede it; she
would not have dared to acknowledge any
thing that might offend him, for her mind
was completely. subservient to his. He
could have mesmeriZed her without per-
ceptible effort, had he desired to do so.
F'Yes, you do shrink from me-" he said
gravely.
They were alone on the piazza, where the
cold moonlight lent an additional keenness
to the glitter Sholbach's eyes.
"I-I-am sorry," she said, trying to drop
her eyes, but finding them irresistibly fast
ened to his.
"Do YOU know" he continued, "that I
perform in this town oftener than in any
other?"
"Is that so ?"
Yes. And why do you suppose do it?"
81 do not know"
She did know. She knew what he was
going to say, and she would have given her
life to stop him; but she was powerless.
II love you," he whispered in hoarse
voice.
She shuddered and clasped her hands.
"Why do you not answer me ~ he said
bending closely to her. 81 tell you | love
YOU"
81 know it," she said in faint murmur.
She could not move hand or foot.
"Then, why do you not answer me"' he
asked.
She was silent.
"You love me, then. This silence comes
from your shyness. l might have known
it,"
And leaning forward he clasped her in his
arms and kissed her lips.
The charm was broken. With long,
quivering shrek, she broke from his arms
and rushed madly into the parlor among the
startled guests. Sholbach followed her, but
she fed to her father for protection.
''Take him awayw she cried "Take
him away! He will kill me with his icy
eyes-those serpent's eyes. Take him
away"
The next morning Sholbach had disap-
peared from the town, after announcing that
he would never return, and Irene lay in
fever
A year had passed away and Irene had
long ago recovered her accustomed health
and spirits. Sholbach, true to his promise,
had never come back to Montrose. In the
meantime, John Manners, stalWart young
physician, whose ability was unquestioned,
and whose physical beauty was the envy Of
every young man in the town, had found
the way to Irene's heart. She loved and
was loved in return, and it had been arrang-
ed that they should be married at her un
cle's magnificent mansion in st. Louis, in
the fall The days rolled on, and a week
before the day appointed for the wedding
Irene and her parents, together with her
lover and his parents, went to the city.
The first thing which met Irene's eyes,
when she arrived in st. Louis, was bill an
nouncing that Professor George Sholbach