The Springdale news., 1888-12-14


 nation possible about any company in which he found himself. for his own purpose as a clairvOyant, and when Mrs. SitweH Tagged he piled her with artless questions, and led her on from one person to another, making mental notes to serve him hereafter. It is thus by careful and laborious prepara- tions that many of the strange and seemingly mysterious feats of the clair voyant conjuror are performed.
 When the whole party We're assem- bled 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 dissentient Sir Lewis Mallaby, who not only did not trouble himself to back up the invita- ton, 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 hat, fired wedding rings into quartern loaves, did all man. her of card tricks, knife tricks, pistol tricks and juggled on conscientiously right through his repertory. There was never a smile ou Sir Lewis face; he sneered unmistakably. Finally, with an ostentation that savored of rudeness, he took out his watch, a great gold repeater, looked at it and unmistakably yawned.
 Jack hungered for that watch direct ly he saw it. Perhaps through it he might make it's 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 one of these would do It must be good watch-a repeater.
 Sir Lewis Mallaby's was the only one in the room, and he at first dis tinct1y refused to lend it. But so many earnest entreaties were addressed to him, the hostess leading the attack, that he could not in common courtesy continue to refuse.
 With something like growl he took his watch off the chain and handed it to Jack Newbiggin.
 A curious, old-fashioned watch it was, which would have gladdened the heart of a watch collector-all jeweled and enameled, adorned with crest and inserlption-an heirloom, which had probably been in the Mallaby family for years. Jack looked it over curious ly, meditatiyely; then. suddenly rais- ing his eyes, he stared intently into Sir Lewis Mallaby's face and almost as quickly dropped them again.
 '.lhis is far too valuable,o he said, courteously, too much of treasure, to be risked in any conjuring trick. An ordinary modern watch 1 might re- place, but not a work of art like this.
 And he handed it back to Sir Lewis, who received it with ill-concealed sat isfaction- He was as much pleased, probably, at Jacks expression of pos sible failure in the proposed trick as at the recovery of his property.
 Another watch, however, was pound ed into jelly and brought out whole from cabinet in an adjoining room.
 'Oh, but it is too preposterous, Sir Lewis Mallaby was heard to say, quite angrily. The continued applause pro- foundly disgusted him. This is the merest charlatanism. It must be put an end to. It is the commonest i'm posture. These are things which he has coached up in advance. Let him be tried with something which upon the face of it he can not have learned beforehand by artificial means.
 Try him, Sir Lewis, try him your self, f,o cried several voices
 Il scarcely like to lend myself to such folly or encourage so pitiable an exhibition.
 But he seemed to be conscious that further protest would be in Jacks fa- vor; so he said: "Can you tell what l have in this pocket?' He touched the left breast of his coat.
 "A pocket book.
 Bah! Every one carries pocket book in his pocket
 '' But do you?" asked several of the bystanders, all of whom were grow ing deeply interested in this strange duel.
 Sir Lewis Mallaby confessed that he did, and produced it-an ordinary mo- rocco leather purse and pocket-book, all ill one.
 " Are you prepared to go on?" said the Baronet, haughtily, to Jack,
 Certainly.h
 What does this pocket-book con- tain?'
 " Evidence
 Evidence of what?"
 "Of facts that must. sooner OF later.