The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-07-14

am glad that you have been successful. Does it mean that I am a good me- dium?"
 "Yes, exceptionally good"
 "You get your living by mesmer- ism, Godfrey says," she began someS what awkwardly-"by featuring and by giving seances like the one last night"
 "I do."
 "And do you often want a me- dium?"
 "Invariably."
 Her face frightened.
 "Would it not then be an advantage to have one-a good one, such as you say am, always at your disposal?-I mean-Oh, Mir. Carruthers, I ought not to ask you-but-"
 "My dear Mrs. Cowper," I cried, overpowered with astonishment, "you do not mean that you are going to offer me such valuable service as yours? Of course, after what you said at Mrs. Lyonesse's am well aware that you are not doing this for your amuse- ment. For such valuable service it would be an understood thing that you should accept substantial re- muneration."
 "Oh, yes," she replied tremulously, "that was what wanted to say" "And your husband2" I asked, though I could easily guess there would be no opposition on his part to a substantial sum being paid into the household treasury, while, he and his mysterious partner were writing nov els.
 "He has no objection" she replied very sadly. "I asked him this morn- ing. Godfrey and I are just now rather-rather badly cut off. It will be better by-and- by, when Godfrey has done his new book; but while he is busy with it-and, of course, it is very long business-I must see if I can't earn something."
 "Your husband has a very noble wife, Mrs. Cowper," said I.
 "I'm afraid I am more of 8 burden to him than anything else," she said, more to herself than to me. eff God frey had not married a poor, stupid girl, perhaps he would be quite we'll off now"
 Her tone, and the wistful look of her eyes, told me all of her history, which her husbands words of the previous day had failed to convey, and I mentally resolved that, as far as in me lay, I would tighten the load that evidently lay on this trusting young girls heart.
 This was the way in which my con- nection with Felicia Cowper arose. She was far more responsible for it than was. Not that 1 would shift the blame which has since fallen on me to her. Such fault as there was was neither mine nor hers, but that of her husband, who left her to fight the l battle for them both, while he dreamt ! away his time in fools paradise of egotism and flattery. In short time she became ex- tremely fashionable as superior kind of conjurer, and for the moment no one in London was more talked of than the beautiful medium, on whose | plastic mind my will could play as the skilled musician on the most re- sponsive instrument. My public and semi public en- agreements were numerous, but, be- sides these, my time was much en- gagged with what, for want ot better term, I must call my privnte prac- tice, for it was, for the moment, the height of fashion with the upper ten thousand, favored with telling spice of the forbidden and the suppernatu- ral, to have private interviews, and to | ask all sorts of questions of my won- derful clairvoyante through me.
 did not encourage this. Profes- sionally, looked upon it as waste ot invaluable energy; but Felicia, to whom the large fees we received were of the greatest importance, was inde- fatigable.
 Of her husband I saw nothing, or next to nothing. His only recogni- tion of his wife's self imposed task was that he allowed the checks which | represented her earnings to be made | payable to him. It was my interest in Felicia which induced me to make inquiries about | my former school fellows romantic | partnership, and was not surprised | to find that he was repaying her faithful love, by something worse than his very evident neglect.
 Such a popularity, however, as we had enjoyed cannot continue forever. In course of time my audiences grew smaller, and our diminished number | of engagements showed that public | curiosity was satisfied. resolved, therefore, to return to America before | we had altogether dropped out of mo- tice in England. The question was, how could I continue my lectures alone after having had for two years such valuable help from my medium? | Y G>lA |. T I.l> II l-.. L..