Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1890-05-13
THE JUGGLER'S WAGER.


sat oxer our coilee in the Hotel dc l'Eu-
rope, at Tifiis, the capital of Caucasusl,
u as done By man whom first met in
this very room, two years ago. It's been
good joke with ms ever since, but
CONT think there's man Of the whole
s.aH that would have cared to try it on
himself know should not. for one
I was coming in here one morning to
have my coffee and look through the
papers. N hen one of the walters met me
al the door with very important face,
and told me that great foreign iuggler
had just arrived and was staying in thc
house.
AMI he's been doing such tricks, your
honor, said the fellow, with look of
awe as no good Christian could over
90. I'm suE~i If lac hadn't paid his bill
a week in advance. I'd have taken him
for the Evil One himself This morn
ing, at breakfast, he pulled off fine ring
he wore and dropped il into his coffee,
and then told me to take the coffee away
and bring him fresh roll instead And
when the roll came, he made me cut it
open. and out tumbled the ring, rs trie
as Istand here Inever got such a fright
in my life, bat when went and told tho
master, and advised him to send the fell
low away at once, he only laughed, and
said I'd see queerer things than that be-
fore all was over.
just then there came noise of shout
ing and stamping from the coffee-room,
as if a dozen men were all fighting at
once. We both ran in together, and this
is what we saw
Near the door was an izvoshtchilZ
Qaackman) stamping and stornling like
nadman. Two or three walters were
standing little way off. looking frigilt-
ened out OF their wits. Behind them
stood the landlord himself, great, fat,
red-faced fellow, who seemed half
point of all this uproar appeared to be
quiet little man with a round, chubby.
face, who was slipping his coffee at the
nearest table, as coolly as if the whole
thing had been got up for his express
amusement
/ stepped forward into the circle, and
asked whatwas the matter but, ilsst at
first it was no easy thing to find out
The haclzman kept on yelling like a
scalded cat, and the walters all spoke at
once, and the landlord shouted and the
little man laughed, till really thought
/ should be deafenesl outright But at
last, when they'd fairly halIooei them
selves out of breath, managed TO get Mt
the rights of the story.
It seemed that th:sslittle man, who was
no other than the iui,gler in person Cor,
Wunder, Professor Of Legcrdemain p,
had hired the hackrnan to drive him
round the town, and the man had charged
him five rubles [$3.s5 Anerican), which
was just double the proper fare. How
ever, the professor said nothing, but at
once handed him fve-ruble banknote.
The fellow had scarcely got to the door,
when back he came like lightning, cry
ing out that the note had disappeared,
and that he wasn't going 20 be cheated in
that way Herr Wunder gave him an
other, and this time he got fairly outside
the door with it but the next moment
he burst in once more, in great rage,
yelling that the money was gone again..
and that he'd have tile professor arrested
as q sorcerer.
The walters confirmed the story, while
the professor himself went ON slipping
his coffee as quietly rs if he had no con-
Germ " ith the matter all.
@Now, my man, said he, when they'd
all done talking, just listen to me. Here's
the landlord of this hotel, a respectable
man and here's this gentleman, a Russian
officer, who knows better than to believe
any nonsense about money disappearing
BY magic Now, they are both witnesses
that I've given you this five-ruble note in
their presence, and that if you choose to
60 and lose it again, its no business Of
mine
Out rushed the hackman the moment
he got the note, bolted down into the
hotel kitchen, and sold the banknote one
of the cooks for ruble in silver and tho
best Of the joke was that the cook at
first refused to take it, thinking that it
must be a counterfeit because he offered
it so cheap. The old landlord laughed
fit TO kill himself, and SO did / while
the little professorsaid, with q fat chuckle:
Il don't think that lad viii try to cheat
me sgain,
AL this time had been wondering
why the professor had not advertised
himself IN our local papcrs before he ar
rived. like everybody else but soon
saw that what he had done already was
both the best and the cssszsf~sst advertise
menf that he could possibly have had.
The hackman told his story everywhere,
and the waiter told his {; and both the
tales got into the newspapers tnot with
out plenty Of embellishments, you may
Be surel. and By the end Of the week
nothing Was talked Of but the foreign
conjurer and his wonderful feats. Herr
WundeF's first performance was crowded
70 the very doors. and 50 was Lis second;
and then our general, Prince Mirski, got
him to give ! special one for the officers
and ladies Of the garrison. Then the
Grand Duke Michael came hack from
Fladikavkaz. and he made him give an
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