The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-10-02
miscellaneous.
MOMENTOUS MAGIC.
BY VIM. A. CALDWELL.

bl w NJ A. SALD
Bloomingburg was all in rment. Char.
ley Clymer said it was a blooming burg O
blooming idiots; but then he had gone there
to sell goods and was wrathy because nobody
would talk business TO him. 1t seems that 6
sleight-of-hand performer had struck the
town and everybody was discussing his won.
deriul feats. AS soon as Clymer appeared in
store with his sample cases he Immediately
became the target for running fire of prob
lens in the black art how could man teal
up your silk hat right in front of yourHeyes
and then produce the same hat uudamaged
from cask which he had just shown you
was empty? How could he conjure a rabbit
into bottle and so on. Clymer was gener.
ally interested in such things and it was con-
tdently expected that he would throw some
light on the subject, but he didn't. He only
impaired his opinion of fakirs and jugglers
in general in q vigorous style of English that
grew steadily less placid as it became neces-
sary for him to repeat it wherever he went.
Clymer left knot of his former patrons
solemnly discussing the cabinet trick, and
walked down the street towards Halperts
store.
"If can't make sale to Halpert may as
well leave the town. Halpert's got more
sense than anybody else here anyway, and if
he's got the fever, then it must be epidemic,
and I'd better clear out or I'll catch it my
SELF
This last remark was grim humor on ely
mer's part as if he could catch anything
that would divert his thoughts from certain
little note in his breast pocket which had
reached him day or two before he left the
city, and which had been instrumental in
keeping him awake of nights and worried by
day ever since. He stopped now in the shade
of a tree, put down his sample cases, wiped
his face took out the note to ponder it again.
Here is what ne read:
DEAR CHARLEY-It almost breaks my
heart to write as l must. 1t is TO tell you
that our acquaintance must cease. l cannot
give you any explanation, but believe me it
has cost me hard struggle to write this.
can only say forget me, l can never forget
YOU. AMY.
There was one place in the note where the
words ED says" had been written and then
erased, but Charley's jealous eyes had made
them out at the first reading.
"Who in thunder's Ed, / wonder ?" he NUT
tered to himself now, and not for the first
time.
Miss Amy Layton had come some three
months previously to Mrs. Walton's boarding
house where Clymer stopped while in the
city. His Voluble landlady had spoken in
high praise of her new boarder to Clymer, and
gave him to understand that she had come
from very aristocratic family which had
been broken up by the failure and death Of
the father Clymer needed no praise of the
young lady after he once met her. The neat,
trim figure and gentle manners played havoc
with his heart at once. He had made love
TO Amy since she had been at
Mrs. Wallon's and she had received his ad-
vances kindly, so he had been corresponding
ly depressed since the receipt of the above
note, which he found awaiting him on his
return to the city from his previous trip.
Mrs. Walton sympathized heartily with the
young lover who couldn't dissemble in this
matter so successfully as he could in bust
ness ; in fact, he made no attempt to conceal
his distress.
"All know" said his landlady, lis that
she settled with me I'D to Saturday night, and
said that she was going out of the city. Per-
haps Mrs. Bolton could give you some intel
ligence of her; she brought Miss Layton here
in the first place, you know"
Clymer went to the elegant residence of
Mrs. Bolton, but that lady had gone south,
and the date of her return was uncertain. He
moped about the city for day or two and
finally started out on the road again with the
hope of finding relief by strict attention to
business. Bloomingburg was one of the first
towns he stopped at, and he was Disguised to
find it in the demoralized state described
above. When he entered the emporium Of
the amiable Halpert, he detected that worthy
sitting on a chair with his chin in his hands,
his elbows resting on his knees, and his eye s
fixed upon the floor with strong glare.
SCOT 'em again, old man ?" inquired ely
mer, making feeble effort to be jovial.
Halpert looked up.
"Hello, Glymer," he replied. IVY, dell
you vos yust denkin' o. dot magic Teller"
"Thatll dol That'll dol' said Clymer,
YEARLY as lie banged his cases down on the
counter and perched himself on STOOL" /
haven't heard of anything but that blamed
mountebank since gothere. Can'tyou talk
business while, just for changer"
"Dot's all ride" responded the placid Hal
pert, "but yust wait leetle. | didn't used
TO take no shtock in bricks myself, boot last
hide some friends dock me Offer to dot show,
unit dell you it vas gread! OF course it vas
bricks; boot how does he do 'em2 How
does he do 'em9"
II don't know how he does 'em, and
don't care. am disappointed in you, Hal
pert; am, for fact. / said on the way
down here, If there's anybody in the place
that's got grain of sense left, Halperts the
man and here you're as looney as the rest OF
'em"
Now, dere's dot cabinet" went on the
stolid Halpert. "He leds you examine it unit
shuts it oop, and ride away, shlam, bang, pop,
goes dem bells unit dings. Of course know
it vas dot seester of his vat makes der ragget
boot how does she get in dot cabinet? How
does she get in? Now he says to-nide he
wood die man in dot cabinet, unit shtill dem
performances wood go on, yust der same.
Dere goes dot seester now she amt no pad
lookin' gal, is she ?"
Clymer turned his eyes listlessy toward
the door. The next instant he nearly paraly-
zed the phlegmatc Halpert by tumbling off
the stool and rushing towards the door.
When he reached the sidewalk, however, the
object of his search had disappeared and he
came slowly back to his old perch.
"You said he would let man be in that
cabinet, tonight, didn't youf"
"Yas, OATS vot he said"
"Guess I'll drop in and see it. You fellows
can't talk about anything else, anyhow"
"Yust wait dill you see him once" retorted
the complacent Halpert, satisfied that it was
his graphic description Of the show that had
won Clymer over.
That night BloomingbuIg's Grand Opera
House was packed to tho walls. The per-
Torrance was 8 good one, unquestionably
most OF the illusions were new even to ely
mer, and the dizziness of the young magician
was really marvellous. Ii Clymer had been
in his normal condition he would have taken
deep interest in the exhibition. Finally the
shifted scenes showed the stage set for the
concluding part of the programme-the cab
met act. When the professor requested the
aid of some well-known gentleman in the au-