The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1891-01-31

! pOOt ldNl niue SOHlc IiIcnlS uDOk me Olcl
TO dot show, unit dell you it vas grcad
OF course it was bricks; boot how doc,
he do EN-: how does he do emf
Il don't know how he does 'em. and
don't care. | am disappointed in you.
Halprrt; | 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 are, as
| loOney rs the rest OF EN-"
Now, dere's dot cabinet" went on
the stolid IIalpcrt. "TIe leds YOU oxam-
inc it unit shuts it oop, and ride away,
Sham. 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! Hon
does she get in! Now he says to- hide he
wood die man in dot cabinet, unit shtill
dem performances wood 90 on, yust der
same. Dere goes dot secster now; she
amt no pad-lookin' gal, is she!"
Clymcr turned his eyes listlessly to-
ward the door. The next instant he
nearly paralyzed the phlegmatic Halpert
by tumbling off the stool and rushing to-
wards 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 a man be in
that cabinet tonight, didn't yon ?"
''IasS, dots vot he said"
Guess I'll drop in and see it. You
fellows can't talk about anything else,
anyhow"
"Yrst wait dill you see him once" re-
tortcd the complaccnt IIalpert. satisfied
that it was his graphic description Of
the show that had won Clvmcr over.
That night Blooming burg Grand Opera
House was pa :ked to the walls. The
performance was good one. inquest
ionably: most of the illusions were new
even to Clymcr, and the defines of the
Young magician was really marvellous.
If Clymer had been in his normal
condition he would have taken
a deep interest in the exhibition. Fin
ally the shifted scenes showed the stage
set for the concluding part of the pro-
gramme-the cabinet act. When the
professor requested the aid Of some we'll
known gentleman in the audience. Hal
bert suggested the name of Clvmer
which was speedily caught mp by others.
He accordingly went forward and took
his place on the stage. The professor
then took the two doors of the front of
the cabinet and leaned them against the
wall. He then "called the gentlemen's
particular attention - to the fact that
there was no possible communication
with the cabinet from below nor from the
wall behind. For the ediiication of the
audience he turned the cabinet round on
Its rollers. in order that they might see
that there was no door in the back.
After having returned it TO its former
position and replaced the doors. he put
a chair, a tambou!ine and some bells in
the cabinet.
" 1t will be necessary to blindfold the
gentleman and tie his hands" he ex.
planned, blandly.
Clymcr made no objection. Seating
himself in the chair, he placed his hands
in readiness for the cords. only taking
care TO close his fists tightly and thus
swell his wrists as much as possible. A
silk handkerchief was then tied over his
eyes, and after a few remarks by the pro-
fessor the door was slammed shut. CIV
mer Immediately devoted himself to the
task of slipping his hands out of the
cords. This was no easy thing to do,
and the bells and tambourine had been
going for minute or two before he fin
ally got free and pushed the handkcr-
chief up from his eyes. One glance at /
the materialized spirit before him satisfied !
him, and stepping to her side he put his
arm around her waist and said
"Amy, why did you leave me?"
The being in his arms gave a slight |
scream and dropped the bells on the stage
IS she jerked her hands back into the |
cabinet If the audience hadn't been de-
voting themselves so vigorously to |
applause over the supposed discontinue
Of Clymer, the professor might have
gotten some inkling that his spirit was in
trouble, but as it was he only knew that
the dropping of those bells was the sig
nal for opening the doors of the cabinet,
lad this he proceeded to do at once.
swinging them back to their full width |
and stepping aside so that the view of
all the auditorium might be unobstruct-
ed. The gaping spectators took one
breathless look, and then broke into
vociferous reclamation again. They
thought they understood the situation.
Clymer had found out how the trick was
lone, and was going to expose it. How
ever, he did not appear to be altogether
satisfied with the result. He relaxed his
hold of Amy and she stepped from the
cabinet and slipped out of sight among
the scenes. whispering word to the
professor on the way. Clymer
went forward to the footlights and made
his first effort at Grafton, amid an i'm
Dressive silence:
Ladies' and gentlemen, feel that l