Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1892-07-22
AN ESOTERIC CLIMAX.
WHILE SPIkEToWN COUNTED SIXTY
HoKo PREPARED 1T.

A Professor of the Art of Legerdemain
Enlightens q Whole Town, at Fifty
Cents a Head, on tho Difficult and Ex-
asperating Subject of Cooking.
Nobody had ever heard of the cele-
brated Hoko Effendi, bnt the public
curiosity to see him was no less keen on
that account In the little western ILL.,
nois town on which he had alighted like
q flaming meteor the visit of professor
of magic was an event. All that was
known of him was that he had made his
appearance about the time the stage
coach from Shacksville came in, and
was supposed to have travelled in that
conveyance; that he had procured the
printing of several hundred small bills
at the Office of The Blizzard, promising
to pay for them the next day.
The evening came. The price of ad-
mission to the entertainment was fifty
cents for adults, children half price.
The celebrated Hoko Effendi was his
own doorkeeper, and the people of Spike
town turned out in large numbers.
There were no deadheads except the
editor of The Blizzard and the dignified
citizen who wore dyed whiskers and a
plug hat and announced himself at tho
door as the mayor.
When the audience began to show i'm
patience by the customary stamping and
whistling the world renowned master of
Egyptian magic accepted the proffered
services of leading citizen as door
keeper, and went back to the other end
of the hall, disappearing behind the cur
tain that hid the stage from view.
In few moments he reappeared in
front of it and made a pleasing little
speech, requesting close attention to the
performances, as many of them were Of
nature bordering on the supernatural,
and promising an entertainment such as
had never been seen in Spiketown be-
fore and never would again.
After performing some curious tricks
with playing cards he announced that
the first really difficult feat of the even
ing would now be shown-that of baking
cake without pan of any kind.
when they bake cakes are compelled
to use butter, eggs, -four, sugar, fla
voring extract, icing, etc., and put the
dough in hot oven. do nothing of
the kind. By the simple manipulation
of -four, sirup and hat l can produce
cake in FIVE minutes that no lady In
this house can equal. / will make q
cake that committee, to be selected
from the ladies present, will pronounce
the best they ever tasted. will do this
or forfeit $100. Will some kind gentle
man present oblige me with the loan OF
high silk hat? Will you kindly lend IL
to me? will take excellent care of ii
and return it in few minutes"
The mayor demurred.
"Your hat will not be injured in the
least, sir" the magician assured him.
II will return it to you without spot,
blemish or stain. have performed this
feat thousands of times without the
slightest injury to the hat"
The mayor of Spiketown, thus ap-
pealed to, relented and handed over his
cherished tile.
Then the magician produced pan oi
flour, which was passed through the
audience and unanimously declared te
be genuine. He poured it into the hat
Then a quart measure half filed with
New Orleans molasses was produced and
handed around in like manner, pro
nounced the pure, unadulterated stuff
and returned to him. He poured thii
into the hat likewise and stirred ths
mixture with long lead pencil. Tht
mayor involuntarily gasped and hal
rose In his seat, but the wizard again as
sured him, with a wave of the hand
Your hat will not be injured in thu
least, my dear sir" and he proceeded
with the performance.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen" he said
we viii witness the finale, the denoo
mong, as it were, of this unparalleled fea
| of illusion. can bake the cake just a
well on piece Of ice as on q stove; bu
as there happens to be good fire In thii
stove near the stage win bake it on toI
of that. Again, assure you, Mr.. Mayor
that your hat viii not suffer the slightes
injury
Stepping briskly down, he placed tn
| hat on the stove.
Now, good people," he said. "keel
your eye on that hat till you cal
count sixty. win retire and prepar'
| the esoteric climax"
He mounted the stage and stepped be
hind the curtain.
In moment smoke went up from
the hat on the stove, and the odor o
something scorching filed the air.
The mayor Of Spiketown jumped from
his seat, and with one bound cleared tn
distance that lay between him and th
| stove.
He lifted his precious hat.
The bottom, or rather the top, Eel
! ont. The sizzing batter spread out owe