Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-10-02
1t staid there dangling

the atmosphere. It staid there dangling
 !own between us.
 Abalani ordered Alzli to climb up, hur.
 lying him with a word of impatienct
 and stamp of his foot.
 Akli shook the rope with one hand, as
 If to see if it were quite secure, and then
 did as he was requested.
 Up, up, up, he clambered, higher and
 higher, gradually growing smaller and
 smaller as he ascended until he actually
 disappeared from view. Yet we could
 tell that he was still climbing away up
 there, for the rope before us trembled
 With the motion that he made Abalani
 did his best to study it.
 Then suddenly the faklr clapped his
 hands and sprang to one side We heard
 the rushing sound of a body falling i through the air, and then the form of Akli landed upon his feet before us un-
 hurt and smiling. Another clapuinr, of Abalani's hands, and rope and boy both disappeared.
 The fakir stood alone before us. Kellar and l were mystified He asked that
 Ahalaui perform the trick again. When II had been done q second time, Analaui left Us as perplsxed as before.
 For l.'v lart gay the whole riddle up had seen many a strange feat of Jugglery. but this one completely non plused me. Kellar was determined not to leave BOOlak until he had satisfied himself as tO how the trick. or feat had been performed.
 helIar's quandaTy Ecenlv as a bov. and lOEp4I hIrEH nlarEn4 1s IT. joined Us On the porch one afternoon with a certain amused expression uuop his face that made me feel reasonably snre that something interesting was up
 '4 shoHld like tu seq little Akli climb Just once more this afternoon he sand. dropping into low steamer chair with more satisfaction than had noticed irim evlnce for the past week, Con and I should he leaving tomorrow nr the next day at the latest
 To make known 8. wish there was to nave II graIitit-i. After coffee that aft "rnoon Ahalam cam" walking gravely up the Sha,ie,l path his slight figrre cEnt hc'i as hefnre-in the flowing mantle and scantS bre,,chclnth-thatd dark cop- t'er l1ns. shade lighter in color than the breast II hung against. his only dec 'isbi'il- -A> iA-IttIt- he Was alone.
 There wrr" the >Ime low salaams, his dry. hard ralmS that Were of almost the whltencss uf mine being stretched over us. Few words wcr,. spoken. Tine man could not nave been more deferential. But at the same time I thought that I detected d :,ltam of egutistical challenge III his dark ryts thar made me hope Kel- lar would succeed m detecting his trick and increased my desire to know how ii was performed.
 We moved down to tine place in the garden where We had witnessed the act before. kcllar slipping into the house a moment first. Little Akli appeared as bright and smiling as when We had first seen him. The rope appeared, Akli had climbed II. when l heard slight. sharr click! On The side where Kellar was standing. When little Akli had clam oered out of sight, Abalani clapped his . hands twice. We shuddered as we heard the sound of Akl's falling body. The rope had disappearSl, and the little fel- low stood there lowing before ns. The next moment he Was gone
 kellar hurried me into the hUus,, and {, to our room. The room had a dark closet, and soon Kellar was hold up a ar1pnng by plate from his camera for me to view hy the dim light of our ruby lantern.
 l could see Uur host. arms akimbo. looking up wonderingly. could see Aba lanl-showing upwhite in the negative his thin arms raised above his head, his feet braced widely apart. as they had been when stcadying the rope for little Akh to climb wien I had heard Ihe shutter Of the camera snap But there was no little AEli 10 be >eon anywhere. nor any rope, for that matter.
 Nh-idni bad meSncrtzed our host. Avllar and myself. l,'lt Ir Wa bevond his fakir skill to mesmcrize our detect i've "amer1.-CoE. ;r- |" CoC-cr-c ;c ' " l-r-k '. Ill