The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-30


brilliantly lighted room, and a chorus of
merry shouts arose.
| Go in," he said, "and greet them"
/ was Immediately surrounded by n
throng of laughing ucquaintances,
| whose hearty welcome quickly put me
at my ease. Hypnotism, they said, was
| great sport. They had been looking up
something new and lively for Hal
loween party, and this plan met their
ideas exactly. Elsie, they declared, had
promised them that should come.
Soon, at the Professors instance, we
began the games of the evening, which,
as he shaped them, proved marvellous
mixture of hypnotism and Halloween.
First we had a novel exhibition of
"bobbing for apples" A large empty
pan was brought in, and placed on tho
middle Of the floor. Tom Tuttle then
submitted to be "mesmerized" After
series of passes" he was assured that
the pan was full of cider, with roasted
apples floating in it. Forthwith, he
thrust down his head and made ludi-
crous efforts TO seize these imaginary
apples with his teeth. At length he
seemed to catch one, and triumphantly
held nothing-sputtering all the
while as If his nose were full of cider.
Then Philo Potter was mesmerized.
He had seen Toms performance and
laughed heartily at it, but that made
no difference; he knelt on the floor and
began ducking In the pan with the
greatest earnestness. But just as he
plunged his face into the supposed
liquid, the professor cried out that If
was scalding hot. Poor Philo sprang to
his feet with howl of anguish, and his
face grew as red as n beet. Very mad
he was, too, ut the trick played upon
him, yet was promptly relieved by ap-
plications from a basin of water steam
ing hot from the kettle, but which was
offered as fresh from the ice tank.
Each member of the company
"bobbed" in turn, and not one was able
Elsie knelt before the pan, could hard
Iy refrain from protesting; but she WINS
only told that the dish was full of honey
and n pretty picture she made, scrub
bing her sweet lips with dainty hand
kerchief TO remove the sticky stuff"
that wasn't there.
"Now professor, that is just too
mean," heard her exclaim, in a curl
ously far-oway voice.
II was my turn next, but the hyp-
notist passed me by. "As promised,
you shall he only a spectator tonight. |
You object 10 being hypnotized, and I,
Of course, must respect your wishes"
Again l heard laugh, mellow and |
silyery. They were all laughing loud
ly enough, but this seemed to- float in |
from without.
The programme OF our sports was
long and varied. We roasted nuts, and |
pulled the kali" and tasted the "cus
toc"-the latter developing strange and |
startling flavors under the subtle In. |
spration of the hypnotist. The mirth |
grew uprolrious. / entered more and
more into the spirit OF the frolic, and
laughed until was weary.
At last il was proposed that I go out
alone and "winnow corn" The theory
of this ceremony is that IL YOU go
through the motions OF tossing UP tho
grain three times an apparition OF your
future bride will drift past you. Care
must be taken, however. 20 fastcn the
doors wide open; fer the wrath which
assumes the form that is 10 bc so dear
IL i'm truth but one Of those mis-
spirits that dit about the earth
each Halloween; and should ~ succeed
in shutting the doors upon you great
harm might conc.
| hcsitatcd. but they all insisted:
go along" they cried; "it is only
ranie. and what can you see but Elsie
anyhow? You're not afraid of seeing
Elsie. are you?"
Reluctantly went out into the dark
ness. The air sccmed close, and little