Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-02-03
MODERN MAGIC.

THAT, said the father, pointing to
the portrait In an illustrated paper, lis
DR.. Holbank, who wrote SO many school
books. 1t should be of interest to you /"
Ibid he write 'Holbank's Arith.
metic?' asked the boy.
Eyes"
MAY have the picture?"
Certainly; clad to see you taking an
intelligent interest in your work. You
can cut it out. 2" The boy was of untidy
appearance and sallow complexion. He
possessed at school among his fellows a
reputation for mystery which he thor
oughly enjoyed. He did not attempt to
maintain it in the more critical and
skeptical atmosphere Of his home. His
name was Williams-Charles Williams.
Smith, aged IL, fully believed in him;
Thompson, aged 10, had admitted there
might be something in it.
AS they entered school Charles Will
liams carefully abstained from speak
ing to Smith, but pressed note into
his hand.
whats up?' said Smith, not being
entirely ready for mystery at the mo-
ment.
Williams put one finger warningly TO
his lips and passed on. Smith opened
the note 1t was inscribed outside: "H.
Smith, esq. Secrit and Private" Inside
ii ram
See me Immediately after school on urgent
mater of business. Your help is headed
| q. WILLIAMS.
Up the street from the school, down
@. Williams and H. Smith. 1t was a
winter afternoon and dark g. Williams
paused before house in process of
building, standing alone on the out
skirts. The workmen engaged ON it had
gone.
"This is the place. said Williams.
Follow me. No; wait until the Ian
tern is ready" He produced small
lantern from his pocket and lit it.
"Now we're ready. Ask no questions. !"
"Shan' we be copped?" asked Smith.
who's to cop us?" replied the
dauntless and mysterious one
By means of ladder they made their
way to the first floor which was still in
the skeleton stage. Smith found the
ladder good.
"This is rather sport, - he said.
1T won't be sport for some one else
when I've finished Be careful-one
false step and you re dashed to atoms. :"
They seated themselves side by side
on rafter, and Smith produced his por-
trait Of DR.. Holbank.
"Do you know who that is?'
"No."
"It's the man who wrote the arith-
metic I've been on his track for years,
ana now I've got him.
"What are you going to do?"
"Kill him. You're to help me. No
one will ever know. It's going to be
done by magic-the way they used TO
do in the old days. 4"
II don't sec what you mean"
"See these pinsp'
"Well?"
"Have you got anything against the
man? Have you ever been kept in for
arithmetic"
"Twice last week. And my answers
were right and the answers in the book
were wrong.
Take these pins and dig them into
the two eyes of the picture. That's
right. Now he's blind"
"Why:n
Whatever we do to the picture hap
pens to the real man. I'm going to dig
pin into the forehead myself. That S
where the brain is, and it II send him
mad. That'll teach him to lay traps for
us; that'll teach him recurring deci-
mails. -
Il say, do you think we ought to do
this?"
You don't know any more about re-
venge than child. I've been on this
mans track for Said that beforef
oh, yes; so l did How many horses
does it take TO pillow field in ten days
if one of the horses is goat? I'll teach
him to ask questions like that This
one is in his heart. And another pin
perforated the center of the watch chain
in the portrait Nov he's dead -
81 say, said Smith, aghast, "isn t
WAC gums Ab' IL ~ u
real "
''It's real enough. To make quite Ger
tain, if you II open the lantern II burn
that portrait. Not word to anybody,
mind. This is hanging business if
we're caught.
''You might have told me that before.
If believe it,
You II believe it all right when you
hear he's dead. Come on-down the
ladder. II see if any of the police are
waiting for u.s. You stand back. " He
peered out cautiously. Right; the
coasts clear Now, then, run for your
life. -
Father" said the magician that
night lis DR.. Holbank dead?'
"Of course. He died a week ago or
more. that's why they put his portrait