The San Francisco call., 1898-02-27

errant affections of a certain young lady. This interested our old doctor at once.
 "'Ahs done got fine chah'ms. suh?' he said. Does yo' want de po' man chah'm, CT de gemman's chah'mE
 How much is the gentlemen's charm?' I asked.
 l. 'Gemman's chahm five dollars, suh; DO mans chah'm two dollars fifty
 ''I took the gentlemen's charm which completed my conquest of the doctor: Having first obtained my money and carefully examined it. to guard against mistakes, he drew the curtain at the end of the room in which we were standing. There was then exposed to view as queer | looking den as 1t has ever been my fortune to behold.
 '"The apartment was naturally in- clined to be dark, for it had no win dow, and the only light came from the front room. Around the wall and dang ling by strings from the ceiling were curious objects-skins, skulls of bird and beast, odd bones and other name less relics. On deal table in the mid dle of the floor stood the ~tuffed figure of a great horned oWl-one of those fine fellows one e counters In the upper parts of Louisiana, and especially ven erated by apostles of Voodoo. Over in the most distant corner gloWed an or dinary gas stove and upon this was a pot What decoction the vessel con- tained, I know not; but 1t exhaled an unpleasant, nauseating odor, and the old doctor varied his occupation of preparing my charm by stirring 1t vigorously at intervals.
 Despite the commonplace gas stove I could not help recalling the witches in Macbeth and their cauldron, as I gazed at and smelt the Voodoo doctors mix ture. I was not allowed to approach any nearer than the dividing curtain to examine the interior decorations of this 6x9 apartment of the black art. Every time that 1 made motion to cross the prescribed limits my colored guide twitched my sleeve by way of warn ing
 "The doctor went to a shelf and took down sundry bundles of what looked to me to be punches of dried herbs. These he mixed in small teacup and poured over them a glass of water. Mumbling a few words (unintelligible to me, and which I strongly suspect to be gibberish), he strained the decoction through a piece of cheesecloth bottled the liquid portion, and presented 1t to me with a bow.
 Dat ar said he, am de strongest chahm fo' love. Yo steep de young lady's han'kchief in dat chah'm, an she love you fo' suah.'
 ''The consultation appearing to be at an end, was forced to depart; but not until I had made another effort to study the 'f1xings' of the inner room at closer range. This time I positively identified a coon skin, the skins of sev- eral rabbits and silver foxes, and what looked like the skull of dog. The old doctor was suspicious of me to the last and kept between me and the cauldron.
 1.-Two years ago I got a negro to get me a love charm in Philadelphia, and in that way opened up an acquaintance with the notorious Doctor Massy, al- ready mentioned. Massy's method of preparing a love potion differed con- siderably from that of his New York fellow practitioner. Having first paid over s2 by way of fee, the client was called on for $5 more. This latter sum was expended in purchasing five quart bottles of whisky or rum and one empty bottle. The full bottles Massy placed in circle on the floor of what he called his office Then he filled the empty bottle with water, or with some fluid that closely resembled water, and, stepping into the circle, went through