The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1899-04-15

here. There was nothing strange or weird
in his appearance or general behavior, but
he did one hypnotic turn, a. the music
hall phrase is, that mystifed bis fellow
ranchers to the verge of lunacy until they
got used to it. One gets used to almost
anything out west, where, as some one put
il, every hand has an individuality that
sticks out like a sore thumb.
Roberts was one of little group of COL
lege-hred men who, some from choice and
some from example, have located claims in
Mason county, Wash. The Olympic noun
tains tower over their ranches, dense
forests of fir aud cedar surround them, and
a hundred miles of salt water separate
them from civilization. They have all
built cabins out of trees which their own
axes have felled; they have made all their
own furniture, and have shot the elk aud
the bears who's skins carpet their floors.
On the walls are photographs OF nice girls
"at home,' pictures cut from illustrated
papers and magazines, bookshelves full %
novels aud poetry, shotguns rifles, knives
and fishing tackle. The Skykomish river
falls down from the snow banks thousand
feet above them and rushes past their doors
a mile or two into Lake Cushman. B tn
river and lake swarm with trout bug
gamy. mettlcsome fellows, one variety
the Dolly Varden-runnjng six, seven, up
to ten pounds in weight.
The ranche1s ought to enjoy their wild,
free lives and they do. There is post
Off re- Lake Cushman aud tri-weekly
mail by stage from the sound, nine mites
distant. "Put'' is the postmaster His
name vas Putnam originally, and he Is
Trinity nan. He has large ranch st she
lake and a summer hotel where people
came Tor tie fishing. Here the men gather
for their mail, usually lingering for a smoke
AMI "a warn, and it was here that Roberts
hegan bis mysterious performances. There
were a dozen fowls, scratching and cIuck-
ing around the porch steps where he sat
alone apparently engaged in idly drawing
short. straight lines in the ground with
stick. Presently "Put' came out and
Roberts sid:
"Put what in sheol is the matter with
those chickens of yours They seem to be
paralyzed."
They certainly did, They all stood like
stataes with their beaks nailed to the lines
Roberts had been tracing.
Great Caesar! cried the astonished
Put. "Hi there! Shoe, you beg ars!"
But not feather moved.
The other men came out and shouted
and threw things without effect. Finally
Put lifted them, one after the other, from
their positions, with an energetic yank,
whereupon they broke into wild squawk
ings and fled. Roberts was in fits OF
laughter and the others all said: "Pshaw
Thatyasn't anything. Anybody could do
it. $Hckens were easy to hypnotize All
you had to do was to draw line down
their beaks and continue it along the
ground" Roberts laughed some more and
swung of up the trail.
The next time the men met at the post
office some one asked him if he knew any
more tricks Of that kind. He said be
didn't and the conversation turned
to spirituaism, mind reading, thought
transierence, and the like. 1t was agreed
that the whole thing was rubbish-fubdub,
as they say in Georgia. If there was any
thing in it why didn't spiritualists make
millions in wheat and stocks? Why did
seers invariably live in cheap lodgings
which smelled of boiled cabbage? Not one
of them ever made cent except what their
weak minded dupes paid them.
Roberts slid off the table and said he was
going.
"By the way" he remarked, II got a
ten-dollar gold piece in Hoodsport yester-
day that looks funny. I'm afraid it's
counterfeit"
He handed small round object to the
man nearest him. Several heads bent over
it, and it passed from one hand to another.
cts all right Nothing the matter with
that" was the verdict.
Thanks" said Roberts, taking it back
and throwing it on the table. The men
then saw that what they had taken for
ten-dollar gold piece was common iron
washer of wagon wheel 1t was rusty
and battered, and it had hole in the mid
die. OF course they declared with one
voice that they had been film TANNED
1T was mere sleight-of- hand, (" they said.
'No, it was fubdub, answered Roberts.
The door opened and two other ranohers.
came in.
"Hello, :" cried Roberts. "What do you
fellows think Of this ten-dollar gold piece?
Is it queer?"
He handed them the washer and they ex-
amined it carefully, weighed it in their
palms and turned it over several times.
''Don't see anything queer about that, 3"
they agreed.
The trick was repeated dozen times
with unTailing success. No one was de
ceived a second time, and most Of them de-
olaTed that they weren't really in earnest,
or the light was bad, or something Of the