The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-04
EASY TO SEEM A WIZARD.
now AN ODsERvANT CITIZEN HAD
Fun WITH a TRAVELLED HOBO.

skill In synthetic Deduction" an
ItinerRnt Vender Appears-PrO-
ceedIngs That Followed Trying in
Turn for Victim and Experiment.
err.
From the New York Sun.
Some people have the luck to get reputa-
ton cheap, and then, after they have got
it. find out that they'd rather be without
1t That is the case with Lieut.. Oscar
King. He is at present regarded as
| wizard of superior attachments by num-
Der of more or less disreputable characters
whose notice he would gladly dispense
with. 1t all came about through the in
ability of Lieut. King to withstand the
temptation 10 perpetrate a little joke on
which an excellent opportunity presented
| itself If he had known how seriously
his joke was to be taken in certain quar-
tiers he wouldn't on any account have per-
petrated it.
About a month ago Lieut.. King was
going uptown on a crowded elevated train
when he found his feet trespassed upon by
a man standing in front or him. The lieu
tenant waggled his feet expressively, and
the occupant of them as standing room
apologIzed in muttered tones, and resumed
his conversation with a companion who
was standing up, like himself. From be-
hind his paper King became Interested IN
| the conversation, all of which was dis
ttnctly audible to him. The man who had
| stepped on his feet was recountlng his
| adventures and travels to the other in a
| racy, sketchy fashion, which was not
| without charm m ha Isetap
fellow had wandered over the length and
| breadth of the country in various shady
| pursuits, and his notions of the places
ne had visited were expressed with the
| greatest frankness, as were also certain
| details of his career not OF nature com
monty given forth TO public notice in a
community which can boast of the pres
| ence of police force. He looked like a
| hobo In good luck. Before the train reach
ed Harlem he and his companion had gra-
| Vltated TO two vacant seats out of the in
| terested listeners hearing Neither of
them had noticed him and he forgot about
them as soon as they were out of his
! sight.
Several days later Lieut.. King had occa-
casion TO call on his friend, Maj. Barry,
at the latter's office downtown. The CON
Versation turned upon the subject of char
acter reading from externals. Barry, who
Is OF a skeptlcal turn of mind, denounced
1t all as nonsense and cited the "dedue-
tons" of the famous Sherlock Holmes as
| excellent examples of the ridiculously i'm
possible
IF man whom never saw before"
| he said, comes in here and sits down In
! that chair and talks TO me l can probably
deduce whether or not he has been eating
onions for dinner. and also whether he is
! Of Irish or German extraction but as for
! getting at his profession, unless he carries
| the sign manual of 1t with him, or any,
| thing about him that dlfferentiates him
from the rest of mankind, 1 can't do 1t,
and 1 don't believe anybody else cam
| But that's just it, replied King.
Every man does carry his sign manual
II only we have the sense to see 1t and
| recognize st."
Gentlemen. have here a very fine
article of coat hanger" said a voice at the
! railing
There's living example for you" said
the major, laughing. zone look at that
man tells you, suppose, that he's a ped
der of the house-to-house order"
As 1t happened, 1t told Lieut.. King
great deal more than that, for at the first
glance he recognized the recounter of trav-
! els of the elevated train. The man had
packet of coat hangers slung over his
| back. which, at a gesture from the major
| he set down on a chair, loosening two of
| them as samples.
''This is the newest thing" he said,
| gllbly; spreads the coat and preserves
the shape of the shoulders. Positively the
only hanger that does this. 1t is as good
as having your garment pressed by the
| tailor, for II removes every wrinkle in
night. And I'm selling this splendid arti-
Gle at a quarter. It's the chance of your
| lives, gents"
| During this harangue, delivered with
JUNCTION, King had been looking intently at
the man, and now said to his friend the
major:
can that you can see in this man Is that
he is peddler, suppose"
''Who was intended by Providence for an
orator, but missed his connections some
how" remarked Barry. 'If you can see
anything more I'D like to hear 1t. But
didn't know you were a practitioner of de-
| duction, King
"Oh. I'm not an adopt at It," said King
carelessly, but l do a little in that way
occasionally, and I've no objection to try
now
Can I sell you couple of these very
| fine hangers. gents?" inquired the peddler
who had been looking rather uneasily from
one to the other, not understanding clearly
to what kind of an experiment he was to
be subjected.
my friend viii take couple presently"
said King. "Sit down for a minute Have
you ever seen me before?"
''Never in my life" said the visitor, TAX
ing a chair until 1 come into this here
| office"
Then you'd be surprised If told Won
that the name you go by is Dlnky Bill"
The man started. but answered stoutIy
that he had never heard the name before.
which caused Mai. Barry to laugh dis
dainfully.
"Oh, wait" said King. This thing is
only begun. Now" he added to the ped
dler, whats your objection TO Helena,
Montana?"
Never was there in my life, sir" said
the man with queer little gulp, as if he
were trying hard TO swallow something
that wouldn't quite go down. "wotcher
mean, anyway" he concluded with a
| whine.
"You1l scare him into thinking you're
crazy" said the major.
mo cause for alarm" said King. and
suddenly shifting his gaze, which had been
direct into the peddler's eyes, he looked in
! family at tho fellows hand