The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-10
a Practical Demonstration

question he thrust his teeth UP again.
Sometimes there was long interval
between the displacing and replacing
of his teeth, and you were left to Won
der whether he would ever find an an
swer to his question or would stare
vaguely across the table until the end
of time. And then his teeth would go
back suddenly with a maddening click.
came to hate old Smith, although
formerly I had thought him a genial
old fellow, and we had been the best
of friends. How to read, in the shut
fling of the cards and the champing of
his teeth, what he was thinking was
torture to all Of us in the room. We
may think sometimes that we should
like to read the souls Of our neighbors,
but / do not think we really should.
It is one Of the blessings of life that
we cannot ever exactly know our
neighbors' thoughts. If we could we
should probably be most unhappy and
without friends. But Smith, as he sat
playing Patience and champing his
teeth. had showed us his soul. What
he was thinking we did not quite know,
but we could see, or, rather, hear, his
thoughts working. ] do not think I
can describe to you how awful 1t was
to listen to his teeth going UP and
down and to the iutter Of the cards
as he shuffied them. I cannot believe
that 1T would have been more difficult
to bear If we had looked through a
hole in his skull right into the matter
of his brain. 1t set all of my nerves
jumping and raised murder in my
heart It was as much as could do to
restrain myself from spring1ng on the
man and killing him, and a look round
the room told me that all the others
felt as I did. I looked on frightened
cheeks and clenched fists. Had Hind
hypnotized us all, I wondered? There
was not one of us in the room who did
not thirst for the blood Of harmless
old man who was playing Patience.
The thought was in my heart. eff
somebody doesn't kill him I SHALL"
Fortunately, murder was not done,
but believe 1t was only Kinds watch
fulness that prevented 1t. We heard
a wild, fierce Shrek, and saw Mars
ham, a quick tempered man. dart
across the room towards the table. He
was brandishing q pocket-k knife In
dangerous manner, and he made
straight for Smith. Hind jumped up
and seized Marsham before harm was
done.
Let me kill him, let me kill himl"
Marsham cried, struggling frantieally.
But Hind held him tight. Smith rose
hastily from the table and stepped
back respectful distance.
what the devil does this mean2"
he cried. It'll be hanged If I help you
in any more practical demonstrations,
Hindu
ut has been most successful"
Successful! Here's one of my best
friends flying at me with knife!"
THAT'S just what I expected"
Marshan struggled. It'll kill hin!"
he cried. "The world will thank me
If 1 do"
xiii him, do, there's a good chap!"
we urged.
Hind, however, was strong, and held
Marsham fast. Smith looked round in
maze and alarm.
TITS some joke" he said. II don't
see what I've DONE"
"Done!" Marsham cried. you've
been torturing us for the past half
hour"
II never meant to, and I don't see
how did. Hind said, play Patience
and think. and that's what I've been
doing. What's wrong? I'm sure /
played my part Of the game all right"
"Excellently," said Hind.
"Then, what's the matter with every
body?"
you thought with your teeth, with
every card you shuffied, you villain!"
Marsham cried, land now we're going
to kill you. 1t was torture. 1t drove
us mad!"
We were all little calmer now, and,
in time, Marsham allowed himself to
be pacified. Smith, however, was very
much hurt. He declared that he had
plimentary things about Hind and
practical demonstrations. And what
the dickens, he wanted to know, had
all this to do with the Jacksons?
Cant you seer Hind asked.
We shook our heads, for we were
quite as much In the dark as Smith
was.
well, you are a set of ounces! Do
you mean to say that you can't de-
ing the true story of what happened
when Mrs. Jackson nearly murdered
her husband?"
We expressed ourselves hanged and
even worse treated than that IL we
deduced anything at all. Hind turned
up very superior nose, and said we
must be very stupid.
well. tell us what you deduce," we
cried.
Certainly" said Hind. Lets take
this evening first. We have seen a
Marsham, fly in a murderous rage at
an amiable old gentleman, as we all
know Mr.. Smith to be. The two are
great friends and have been 80 for
years. What was 1t, then, that made
a sane, respectable person become so
madly angered against his friend who
was thinking no evil Of any one? Well,
we have seen a simple game of Patti
ence and a set of false teeth. False
teeth and a game of Patience may
seem to you innocent enough, but they
invariably make audible the workings
of a mans mind, and there is not
persons in the world who can bear
the torture of listening to the form
ing of another mans thoughts. Why
that Is SO I cannot say. but 1t IL so.
I found II out long time ago. !