The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1903-04-30

| kO1S MI. OpEdSSG!
The man in tweeds smiled pleas
antly.
.T'm a reporter" said wickham.
$50 I thought"
"Then you have guessed what /
want to see you about?" a fairly
good diplomatic stroke, considering
how hard 1t was for Wickham to
keep his mind from wandering to the
other hotel.
Mr.. Spragge smiled oddly. "Oh, 1
don't know about guessed Suppose
we go up to my room."
AS they walked up one flight of car
peted stairs together he tried to guess
Spragge's age. and that puzzled him.
He studied the red and brown cheeks
and neck. and they puzzled him, too,
for he thought an occult person should
look much less Hike an eater of thick
| Deefsteaks.
us this your first visit to American
"Yes, but you didn't come here to
ask me that"
Although this remark did not neces-
sarily imply preternatural intuition,
Wickham began to feel little creepy.
81 suppose you-you travel for pleas
ure."
BY this time they were entering the
Englishman's room, on the second floor.
"Yes," he said; 81 do-that and other
things" Then. closing the door behind
him, he added, "And perhaps Spragge
is not my only name"
Wickham gasped and turned to stare
Of him Won a nlafrv0vanf9 ~
81 might he, or / might be a mahat-
ma or anything else that would inter
est your readers, and you might be a
reporter for the Express If you were
not in fact the representative of the
Morning Star What can l do in par
ticular to oblige you at PRESENT.
Wickham had forgotten all about
Miss Parker. 'Well-er-do you really
possess these wonderful powers%
(which? Bilocation7 Levitati0n?
Perhaps"
'aThen. If you don't mind. perhaps
you might
The stocky man broke in with glee-
full laugh, throwing his head back in
the chair. IF you should see me, for
instance, floet up to the ceiling. chair
and all. what good would that doY
II thought you oecultists wanted to
convince the public"
"And you are one OF the public's pairs
OF eyes? But IL / did give you an ex-
hibition like that Spragge stopped
tantalizingly and looked at the report
er.
Wiekham sat on the very edge OF his
Oh fv, 80
something miraculous.
''If did anything of that kind, you'd
have two columns about 1t in the Morn
ing Star. wouldn't your
az should think So" said Wickham,
relaxing into a more comfortable at
titude.
The Englishman laughed again.
well, perhaps your editor might let
1t get into print, but much more likely
he would say you were drunk"
There was pause, Wickham turn
ing over in his mind the probabilities
Of this hypothetical case. II reporter
was to be accused of seeing double
when he reported this kind Of thing,
what was the use OF sending him to
interview a magician? He began to
think he had better let the interview
go at that. Then he remembered Olive
Parker again and nervously pulled out
his watch.
At this the other man smiled and
shook his head. ''I'm afraid you're too
late. Besides, the young lady has
changed her mind and gone to q
friends house"
ha ms 10
stare in which his face was set was
as OF one who saw a specter.
That evening the city editor cross
examined Wickham, for the city editor
was confident there was good news
matter in this swami affair.
"You say he admits that Spragge
isn't his real name?
"Yes, i'm sort of way"
swell, what is his real nameP'
"He didn't tell me that. He's a ma
gician all right. He knew was look |
ing at his name in the hotel register |
when my back was turned to him."
"H'm. Is that ALP
"He knew / was q Star man without |
my telling him."
'Wickham. IL you think it would |
take a mahatma 10 find tnut out
What elseY' i
Wickham turned rcd and stammered |
1t was borne in upon him that the finall
proof Of Spragge's preternatural pow
ers was much too delicately PERSONAL
to be mentioned to the city editor. AsI
for putting it into print. that was uil-
thinkable.
The city editor sighed in weary dis
appointment. looked all around the
room and smiled.
Wickham went to his desk feelingI
that all his rosy prospects of journal
istic advancement were fading; but
when he reached his desk, behold, a
square envelope of a delicate gray
green tint! He opened 1t and read:
Dear Mr.. wickham-Just home from
Mrs. Cowleys reception. where Alex
would have me with her. and / didn't care
to say what In particular urged me to
shop just this afternoon.
At Mrs. c.s something turned up that
may make a good item for you. She and
q lot of them are theosophists, and Ii
seems there is a man here who gives him.
self out TO be an English swami. But
those Boer relief committee women gos
private warning that this Spragge Is thu
same English detective who was watching
dian scout service man like you read
about. Two OF the. 3. r.. c. saw him onl
the steamboat last night. They leased
ne about him. because they said he waa