Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-03-05


Grand Circular. l got it privately"
That was what the city editor had
said i'll giving him the assignment, and
yet Wickham was not keen on it, for
he had planned to happen to be near
the ladies' entrance of quite a different
hotel that afternoon at an hour when
he had good reason to believe that
Miss Olive Parker would be going in
to get cup of tea. He was not in
terested in wandering swamis
Nevertheless he stuck to his assign
ment and was presently at the clerks
desk at the Grand Circular, trying to
form a plan of interviewing a travel
ing swami of retiring disposition. The
name on the register was in very mat
ter of fact writing: John Lyndon
Spragge, Liverpool, England"
Nothing mysterious about this fel-
low, I'll wager = common, everyday
British drummer. And in ten minutes
from now Olive will''-
Did Wickham say these thoughts
aloud or only think them? OF that
he never made sure. But a stocky
man, dressed in tweeds, tapped him
on the elbow from behind.
Looking at my autograph, sir?"
Wickham started and turned. "Is
this Mr.. Spragge"
The man in tweeds smiled pleas
antly.
I'm a reporter" said Wickham.
$50 I thought
''Then you have guessed what l
want to see you about?' fairly
good diplomatic stroke, considering
how hard it was for Wickham to
keep his mind from wandering to the
other hotel.
Mr.. Spragge smiled oddly. "Oh, l
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
Spragges 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 like an eater of thick
beefsteakS.
''Is this your first visit to American
Eyes, but you didn't come here to
ask me that"
Although this remark did not neces-
sarily imply preternatural intuition,
Wickham began to feel a little creepy
81 suppose you-you travel for pleas
ure."
By this time they were entering the
Englishman's room, on the second floor.
EYES," 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
at him. 'Are you clairvoyantp
81 might be, or I might be 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 presents?
Wickham had forgotten all about
Miss Parker "Well-er-do you really
possess these wonderful powers?"
(which? Bilocation? Levitation?
Perhaps"
"Then, 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, float up to the ceiling, chair
and all, what good would that do|
81 thought you occultists wanted to
convince the public"
"And you are one of the public's pairs
of eyes? But if 1 did give you an ex
hibition like that Spragge stopped
tantalizingly and looked at the report
er.
Wickham sat on the very edge of his
chair in breathless expectation Of
something miraculous.
'If did anything of that kind, you'd
have two columns about it in the Morn
ing Star, wouldn't you"
81 should think so," said Wickham,
relaxing into a more comfortable at
titude.
The Englishman laughed again.
swell, perhaps your editor might let
it get into print, but much more likely
he would say you were drunk
There was q pause, Wickham turn
ing over in his mind the probabilities
of this hypothetical case. If 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
late. Besides, the young lady has
changed her mind and gone to a
friends house"
Wickham's jaw dropped, and the
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?7
'Yes, in sort of way"
"Well. what is his real name|
"He didn't tell me that He's ma
gician all right. He knew l was look
ing at his name in the hotel register
when my back was turned to him."
"H'ml Is that all?'
"He knew was Star man without
my telling him."
"Wickham. If YOU think it would
take mahatma to find that out
What elseg'
Wickham turned red and stammered.
1t was borne in upon him that the final
proof of Spragge's preternatural pow
ers was much too delicately personal
to be mentioned to the city editor. AS
for putting it into print, that was un-
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