Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-06-24
SW AMI Y
SpRAGGE
by Evan MACPHERSON
Copyright, 1909, by the
S. S. Mcclure Company


He's some sort of fakir or swami
or occult duck. You'll find him at the
Grand Circular. 1 got it privately"
That was what the city editor had
said in giving him the assignment, and
yet Wickham was not keen on 1t, 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 fell
| 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.
Pm reporter" said Wickham.
$50 I thought"
"Then you have guessed what I
want to see you aboutT 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, 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
| 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.
SIS 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 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.
YES" he said Il 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 a clairvoyant?'
81 might be, or l might be mahat-
ma or anything else that would inter-
est your readers. and you might be
/ reporter for the Express if you were
not in fact the representative of the
Morning Star, What can 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? Bilocation2 deviation?
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 dog
Il thought you occultists wanted to
convince the public"
And you are one Of the public's pairs
| of eyes? But if | did give you an ex-
| hibition like that Spragge stopped
| tantalzingly and looked at the report
err
Wickham sat on the very edge of his
| chair in breathless expectation OF
| something miraculous.
IF l did anything Of that kind, you'd
| have two columns about it in the Morn
ing Star. wouldn't your
81 should think So" said Wickham,
relaxing into a more comfortable at
titude.
The Englishman laughed again.
'well, perhaps your editor might let
it get into print, but much more likely
he would say you were drunk"
There was a 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 Ollye
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 a
friends house."