Evening capital., 1903-08-08
TALE OF A CONJURER.

SION OF the gathering was the Visit u
couple Of miners from the nearest township,
30 miles away.
"Yes. we did have call from the chap
you talk about" said Jack, "and ! don't
mind II l speak piece and let you know
just what occurred.
"He was an almighty fraud, that's what
be was-a wrong 'un all through; what the
parson would call snare and a deiusaon
from one skin to the other He came into
the Gorge one afternoon looking precious
seedy and down in the mouth. lie seemed
hungry, but he had on a black coat and
black trousers, linen collar, and a shiny
hat. That was enough TO set us against
him, but the boys here are pretty mild and
not quarrelsome, so some of US took nim IN
hand, got him a square meal in this very
house, filed his can with something to
drink, and asked him what his game was
He said he was a eonjurer. He likewise
said he was a magician. He also gave us to
understand that he was professor OF fledger'
dee-mine; ditto an ilusionist, and ditto az
exponent Of sleight-of-hand. tie ratified al
them words off jest as though they was gos-
pei truth, and / guess we was kinder I'M
pressed.
The pore feller had been travelling with
show, but the show had bust, and he was
working his way back on his feathers, CIV
ing a magical performance anywhere ne
could get an audience.
"When il came evening time, we was all
gathered here-Ancient Henry can gave evi'
dence as to what I'm saying (The store
keeper said, Dicks got the yarn pat; its
affidavit fact" 1--WE was sitting around,
and the chap said he'd like to give us an ex
hibition of conjuring and majic II we'd sub
scribe bit to help him on has road. Wens
we slung pot Of money into the hat, and he
started right away.
"He commenced with some card business,
and I'm owning up that what he done with
the cards was calculated to wipe some OF the
professors off the face of the earth. lie
seemed to hide the aces and to bring up the
kings and queens out just when he liked and
where he liked, and if had quarter OF bis
gift wouldn't be here. I'd be up in Frisco
playing poker, and | reckon I'd be able TO
retire in a month. Without mentioning
any names, there's one or two here who can
sit down to a gamble and bet money they
rise up winners, all on account OF natural
genius for manipulating the cards, but they
couldn't never hold candle to that fellow
Some of the boys wanted lessons, and he
said he'd see about that in the morning
But he never had the opportunity, for when
morning broke
'But there, let me tell what happened.
He made bowling success with the card
fakes, and we Clipped in few more pieces
Then he produced an old hat, and, says he.
will some gentleman lend me gold watch?
cat once we all turned round TO Birthstone
Ike. who owned the only gold watch for 20
miles round. 1t had been his grandfather's.
Tip up the ticker, we says to Ike, and out
he pulls it from his boot i don't know as
it'll do says Ike; it amt been goin' for
more'n 80 year But the conjurer cove says,
That's all right; hand it up So up went
Ike's gold watch.
"The man took it and held it in the air.
4 have lNze gold watch, he said. We said
we knew that--it was the only one in the en-.
tire district. The feler smiled, and dropped
| the watch a matter of three feet into the
| old hat. which was on the table. We heard
the watch 90 bang as it struck hard, and
we saw Ike's face go white. But he set firm,
and tried not to holler.
"Then the feller he borrowed pestle
from Ancient Harry, which he smashes the
sugar with, and Ike yelled out, What are
sou going ter do? The feller grinned and
started pounding away at the gold watch in
| the hat Smash, smash, went face and case
and works. He turned the tile round, and
| there was the watch, smashed to smither-
eens. Ike had his gun out in a
| tick, and the feller was as dead as
| door nails if we hadn't held Ike
| back. He's broke my watchp yelled Ike.
| We knew that, and we had been proud OF
| that watch, for it was the only one IN the
place, and it made us seem quite tony to
| have il among us, but we wanted to give the
| coniurer a chance, and so we said we'd have
| fair play.
"I got up and told the feller that, if the
watch was damaged so would he be. He
said, looking very frightened, Wait; it's a
| trick So said, If it's trick, all right;
| but, mind you, no monkey businessY He
| gave pale grin, stirred up the broken works
| in the hat, twisted it round, and showed us
the hat-emptyl The watch was gone!
"Ike was madden than ever. He said he d
tear the feller's heart out, if we'd only LEI
him go, for stealing that watch, and it was
| all six of us could do to hold him. But shen
the conjurer gives another CHASTITY grin
and produces the watch from the collar OF
his coat, all whole and right, and coed and
| soundl
"Werl, we reckoned it was a real smart
trick to smash up gold watch and make il
all good again in about two minutes, and wa
told the feller so, and Ike was mollified, but
kinder frightened. He said it was witch
craft, and we all felt bit skeery, and wished
the feller 'ud go quick and leave us our skins
when all of sudden. Jim Bloodstone, who'C
been quietly examining the hat, shouts out
Boys, it's fraud He never smashed tn,
watch at ALL Here's the gol-darned works
he bamboozled us With
"And sure enough the sneak had fooled nj
by dropping some old bits of brass and clock
work into the hat, and it was them he haC
smashed with the pestle-not the watch al
all! He never touched the watch once!
"You never see such riled crowd in you
life. We'd been fooled, reg1 sold, swim
died, by a tramp in trousers and a liner
collarl He said that was the trick, but
reckon he could see we didn't like that kline
O. trick in the Gorge. He had played it il
the wrong shop.
1--WE had the rope ready for his neck il
two-twos, and Judge Lynch had got tn,
sentence all pat, when Lawyer Bilko, VIII,
understands the law through having dom
a stretch for manslaughter-Law Blk
up and says we couldn't very well hang
man for not smashing watch, because tha
wasn't felony. He laid it down that tn
crime amounted to petty false pretences
with malice aforethought, so we brough
aim in guilty Of that, with a recommends
ton to mercy on account of his youth.
"As a consequence we only tarred AM
feathered him, and that was why you say
him walk into your town in that condition
L a q + n l.