Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-09-21
CHAPTER XIV.

times to give any clue 10 his family or
connections. All the stories were con
fired to bis vagabond days He never
allowed any person TO Interrupt his mar
ratives by remarks; amy such must be
reserved until they were concluded.
"Of all the vagabond specs l ever
launched into none ever brought me in
so much cash as the mesmerism dodge"
he began.
started at those words. and frcm
that moment became an eager and at
tentive listener.
when ! 6rst started in it, l thought
it was all humhuG. ! got hold of sharp,
clever girl, who pretended to mesmerize
the accomplices ! carried about with me.
Well, one fine morning. this girl bolted
off with one Of the accomplices, and
was left in the lurch, with my bills out,
announcing. a performance for the lpXt
night. ! walked cioomily about the
town. Turning down a back street,
went into q public house. There was
Only one other person in the room besides
myself-a scottish looking fellow, who
bore upon him the unmistakable marks
of a follower Of st. Crispin. He was in
clined to be talkative. At first was
too moody 4 bestow upon him any reply.
But he wa not TO be snubbed; and, at
last, the low cunning, and coarse, hui
morous shrewdness of his remarks, be
gan to amrse me. lie invited me home
to dinner with him. | accepted his in
vitation
HE lived in squalid court, tid-
eous LOOKING place, and the home ne led
me into was in keeping with its sur
roundings. l began 10 wish myself out
of the adventure; with all my love Of
vagabondism, this was little beyond
me. Crouching over a handful of fire
was a girl about thirteen or fourteen
years Of age. with fiery red hair and a
pale, sullen fac, every bone Of her thin.
angular body showing through the rag
ged, scanty clothing that barely covered
hire She rose from her seat with a
scowling look of disdain, which chan1-ed
to one of establishment at the sight of
a well-dressed stranger. She fixed her
eyes upon me with an inquring stare.
There was something in those eyes that
strangely affected me.
Her father ordered her about with
threats and would have used blows. /
believe. had | not been there. The girl
regarded him much in the manner of a
Gagged tigress, who would like to fasten
upon her keeper, hut dare not. l kept
watching her as She moved about, and
suddenly n strange idea struck me. Could
get this girl TO play the ciairyoyant the
next night? l at once put 1t TO her
father. SEEING upon the dilemma in
WHICH I was placed. and which l had
somewhat incautiously laid bare TO Kim,
he tried to drive an extortionate bargain.
While we were speaking. the girl stop
ped her work. and leaning over the back
of a chair facing us, listened eagerly to
my proposition.
DO you think you can do it?' said,
turning TO her.
Il can do anything that you show mo
and teach me-" she answered confidently.
1.-THE night came, and when she was
clean, her hair dressed and she was
clothed in the black velvet dress that /
carried about with me, she had for
more sybilline appearance than her pred
ecessor. had drilled her well into her
task. at which l found her wonderfully
apt; and. although / anticipated a few
blunders l had every hope of success.
Although she had never faced an au-
dience before, and we had large one
that night, she was as fearless and self
possessed as though she had been used
to it for years
Zone of the principal points of the
performance was to select n man from
the crowd. bring him on TO the platform,
put Kim into mcsmeric sleep, and then
cause him to answer any questions that
the clairvoyant might choose to put TO
him; added to which. he was made TO
promise to do certain things when he
awoke. Hitherto we had used an &C.
ccmplice for the purpose. Whether She
was confused by the sight of so many
faces, or deceived by Il A~hmblance.
do not know; but what Was my dismay
to see her select an entire stranger for
| the experiment! In sheer desperation.
| tried to cover the hlunder by saying that
the party selected was not a fit sub
| ject. from certain similarity in the
color of the hair and eyes to those of
| the girl The audience grew suspicious,
and insisted that there should be no
! change.
with the perspiration starting from
every pore. | waited for what / firmly
| believed would be an iguominious expos
| ure Conceive my establishment, then
| when. after being submitted to the mes
merle influence Of her eyes for three
minutes ! saw him grow rigid, his eyes
| fixed, and his whole body drawn i"resist-
| IDLY towards her just ms had so often
! seen feigncd by my assistants. Not only
/ that hut he answered every question put
| to him, some of very awkward nature,
| with the mir of a man irresistlbly COM
! PEELED against his will. She then de-
! sired that as soon rs she should take the
( influence off him. he should 60 to the
/ chandelier in the middle of the room.
/ and burn his hat. And he did do il; ard
/ | had to buy him new one; but what
I did | care for that? l had discovered
! n fortune!
| At last. was half-inclined 20 believe
( that she had planted some friend OF her
/ own to humhug me. and raise the terms;
but | was soon convinced that such suS-
picons were groundess: and. indeed,
from the first the whole thing WAS too
/ real to be doubted.
Everywhere our success was enormous
! crowded houses. no more accomplives,
all genu ne, except tie clairyoynnce. in
which there was still n good deal of
humbug; but that humbug she and
could manage together without other as
sistance than that Of pianist.
Never was such a change seen as |
wrought in less than n week in both
/ father and daughter \ good suit of
clothes gave him quite an air Of respec-
liability. and taken away from old asso-
Citations, he became comparatively re-
formed in his habits. In the girl. the
change was still more remarkable. No
one could possibly have recognized in