Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1905-04-21
CHAPTER XIV

connections. All the stories were CON
fined to his vagabond days. He never
allowed any person to interrupt his mar
rutiyes by remarks; any such must be
reserved until they were concluded.
"Of all the yagabond specs l ever
launched into, none ever brought me In
so much cash as the mesmerism dodge,
be began.
| started at those words. and from
that moment became an eager and at
tentive listener.
"When | first started in It, | thought
It was all humbug. | got hold OF a sharp,
clever girl, who pretended to mesmerlze
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 Lext
night. / walked gloomily about the
town. Turning down a back street,
went into a public house. There vas
Only one other person in the room besides
mysef-a scottish looking fellow, who
bore upon him the unmistakable marks
of a follower OF st. Crispin. He was in
clined to be laxative. At first | was
too moody to bestow upon him any reply.
But he was not to be snubbed and at
last, the low cunning, and coarse, hui
morous shrewdness of his remarks, be-
gan to amuse me. He invited me home
to dinner with him. | accepted his in
vltaton.
HE lived in n soualid court. hid
eous looking place. and the home he led
me into was in keeninp with its sur-
roundings. I began TO wish myself ont
of the adventure. with all NV love of
yagabondism. this was n little beyond
me. Crouching over a handful Of fire
was girl about thirteen or fourteen
years of age with fiery red hair and n
pale. sullen face. every hone Of her thin,
angular bodv showing tbrough tho rag.
eed scontv clotbino that barely covered
hire. She rose from her seat with n
ncowlinp look Of disdoin which cban.-ed
10 one of astonishment at the SIGHT of
a well-dressed stranger. She fixed her
eyes upon me with an inouiring stare
There was something in those ewes that
strangely affected me.
Her father ordered her about with
threats. and would have used blove
believe. Md | not been there The Girl
regarded him much in the manner Of a
Gagged tigrees. who would like 10 fosten
upon her keeper but dare NOT lkent
watching her as She moved about and
suddenly a strange idea struck me. Conld
| get this girl TO plav the cloirvovont the
next night? at once put II IN her
father. Selling upon the dilemma In
which I was nIaced and which had
somewhat incautiouslv laid hare to him
no tried IN drive an extortionote horoaiD
ned her work and leaning over Tho h.cL
of n chair facing us. listened eagerly 70
NV proposition.
APO Won think Won can do it2r said
turning 10 her
81 can do ANYTHING that Won show mo
and teach me" she answered confdantIv
aThe night came. and when She was
cleon. her hoir dressed and sha v,os
clothed in the blocl velvet dress that
carried about with me she had for
moro svbilline onnearanca than hor neod-
ecessor | had drilled her we'll INTO her
t,sk NJ which found har ,,o,dar,,,il,,
apt; and, although | anticipated few
blunders. | had every hone of success.
although she had never faced an au-
dience before. and we had n large one
that night she was as fearless and self
possessed as though she had been used
to II for years.
zone OF the principal points of the
performance was to select man from
the crowd, bring him on to the platform.
put him into mesmeric 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 ac-
complete for the purpose. Whether she
was confused by the sight of so many
faces, or deceived by resemblance, l
do not know; but what was my dismay
TO see her select an entire stranger for
the experiment! In sheer desperation, l
tried TO cover the oiunder by saying that
tne party selected was not ht sub
JeCt, from certain similarity In the