Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-12-04
8he Hrgus Daily Short Story
Dan Cupid-Magician." BY Harry Houdini.
Copyright, 1907, by C. H. SutcliTe.)

In agony of apprehension Williams
started to arrange his modest conjur-
ing apparatus. A few hours earlier his
debut as a parlor entertainer had been
Il matter of joyous and ambitious an
ticipation. Now the brocaded walls
of Sen ltor Morgan's music room fair
ly threatened to close in and choke
him, while the fragrance of dollhouse
flowers oppressed him strangely He
wondered how he had ever dared to
ask the vaudeville agent who supplied
Mrs. Morgan and other fashionable
hostesses with talent to let him sub
stitute for Thorley, the eminent ma
gician who had fallen a victim to la
grippe. OF course he would fail. Mrs.
Morgan would be furious. the agent
would never give him another engage
ment, and his career would come to an
ignominious end The laughter and
chatter of the children, dancing on
the other side of the folding doors,
sounded like the deathknell of his long
cherished hopes.
Can | help you in any way? am
AliSS floA an ilC SCI anus thtS sNii
busy with supper-and | thought-per-
haps"-
Young Williams had never thought
of needing help. but as he faced the
clear eyed, fiower-like girl and the echo
of her we'll modulated voice rang in
his ears he felt that his one hope of
succeeding lay in her presence. Men
in, tbn al world
than Frank Williams had fallen under
the spell of Helen Morgan's rare sym
patty and charm and wondered how
this girl of high ideals and gentle man
nerS could be the daughter of Senator
Morgan. ponderous with the arrogance
of newly acquired wealth, and Mrs.
| Morgan. who radiated commonplace
attributes as her recently purchased
| diamonds scintillated light.
At Franks faltering thanks Helen
| Morgan began quietly, but deity, tC
carry out his instructions. placing {
| light gilt table here, n tabOret there
and where it would be within reach OF
| the conjurer's hand q candle or ;
| cleaning revolver. And. though after
1 W
| how it had happened. before the set
tings for his act were prepared the cir
| had drawn out his tale of half tragic
struggle. the prosaic, hard headed IA
| Their storming over the visionary. mex
| plicable nature of his youngest son, tht
| loyal mother secretly brooding owe
and abetting this ODD chick of her lit
l 10 lie. t.11N 1nnN or. Il
| learn the secrets of magic and then +
secure hearing. even the rented dres
| suit and the gold watch which ha,
| been pawned that very afternoon {
buy bonbons and gilded trinkets to dis
tribute among his youthful auditors
And as he finished it seemed to Helel
| Morgan that she stood in the presenc
of Il struggling genius. She had rca
| such stories of poets. musicians and iT
ventors. The tawdriness of the cOnjul
ing world faded. and tenderly her han
rested on the white satin cover of til
young mans Servante. 1t was Il bit q
his mothers wedding dress, sacrifice
gladly to her sons art. rich fabri
yellowed with age and finished wit
strips of rare old lace.
The performance was a great SUE
cess. The children were duly mystiie
and more than delighted with tn
showers of trinkets and bonbons whic
apparently came from an inexhaustibl
source. Mrs. Morgan had condescenC
ed to express her appreciation. foo
man had served a supper of such raj
delicacies that Frank had longed I
pack them all up with his paraphern:
liza and take them to his mother, an
now as he walked down the broad av
nue. leading from the house be felt ;
I if the house behind him was fairylan
indeed and Helen Morgan it's princess
But he was reused from his drea
by a grim faced butler. who came hu
rying after him.
8 You're to come back to the house
: was the brusque order, and. re-ente
: ing his fairyland, Williams faced Sci
ator Morgan, glowering figure. in Il