The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-27


 You'll tar. .....4. .ue old story of Jack and the Beanstalk'-I have seen an old fakir. take a bamboo stick no thicker than his finger and thrust it down in the ground and start and climb up. as if it were tree. and keep on climbing till he was out of sight and then there would come falling down out of the sky legs and arms. his head. pieces of his body. When these struck the ground they would reassemble and make the man all over again-just like Auberry's dead boy. you know.
 ''These tricks are so common in Asia that they do not excite any wonder. As to tribal telegraph. they have got it there. Time and again when our forces were marching against the hill tribes of northwestern India we found they knew all of our plans a hundred miles ahead of us-how. none of us could tell -only the fact was there. plain and unmistakable.
 '"They never do te1.'' broke in Au- berry. "You couldn't get red to ex- plain any of this to you-not even a squaw you have lived with for years They certainly do stand pat for keeps
 "Yet once in awhile" smiled Orme in his easy way. ga white man does pick up some of these tricks 1 be Heve 1 could do a few of them myself if l liked-in fact, l have sometimes learned some of the simpler ones for my own amusement"
 General excIamations of surprise and doubt greeted him from our little cir cle. and this seemed to nettIe him somewhat. By love" he went on eff you doubt it I don't mind trying hand at 1t right now. Perhaps l have forgotten something of my old skill. but we'll see. Come. then"
 All arose now and gathered about him on the ground there in the full sunlight. He evtnced no uneasiness or surprise. and he employed no mech anism or deception which we could detect
 My good man." said he to Auberry ''let me take your knife" Auberry loosed the long hunting knife at his belt and handed it to him Taking it Orme seated himself cross legged on a white blanket. which he spread out on the sandy soil
 All at once Orme looked up with ar expression of surprise on his face '@This was not the knife l wanted" he said ''I asked for plain American hunting knife. not this one See, you have given me a Malay kris! 1 have not the slightest idea where you got 1t''
 We all looked fntently at him There. held up in his hand. was full proof of what he had said-a long blade of wavy steel. with a little crooked. carved handle. From what l had read 1 saw this to be a kris. a wavy bIaded knife of the Malays. It did not shine or Gleam in the sun, but threw back a dull reflection from it's gray steel as though lead and silver mingled in it's make The blade was about thirty inches long. whereas that of Auberry's knife could not have ex- ceeded eight inches at the most
 We did not know you had that thing around you." exclaimed BeIknap That is only sIeight of hand"
 "Is it. tndeedY' said Orme. smiling '7 tell you l did not have 1t with me After all. you see it is the same knife"
 We all gaped curiOusly and there wavy kris. extendtsl ln his hand. turn
 
 hunting knife! gasp of wonder and half terror came from the circle. Some of the men drew back 1 heard an Irish private swear and say him cross himself do not explain these things. only say l saw them.
 "I was mistaken" said Orme polite Iy. 'in offering so simple a test as this. but now. if you still think I had the kris in my clothing. how that could be. I don't know. I'm sure. and If you still wish to call my little per formance sleight of hand. then I'll do sonnet hing to prove what 1 have said and make 1t quite plain that all my friend here has said is true and more than true. Watch now and you will see blood drip from the point of this blad-every drop of blood it ever drew of man or animal Look now watch it closely"
 We looked and again, as am a liv- ing man and an honest one. I hope, I saw, as the others did. running from the point of the steel blade. a little trickling stream of red bloodl It drop ped in stream. l say. and fell on tAe white blanket upon which Orme was sitting 1t stained the blanket entirely red At this sight the entire group broke apart only few remain ing to witness the rest of the scene.
 do not attempt to explain this H. fusion or whatever it was. I do not know how long it lasted. but present ly. as I may testify. I saw Orme rise and kick at the wetted blood stained blanket He lifted it, heavy with drip ping blood 1 saw the bIoo,S fall from fits corners upon the ground