Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1914-05-08

THE CRYSTAL GAZER

BY GEORGE o. sHRAKE.

Everybody was terrified.
1t happened some time between
nine O'Clock "Wednesday night and five
o'clock Thursday morning At six
every one of the 300 inhabitants knew
of II. They simply did not know what
to make OF 1t.
THE like amt been heard of fol
40 years" said Alec Humbert. the vii
lage philosopher and presager-also
the authoritative bureau for informa'
ton concerning anything that Glen
Vile might want to know.
What put them entirely agog was
the fact that there was nobody to
blame, or even to suspect. There had
been no strangers In town since the
preceding Saturday night, when q
travelling doctor sold medicine from a
blackboard. These fellows came often.
Almost every week one would come
around and tell the Chenille people
that they were all sick, and then sell
them something that would cure all
ailments. If they did not chance to
get sick, they could work it into a
lather and use it to shave
Sure enough, there were two
strange men in town, but they had
been there since the day before, and
we're there yet. 1t could not be they,
Their business was to inspect tele-
phone wires. They had a horse OF
their own.
All through the next day the gossip
continued. Saturday morning things
were in a deplorable state. Nine
horses were reported missing. Every
one at the livery barn, including the
wire-inspectors' horse, had been
taken. Never in the history of Glen
vile had such a thing happened.
Nobody worked that day. Women,
men and children stood around the
streets, their faces wearing a serious
expression.
One of the two trains that stopped
daily at Glenvile brought another
medicine man. Even he was ques.
toned about seeing horses. He smiled,
and said he was not travelling on
After putting up at the hotel. he
came out in the streets to look over
his prospects. He was little fellow,
rather old, had steel-gray eyes, a few
gray hairs, and walked lame. He soon
struck up an acquaintance with Alec |
and many Of the others He |
was very sorry that they had had
such hard luck, for it surely would |
lurt his business.
Occasionally" he said, Il tell for
unes and read minds; but not often
used to do more of It,"
Il wish you could do like a woman
saw once" said Alec Humbert.
What did she do?" asked the doc
or.
Alec then explained how woman
e once saw In a vaudeville show
ould tell people whom she had never
cen what their names we're, how old
hey were, what their occupation was,
r could even tell them where any
hing was that had been lost
There was now quite a crowd
Ound Alec and the doctor, all OF
HON had heard Alec tell about the
show. Same believed, while
theirs discredited It.
MY wife and I did that, too" said
lie doctor. What did she look like,
, you remember? Maybe 1t was her." /
"A very little woman" answered l
lee. quite interested. at was at Con- g
)rville that I saw her"
Must have been her." exclaimed /
q doctor. 1--WE played together, T
lowing on alternate nights. But,
u see. she couldn't stand it, She lost |,
n mind, and finally died Then l o
it that business and went to selling p
edicine." d
The doctors medicine did not go
ny fast. The people were too scared e
buy medicine. He then started tell n
2 some of the little girls fortunes IL
d springing jokes. This, of course, t.
d a cheering effect. Some of them c,
got their serious thoughts b
How bout that tellin' where CT
ngs are?" asked ST Hoover. the first ri
tim OF the theft
I told you" answered the doctor. Sc
lat l could do that. but didn't like st
1t will drive a man insane If he af
rs much of II. But l won't mind tn
,e." m
)ne of the wire-inspectors then 16
pped up and told how he had lost WI
watch. He thought It dropped
m his pocket when he was on some pl
e. The doctor had him come up on ia
platform. then extracted a crystal GU
N his satchel Taking the inspec- m;
s hand. he began staring into the
stall tn
II appears to me-" began the doc HI
mumbling. that there is a place SCI
1t close here where the telephone ex
es cross the road There is a re;
en- house there. think see your SN
oh lying in the grass near the first +,
;" -.
he inspector, with ST Hoover and q 40,
PIE iliore ~ nis neeis, started To- pai