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_but Ben had the suppleness of youth
killing father
JANUARY 14, 1888.
GOLDEN DAYS.
119
It wasa trying cne, for pretty, lost Lillian
was as dear to Hal as a sister; a lit ear-
er, perhaps, for sisters are only like plain
bread to a boy. Lillian was like a cookie—
all Sugar ‘andy spice.
“We'll have to go search for her, boys.
We Yon" t. believe in spooks, you ‘know.
We'll split into couples Will and Lee will
go one way, Otis and Paul will take another,
and Jose anda third. Zach will go with
one party .and James Madison with the
other, and Ben—lI forgot Ben. Where is
Ber
No one knew where Ben was, for by this
time Melinda had been cuffed into sullen
silence. Clearly, Ben was missing, too.
“We'll have to take torches,” said “Will,
excitedly.
“And guns,” added Otis, trying not to
look. gleeful at such an adventure. “It
wouldn’t be safe to go una’ med. There may
be. wild animals around.’
“FT don’t think I can walk much to-night,”
said Paul Brace, hurriedly. “I turned my
ankle, and it hurts dreadfully. 1’d only be
in the way.”
“Oh, no, you won) ‘t, Paul,” said Lee Bur-
ritt, wickedly. A little run would limber
youu oe vially 4 if you had a bear or wolf
behind you. Come on
<Come ‘on,’ said Jose, his black eyes
flashing. «The little lady must be found, if
we go to the wolf’s den for her. Come on.”
But with the best wills in the world it took
the boys some time to organize a plan of
action and get
Ifal and his party had scarcely reached the
ravine, when a loud shouting from the house
called them back to find Lillian erying and
laughing in her mother’s arms, while Mr.
Muller, standing near, spoke a word of
Ww ar ning
“7 bring her home safe, madam. Keep
her safe... These four walls are wide enough
for her pleasure in times like this. Bey« ‘ond
there is danger, by day as well as night.
And then Lillian, throned in the “mnidst of
an attentive group, told her adventures, and
every boy’s heart was fired with mingled
envy a and admiration.
“Ty ou she was a plucky one,” said
Hal, pro: rudy. “But—but don’t try it again,
Lillian,” added the yonthful head of thi Ne
house, gravely.
won’t,”? assured Lillian. ‘You
ean have ail the exploring you want.
boys
I've
a
Meanwhile Ben had continued: his fruitless
search until he spied Dwyer’s little cabin.
A found of childish Wailing came from
withi
“Don? t, father! oh, I’m so sick!” cried a
feeble voice. “Don’t beat me, please !’”
A muttered oath followed the pitiful ery,
a blow, and a shriek that made Big Ben, who
had stood for a moment in doubt, burst open
the door with scant ceremony.
4 abies cowered in fright before the
wretched hearth, by the light ‘of which Ben
could see a pale little girl in the grasp of.a
great ruffian, whose arm was lifted again,
thr reateningly.
Vhat are
ing to the child’s rescue, |
der her, you scoundre
None of your husiness if I do,” was the
fierce “reply. “Clear out of this, or I'l mur-
der you !
“yp ry it,” said Ben, coolly. “1 faney I’d
bea better match for you than a baby like
that.
And he caught the arm that was lifted for
another blow.
The man turned on him with a snarl like
an enraged animal, and-_in the fierce wrestle
that followed, it took all Big Ben’s strength
to hold his own.
an Dwyer
ou about 2?” asked Ben, spring-
“Would you mur-
was a powerful antagonist,
in his
favor, and the children shrieked with terror
as they saw their father flung to the ground
by the stranger, whose friendly interference
they did not understand.
“Telp! help! Ile’s killing father! he’s
cried poor littie Nell, forget-
ting her own injuries.
“What’s the row here?’ asked a hoarse
voice at the door. ‘ Eh—what? Dwyer
down? Stand off, you raseal, or Pll put
bullet in you ! Are, you killing a man detore
his children’ 's eyes 2?”
n not ite him,” panted Ben, still
retaining his grasp of his prostrate foe. Pm
just keeping him from killing these little
me ‘Let him up,” ordered the newcomer,
drawing a revolver. ‘1 dor nt waste words
or blows. Let Dan up, jor I—
- “What will you do?” said Ben, lifting his
head and looking the startled stranger full
in the face. “T guess you won’t hurt me,
will Yoh father?
n!? exclaimed the elder Ashton, for
it was. in deed he who had burst in upon
them—“Ben, what on earth are you doing
here ?”"
“What -am I doing here?” The boy
started wp to his full man’ s height, while the
his lips.
1s words broke passionately from
“What the dog. does.when the wolf comes
near the fold. I am here to wate
: “, [TO BE CONTINUED.]
THE YOUNG WIZARD.
BY PROFESSOR HOFFMANN.
PART XII.—TRICKS WITH WATER AND
OTHER LIQUIDS.
THE BOWLS OF WATER AND FISH.
I do not claim, in a general way, to be a
prophet, but there is one event which I may
safely predict. As soon as the young con-
jurer is beginning to make a reputation asa
votary of the mystic art, there is one ques-
tion which is certain to be put to him. Some
inquisitive friend is sure to ask him, gener-
ally with a transparent affectation of not
caring particwarly about the matter: -
“Tsay, you know all about these things.
How on earth do conjurers manage to bring
out those bowls of water, with the fis) swim-
ming about in them ?””
The best reply to make is
“Oh, don't you know “hat? Why, the
conjurer has the whole concern in his pocket,
and whips it out when you are not looking.”
This seems so incredible that itis natur-
ally arded as a t-off, much as if you
had said that the canfurce Kept the water in
his mouth and the fish up his sleeve; but it
is true, notwithstanding.
he feat is of Chinese origin, and, like
most other conjuring tricks, 8 simple, enough
when x u know ‘how i The
bowls are saucer-shaped, varying from six
to ten inches in diameter, and from one and
a half to two and a half inches deep.
t is a curious fact that artists Parawing
fancy representations of conjur tertain-
ments always feel bound to introduce this.
rick, and for that purpose depict, either in
the conjurer’s hands or on his table, one or
two spherical bowls, or eight inches high,
such as goldfish are ally kept in, the fact
being that no condurer ever it or couid pro-
duce a bowl 0: ripti
The secret of the Kk lies {o “the use of a
tightly-fitting india-rubber cover for each
bowl, as shown in Fig. 1, representing the
Fie...
bowl prepared for use. The cover, where
fish are used, must only be put on a short
time before the nh S perfor med, or the fish
would die for lac
he bowls ths, cover ed are . concealed
about the performer’s person, and there are
several ways of doing this. Some perform
ers carry one on each. side of. the “Joading”
pocket, underneath the breast of the coat.
Some carry a bowl of small. size inside the
pred ast of the waistcoat, on either side; but a
better plau, in my opinion, is to place them
outside the waistcoat, one under each arin.
Some performers have a shallow, half-moen-
shaped pocket made outside the waistcoat
on each side to take the lower edge of the
bow], but this is not in the least necessary.
f the bowls are placed under the arms, with
the india-rubber covers next the body, a very
small degree of pressure will keep them per-
ectly secure.
To produce them, the performer takes a
square shawl or table-cover, or, better still, a
simple piece of tammy or alpaca, shows it on
this side and on that, so as to prove that no-
thing is concealed within it, then throws it
over his left shoulder, holding the left arm,
with the elbow bent at a right angle, hori.
zontally under the cloth before him.
The left hand is in this position very near
the bowi under the right arm, which it pres-
ently seizes and brings up horizontally under
the cloth.
The spectators see the bowl “materialize”
itself under the cloth, which is then lifted off
with the right hand.. In so doing. the per-
former nips the edge of
cover ‘through the cloth, and gently peels it,
so to speak, off the bowl, drawing both away
together as soon as the bowl is clear.
In producing the bowl he takes care to
spill a little of the water, in order to impress
tl he audience the more with the extreme full-
ness of the bow], though as a matter of fact
it should not be quite filled, but should allow
the cover to lie slightly concave over the sur-
face of the water.
If the performer is dexterous enough, he
mav smugale the cover oO his pocket or
it on the servante of his tnbles but if not,
he may simply crumple it up in the
and take a fresh cloth for the prod
the second bowl, which is effecte
manner, save that this time the cloth is throw n
over the right shoulder.
Some performers, having produced two
bowls of comparatively smal (sa.
seven inches diameter by an inch. “and a
half. deep) in the above mawner, finish by
producing a third of considerably larger
oe
"This is carried under the coat-tails in a
the india-rulsber | it
shallow bag suspended from the waist, and
got at, under cover of the cloth, after much
the same manner as described for the produe-
tion of the smaller bowls. In this case, how-
r, the disengaged hand is used, and not
the ‘one which supports the cloth
rs, by way of variety, after produe-
ing one or more bowls of water, produce a
brass bowl filled with tow moistened with
spirits of wine, and ignited by a mechanical
contrivance at the moment of removing the
cloth
This, however, is rather a dangerous trick,
and 1 think I shall exercise a wise discretion
by not describing it more particularly. A
better feat for the purpose of the youthful
aspirant is that o:
THE VANISHING GLASS OF WATER.
The requirements for this capital trick are
as follows :
1. Two half-pint tumblers exactly alike in
appearance. (Plain tumblers of thin glass
are the best.
2. An india-rubber cover for one of them.
3. A colored handkerchief of cotton or
silk, made double—z. e., consisting of two
similar handkerchiefs, sewn together at the
edges—with a wire ring, of like cireumfer-
ence with the tops of the tumblers, lightly
stitched iu the centre, between the two sur-
One of the two glasses is nearly filled with
water, covered with the india-: pupber cover,
and placed i in a convenient poc
The. performer, coming poner with the
second glass, fills it openly with water, tak-
ing care that the quantity shall correspond
as nearly as_ possible with that in the con-
cealed tumbler.
Placing this. on his table, rather toward
the hinder edge, he states that he requires
the assistance of some young gentleman with
a very steady hand.
A volunteer having been found, and giv-
ing satisfactory replies as to his general
steadiness, the performer says he is about to
intrust him with the custody of the glass of
water, but. to prevent spilling (or for any
other reason that may Suggest itself to him),
he will first cover it o
So saying, he sha Kes “out the handkerchief,
showing both back and front, then draws
ca refully over the glass on the table, in such
manner that the wire ring shall be. brought
just over the top of the glas:
He then with the left hand picks up the
ring, holding it horizontally through the
cloth, and gradually raises it up, at the same
time secretly withdrawing the glass with the
right band and placing it on the servante of
ae
:4
at
The cloth hangs down in folds round the
edge of the ring, and looks exactly, to the
uninstructed eye, as if the glass were still
beneath it, and the performer encourages
this idea by (apparently) taking special
pains to hold it steadily and not spill the
water, at the same time moving away with it
from the table.
‘The illusion may be enhanced by having a
little piece of wet sponge on the’ servante,
when the right han after having set down
the glass, picks up this, and after “having got
clear. of the table, gives it a squeeze, the
small quantity of water that exudes being
taken by the spectators to be spilt from the
glass, and thereby completely removing all
doubt (if they weve disposed to entertain
any) as to the > resence of the latter in the
handkerchief.
The performer then Say
“Now, sir, Lwant y o take this glass
and earry it to that ‘ady”" indicating any
one he, pleases) ; ‘take care not to spill the
=
3
AS he puts forward his hand to take the
glass, you with your right hand take hold of
one corner of the handkerchief, and give it
a jerk toward him. He stands ‘diseomfited,
for the glass has vanished.
ne ne on,’ * you say. “What are you wait-
ing for?
me For the glass, 4 he replies.
“The glass? Why, Ll have this moment
given it to you. What have you done with
feos
You keep up this sort of thing as long as it
seems to amuse the company, and then’ say:
“Well, I certainly gave you the glass, and
consequently it must still be somewhere
about you. Let me look at you. There is
rather a peculiar look about your eyes. Did
you ever suffer from water on the brain?
No? That’s rather curious, for it seems to
me that’s just what’s the matter with-you.
But we shall soon see. You must allow me
o place youin darkness for one moment,
which Ct will do by covering your head with
the handkerchief.”
So saying, you shake out the handkerchief,
and throw it lightly over the young gentle-
man’s head, the. centre (and consequently
the ring) bein just over the crown. You
pass) your hand lightly ones o twice over the
andker chief,‘and at last s
Yes, just as exper
of water on the brain, Tore is is ‘the tumbler.”
So saying, you again lift. the ring horizon-
tally within the handkerchief, the effect be-
ing as if you lifted the missing tumbler out
a decided case
of the top of the youth’s head.
The excitement created by this unexpected
phenomenon will give you ample opportun¥ y
to get out, with your disengaged hand, the
covered glass from your pe cket and intro-
duce it under the handkerchief, whence you
immediately after produce it after the man-
ner of the bowls of fish.
The fact of the wire ring being a fixture in
the centre of the handkerchief is to some
extent a drawback. tier plan is to have
a line of stitching extending from two cor-
ners to the centre, after the manner shown
by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, the ring being
RET
Fig. 2.
allowed to slip about unconfined within fhe
triangular space thus enclosed. The
corners, A and 8, should be marked cnith
colored cotton or otherwise), so as to be read-
ily recognizable by the performer
ver he holds the handkerchief by
these two corners the ring will naturally drop:
by its own weight into the centre; but when-
ever he holds it in any other manner, the ring
will fall into the lowest corner for the time
being, when ihe handkerchief may be drawn
ough the hands, proving appa-
innocence of special preparation,
e p iple of the vanishing glass. of.
water tas. ‘been adapted, by way of addi-
tional effect, to the gold-fish trick, one of
the bowls produced being made to vanish
“into thin air” ina very startling manner,
This may be done in two ways.
have an extra cloth with a stiff ca iboardk
shape in it, after the manner of the ring in
the cloth used for the glass of water.
The bowl is placed on the table, covered
with this cloth, and the shape drawn over it.
‘The shape is then lifted within the cloth, and
the bowl meanwhile deftly placed upon the
servante.
The performer withdraws to a short dis-
tance from his table, still holding the cloth
as though containing the bowl. Ile then
ae am now about to command this bow! to
disappear from the cloth, and return whence
itcame. One, two, three—go I’ ”
At the last word, he flings the cloth into the =
air, and catches it as it falls, ecrumpling it to-
', So that the presence ‘of the shape may
not be suspected.
Another and better method of producing
the same effect is to kave a bowl (blown spe-
cially for this purpose) with a gi
slightly concave, the water and fish being we
troduced by a small hole (afterward plug-
ged) in the bottom (see Fig. 3 t
1B
Be
Fie. 3.
This is produced in the ordinary way,
though, the water being securely-shut ip, of”
course no cover is necessary.
e performer takes care not to take the
bow! too near the audience, or they might per-
ceive that the upper surface is glass, and not”
water, but places it ona table in the back-
ground. He then sa
“T shall now, lad and -gentlemen, at
tempt a much more difficult feat... I sha
deavor to cause one of these bowls to d
pear.” ”
So saying, he throws the cloth over his
shoulder, picks up the bow], and with it a
piece of wet sponge from the. servante, ad-
vanees close to the company, places the bowl
beneath the cloth, gives the © spons e squeeze,
and at the same moment slips nto
a pocket or under his arm, oS thvith throw-
ing. the cloth among the company for exami-
na
ae
[TO BE CONTINUED.)
ee
—A half-dozen “Enalish words, from the
Boston Journal of Education :
Twilight is
t wwe en Hight.
r tw
Thread, th
“Perspiration is in
drops.
Strength is said to be the longest syllable in
the English language, »
e corded,
ible; sweat stands in
a
Tawra re eemne