A little merriment, to relieve the solemnity that oppresses every one, is always acceptable, and, where it can be indulged in to the extent of saying something bright and catchy, it should be taken up by the entertainer.

The committee busy themselves with the cards, breaking the seals and selecting a card. Then I am turned with my back to the audience and the card is shown them. I do not worry about the card. I know that I will get it as soon as I come to it. It is not once in fifty times that I fail in this.

"Now, if you two gentlemen will kindly put your finger tips on my temples and stand behind me, I will read your card, or rather, pick it out. Thanks. Now, will some one hand me the deck ? There. Now think whether it is face up or not. All right!"

Then I go through the deck, tossing one card after anotheroff the deck, and telling them that they are to think of the card and when they see it they are to mentally inform me. I deal out about half the deck when something seems to say, "That is your card." I do not hesitate to pick it up, and hold it so that every one can see. There is an applause, and I know conclusively that I have located the right card.

To the mind-reader who has practiced much, this is not difficult. It is different from the first tests and pleases the audience greatly.

For the next, I will try something a little more difficult. That is to say, I will perform practically the same act, but add more to it, which will strengthen my claim that this part of the entertainment is to be something quite above the tests given in the first half.

"Now, gentlemen, if you will kindly select a poker hand, I will go through the deck and pick out the cards. I will explain to you what a hand in poker is if you don't know! But - well, you will kindly pick it out!"

Of course, it makes no difference to me whether they pick out a flush, straight, a full house, two pair, four of a kind - or anything else; I get my impressions the same.

I wish to clearly state that I am not now presenting the highest phenomena. I am presenting it in the most difficult phase I have ever shown it in public. In private work I have gone into other branches, but on account of the practical ease of presenting mind-reading, when taken in comparison with clairvoyance, I am quite contented to give the telepathic side of occultism to the public.

The cards have been selected and shuffled with the rest of the pack. I again have the gentlemen place their hands on my head and I once more go through the deck, picking out the five cards as I come to them.

This takes about seven or eight minutes. For the next test, I will have the committee pick out a book or a paper. Then they are to take a certain word, and, remembering its location, etc., they will hide the book or paper somewhere in the hall. I will find it and turn to the page on which the word is printed and later place the point of a pencil upon it.

Having so instructed them, they get their book or paper and when the word is picked out, they go down among the audience and hide it, returning for me to do my part in fulfilling the requirements of the test They have secreted the book - so it proves to be - on the stage but went down among the audience simply to "test" me fully. As I have hold of the assistant's hand, however, I swing rapidly around and get the book from under the chair of one of the committee.

Then, asking a second one to assist me, I place the book on the table which is on the platform and slowly turn the pages until I have the inclination to stop. Then, taking a pencil, I place it over the spot to which it is "drawn," and the word has been found. In private I would not hesitate to attempt to tell the word, or at least to make an attempt at telling it, but in public it is far wiser to take the safe side.

An experiment of this kind takes another eight minutes. I have about fifteen minutes left. This will be sufficient time for the last test, but I will not work in any more. In all, the entertainment will have lasted about two hours, which is quite long enough for anything of this nature.

"For this test, which will be the last one, ladies and gentlemen. I will have one of the committee take an ordinary pin, go down in the hall, and make a pinhole in the wall or in any of the woodwork that will not be difficult to reach, either from its height or from its location. Then he will hide the pin and return to the stage. I will ask another member of the committee to time him, counting the time from the moment he leaves the stage until he is back again.

"Kindly remember, this pinhole is to be made on about the level of my breast, or not a great deal higher or lower. When you have made the hole, take a pencil and draw a mark - a circle - around it so that you will have no difficulty in locating it. See that it is not in a place where we will be crowded. There must be room for us both. The light should be good. Is some one ready?"

I wait for an answer and I am soon informed that one of the gentlemen is ready to start out. I ask him if he is certain of what he has to do and he assures me that he is. Then the man with the watch says that he is all ready and the man with the pin starts out.

It takes him just one minute and forty-eight seconds to get back to the stage. Here is where I must beat his record by several seconds.

"Now, remember, I am to be taken to the pin first and get that, then I am to go to the place where the pin-hole was made and you are to get in a position where you can sec the hole plainly while I place the pin in it, without making a scratch on either side".

I sometimes find it necessary to request that "the gentleman who assisted in such-an-such a test will assist me in this one." Again, I find that all of the committee are easily read, so this request is superfluous.

"Now," I say, taking hold of my assistant's hand, "Are you all ready?" He says that he is. "And is the timer ready with his watch?"