He says that everything is in readiness. So I start. All my energies are bent on this one object, all the work of the evening has been getting me up to the successful performance of this one test. I am feverishly oblivious to all but one thing and that is to find the pin and put it in the hole.

As the floor twists under my feet I know that I must be traveling very fast. Then I stop. My hand shoots downward and grasps the pin, which has been thrust into the dress or an overcoat of a spectator. Then again the floor twists and I find myself brought to an abrupt stop before a wall. Here is where the real work comes in.

"Can you see the pin-hole?" I ask. "Yes," is the reply. "I can see it plainly".

Then I grasp the pin with my right thumb and finger and every nerve in my body is bent on the one purpose. My hand slides here and there, then suddenly I see, as though pasted to my forehead and I were viewing it from the inside, a big disc. In my hand I seem to hold a bar which goes closer and closer and finally comes to the center of the disc. I jab in the bar and the pin goes in its hole without touching the sides. I do not stop for applause, but remind my assistant that we must go back to the stage. Again the floor twists and I am soon back on the stage. I am dizzy and drop into a chair. But I hear the words, "One minute and thirty-two seconds!"

I have beaten the time of the committeeman by sixteen seconds, taking him over his route, I blindfolded, having to find what he has hidden!

When I have recovered my breath and my equilibrium sufficiently to speak, I step to the front of the platform and thank the audience thus:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you heartily on behalf of the lodge and myself. Your attention and your kindness have both assisted me in this exhausting work. I thank, too, the members of the committee for their kindness and consideration. Thank you all!"

There is applause, but my object is to get that bandage off my eyes and get some rest.

As I never followed up any of my enterprises after carefully going through graded steps of entertainments, I can tell the beginner how to make his debut. The first time I ever presented mind-reading in public; that is, in a hall, I made a complete success. It was somewhat of a novelty to me, but I realized that I must make things run smoothly. So, when I got hold of the hand of the assistant for the first time I put all my soul and energy into the task; / concentrated! And if you, student, will but keep your attention wholly absorbed in your work, if you will ever work for your own advancement, you will certainly succeed.

But I must initiate you into the secrets of the street test. Like my first entertainment, I gave my first street test without any previous preparation. I knew that, since I have allowed it to be advertised, it was a "do or die" proposition. I put myself in the position of either making a pronounced success of it or a rank failure. Again I believe that the narrative will illustrate this better than I can do through the agency of directions. This test is the one in the little town, and, necessarily, on foot.

My manager thought that it would be a good thing to put on a street test. I had given a great many hypnotic entertainments previous to this and had done much in the line of public mind-reading, but I had never put on the street test. However, in due consideration of the fact that I had said that the street test was one of my old favorites, I could not refuse when the first real nice day of our trip greeted us. The test was accordingly advertised on the streets through the agency of little hand bills. There was a goodly crowd of farmers in town and the one business street of the village was well crowded.

I was nervous, extremely so, when the time drew nigh for the test It was to take place at 2:30, I believe. But a street test should take place before then. That is a rather late hour. Half-past one is a good time. There was some little time lost in selecting the committee. But finally a furniture man - suffering, by the way, with a slight attack of rheumatism - and another business man were selected to take an envelope, address it, hide it in some store and then return to the hotel, where two others zealously watched me.

I have experienced nervousness many times when performing tests on the stage, I have been anxious over affairs of various natures, but I never experienced anything to outclass this. I felt weak and sick; that is, until I got that bandage on, then I knew that I must do my best.

I could not keep my mind off the fact that I was going down the street; I was a little anxious about keeping on the sidewalk. I was afraid of making a failure. Then my assistants told me that I was a long way past the store, but I begged them to concentrate again. Again I was going, but this time as I would do in a hall. I went into that store without realizing that I turned. Where the envelope was I cannot say. But I found it and was once more out of the store dragging the poor rheumatic undertaker along the streets despite his protests that the pace was too fast. Then I found the man to whom the letter was addressed. When that bandage was off my eyes I was at a loss to know where I was. But I had succeeded.

With the street test in a carriage it is quite another story. If you have never tried this, be sure that you get plenty of practice before you attempt it. Get out in the country where there is lots of room and where you can follow certain routes, turn out for one thing and another and handle the horse the way those with you wish you to handle it; you will then be in a fair way to succeed on the street. In our little towns the driver will not encounter a great many difficulties. The main trouble lies in the narrow roadways on the side streets where it takes a steady hand and a sure eye to keep a galloping team from running into a passing buggy.