When they have finished washing, I tell them that the balloon is descending rapidly. "Look out. now. tor when it strikes it will shake you all unless you stand on your toes. Do this and you will avoid the shock." They are on their toes at once and I now turn to the others and address them thus: "Here the balloon is nearly down ; it will be on the ground in another minute. The occupants have been away up in the clouds and when they come a little closer I want you all to cheer them and welcome them back! Now, one, two, three, hurrah!" And cheer after cheer shakes the house as the balloon cones dozen and the two parties meet as I say, "Here they are! Now, you. look out for the shock and you will land in a minute!"

There are some very expectant faces as they strike the earth and then the two parties meet with a cheer.

To them the ride has been realistic. They have not cared for the audience; they have seen the crowd, but they have not taken the trouble to reason why they were there. Consequently, they have enjoyed their ride and the others have enjoyed watching them.

CLOTHES ON FIRE.

I will now take one - I have him in mind, a Mr. Williams - and bring him before the audience as an elocutionist; at least, I will make him think that he is, while the audience will likely have a different opinion of the matter!

In selecting one this way. especially where you want an especial one, you, as an operator, must always bear in mind that diplomacy is always the wisest plan to follow. For instance, should I turn to Mr. Williams and say, "I want you to come up here and be hypnotized," he would object, and I would not have him at all. I never saw the subject who would respond willingly to a blunt request of that kind. There is too much of the element of failure in it to chance that mode of procedure.

Here, then, is the way I get Mr. Williams. It is like leading a lamb to the slaughter! "Now, I would like one, one gentleman to come forward I have had you all as a class and it will be more interesting to have just one. Who will volunteer?" I do not wait for any one to come forward, but I make a start for a boy several feet away from Mr. Williams and reach out my hand for him. Mr. Williams, with the rest, looks on with interest. But before I touch the boy. I suddenly turn to Mr. Williams and say, "All right, thank you; I guess if you are seated it will be better," and I take him by the arm with my left hand and swing a chair out in the opening of the semi-circle with the other hand. Mr. Williams is taken by surprise. He might have objected otherwise, but it all happened so suddenly and in such a matter-of-fact way that he is out of his chair and before the audience before he thoroughly realizes the situation. He will not refuse now and I have him as my subject for the experiment. Mr. Wiliams is a man who likely has a store or is in business. He is about forty years of age and is a home-appearing man; just the man, in fact, who makes the best subject for anything of the kind.

"Now, you will close your eyes Mr. Williams." I say, and I pass my hand over his face, stroking his for head as I do so. "Your eyes are getting tighter and tighter, and you will not be able to open them. There, they are perfectly tight now." And I remove my hand from his eyes. He tries to open them, but it is or no avail. The audience greet him with a hearty cheer.

"When I say ready. Mr. Williams, you will no longer be yourself, but you will be a little boy of seven and you will be in the school-room on the last day of school. You have learned your little piece, 'Mary Had a Little Lamb," and you will open your eyes, get up before the audience, make your little bow and speak your piece. Remember you will be only seven years old and you will not be able to speak plainly. Now. Ready!"

Mr. Williams opens his eyes and looks blankly around him. He sees the audience, but no longer as a man would see it. He is a little boy, and he arises, holding his clasped hands in front of him and wearing a very foolish expression for a grown man!

He walks reluctantly before the audience and makes his bow. a bow that would do justice to a little boy, but a very funny thing for a grown man to do. The audience go into convulsions of laughter over it and before he has started to speak, they are wild with enthusiastic excitement.

"Now hurry up, Robby," I say; "your name is Robby now and they are waiting for you to speak. Hurry up! You know the piece - Mary Had a Little Lamb'" - and he catches my words: "Mary had a little lamb, a little - Mary had a lamb and it was white as snow and everywhere.

That Mary went, and everywhere that Mary went, went - ".

And he is biting his fingers and looking down, trying to recall the words Hut it would make but little difference if he did recall them. The audience are merry, very merry and the very hall shakes with their laughter.

"That will do for the piece. You did very well, Robby. But," I say, passing my hands before his eyes, "You are no longer Robby; you are Madam Sqeeba, the great singer, noted in all parts of the world. You are going to sing now, and you must sing to the top of your voice. You have a very beautiful voice and you are dainty; yes, a very dainty woman. Hurry up and sing! Let me see, 'A Hot Time' is your song; it is classic, very classic. Hurry up and sing, the great theatre is packed and waiting for you!"

Mr. Williams blinks his eyes, moistens his lips and trips lightly toward the footlights. What a funny sight, this full-grown, well-matured man, believing that he is a dainty woman with a voice like a lark!

He swings from side to side a few times, clears his throat a few more times and commences to rend the air with a horrible production of that old familiar song, if song it can be called - "There'll be a hot time," etc.! How everybody does laugh. Some of the people cover their ears in a suggestive manner, but Mr. Williams never smiles. He keeps right on singing until I think he has accomplished enough and I snap my fiingers before his face just as he is getting in the "M-y B-a-b-y!" He starts and looks foolishly at the audience, who shout and laugh all the louder. I fancy that Mr. Williams doesn't enjoy the scene, but he has gone through it and the wisest thing to do is to make the best of it.