RUNNING AN ENTERTAINIVIENT 



I had heard of him through a friend who had 

 travelled down on the boat, and he had been well 

 boosted to my pal by the agent who travelled with him. 

 I could see the Professor was a stranger to Australia, 

 and heard him talking with an American twang to the 

 barmaid. He took a soiled silk handkerchief out of 

 his pocket, and, while I couldn't hear the conversation, 

 I saw that he was telling her to tie a series of reef knots. 

 She did this, and by a rapid twist of his hands he had 

 in a moment freed the handkerchief, and was waving 

 it in the air without a knot. It was done with such 

 a professional air that I saw he was an expert, and 

 obviously in the business. We did not take long in 

 striking up an acquaintance in the hotel, and we were 

 quickly having a drink with each other, and the next 

 day he was in my office. I soon heard that I was the 

 very man he had been looking for — one able to exploit 

 him through having just enough money ; besides 

 which, newspaper experience would be helpful too. 

 Sleight-of-hand was only a side show of his business, 

 which was that of a thought reader. It was the time 

 when Bishop and Cumberland were at the game in 

 England. He found pins, pen-holders, and pocket- 

 knives which had been secreted by me. I saw that he 

 could do simple things like this to beat the band, and 

 I tried him to see if he could spot a winner or two ; 

 but he was uneducated over this course. Nevertheless, 

 he held out the best hopes that he might accomplish 

 even that after a bit. 



I bound him down to an engagement, so much a 

 week and a share, and then we were ready to go ahead. 

 The first thing he told me was that I shouldn't let him 

 walk about the streets — it was such a small place that 

 people would soon get to know him, and there would 

 be no air of mystery about him when the show opened 



68 



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