only correct explanation of this wonderful trick. It is now more than twenty years since I learned "second-sight" from the man who taught it to Heller. He was an illiterate fellow, a Polish Jew, and I always doubted his statement that he invented it. "Vell, me tear poy," he answered, “as I hobe to liff, I treamd id." being that it is a system of arbitrary ques- | tions and answers. This theory is easily disposed of, if we will only stop to consider how impossible it would be to have a set question for any and every article which might be offered. Such a system would be very limited, while by the proper method, as will be seen, anything can be described, even "Max," I once said to him, "tell me the curious names, long numbers, etc. truth, if you can. Where did you get Another so-called explanation is that, be-second-sight'? I know you didn't invent fore mentioned, of ventriloquism, and to this it, for it's too deep for you." theory a weekly journal once devoted nearly three columns. As a theory it is good-I may say, first-rate; but let any one attempt to practice it, and its absurdity will be apparent. My readers may be astonished when I state that there is no such thing as ventriloquism, at least in the generally accepted idea of it. That which passes for it is merely mimicry, aided by certain modulations of the voice, and rendered successful by the imagination of the audience. This talk of throwing the voice is nonsense. No ventriloquist ever lived who, standing on a stage, could throw his voice toward or beyond his audience. It is invariably in the opposite direction. It follows, then, that "Second-sight" cannot be done by ventriloquism. By far the most reasonable explanation is that of electric-telegraphy, put forward by a popular scientist. Speaking of the trick, he says: 66 Proceeding from the stage might be two wires which pass underneath the carpets in the aisles to all parts of the house. These wires are connected with the tacks which hold down the carpets, and in this case these tacks do actually have large, bright heads. Wire No. 1 being connected with one pole, and wire No. 2 with the other, each alternate tack is connected with a different wire. If, therefore, any two adjoining tacks be connected, the circuit will be complete. To make use of this arrangement, the operator might have shoes or slippers with soles of wire gauze, or very thickly sewed with wire, or pegged with fine metal nails, and to these soles might be connected a wire which would pass up one leg of his trowsers and down the other. Therefore, whenever the operator stood so that his feet rested on the heads of two consecutive tacks, the circuit would be complete. A small circuit-breaker could, of course, be easily placed in one shoe, so as to be operated by the toes, and in this way telegraphic communication could be established with the stage, or the circuitbreaker might be carried on some other part of the person. The receiving instrument on the stage might be merely a vibrating armature, the movement of which would be felt by the foot of the person on the stage, and several of these might be placed on different parts of the stage, so as to allow a considerable range of movement to the person who acts as seer." None are right, however, and it has been reserved for SCRIBNER to give the first and Whether he "treamd id" or not, I think all who read the following details will admit. that it is a highly ingenious trick. "Second-sight" is a combination of five different methods, which accounts for the fact that it has baffled the most astute investigators. The first step toward acquiring the trick is to learn the position or number of each letter in the alphabet so perfectly that the moment a letter presents itself to the mind, its number is at once associated with it. For instance, if I is thought of, 9 will instantly be suggested; if M, 13; T, 20; and so throughout. Having thoroughly mastered this, which can be done in half an hour, the next step is to memorize certain arbitrary words or cues, which represent the letters of the alphabet and their corresponding numbers. A long experience proves that the following are the best words for the purpose: With this short vocabulary properly committed to memory, any two aspiring amateurs could easily astonish their friends, for there is nothing which they could not describe. For instance, let us suppose that a watch is handed to the performer. He would ask a question something like this: "Do you see (W) what this is? Come (A), let us know (T)." Then a short pause, followed by an impatient "Hurry up (C), answer (H)." Well (5) ?” Go on (0), The assistant catches the cues,—the other words, added merely for effect, he pays no attention to, and answers, "A watch." “Now (9) tell us (4) the time. "It is a quarter of ten." "Tell me (C) what this is. now (I). Do you know (N) ? " "That is a piece of money." “Come (1), what is it worth?" "One dollar." Had the question been "What is its value?" the answer would be "One cent," the words value and worth representing respectively cents and dollars. In this way, as will be seen, anything can be spelled out, and for amateur entertainments, where no great time can be devoted to study, this will be found to answer every purpose. For professional conjurers, however, something more is necessary. With us it is business, which means hard work and continual study. We use the spelling system occasionally; but for general use it is too long, and so we employ a second method. This consists of a list of such articles as are commonly offered by an audience. This list is alphabetically arranged, and divided into triplets, each triplet having a distinguishing number. Now, were I to ask one of my readers to make out such a list, the result, in all probability, would be one containing about a third of what is necessary. It is wonderful how many things are brought out; but, that my readers may judge for themselves, let them read the following, compiled from actual experience : 1. Accordion, Album, Almanac. 3. Awl, Badge, Bag. 4. Ball, Banana, Beads. 5. Bean, Bell, Belt. 6. Bill of Exchange, Bodkin, Bonnet. 10. Dredging-box, Match-box, Music-box. 13. Nail-brush, Tooth-brush, Buckle. 14. Bullet, Bullet-mold, Burner. 19. Piece of Carpet, Cartridge, Caustic. 29. Cracker, Crayon, Crayon Drawing. 31. Diary, Die, Domino. 32. Draft, Ear-pick, Ear-ring. 33. Emblem, Envelope, Epaulet. 34. Fan, Feather, File. 35. Fish-hook, Flag, Flint. 36. Flower, Flute, Fork. 37. Tuning-fork, Fruit of some kind, Gauge. 38. Gimlet, Eye-glass, Looking-glass. 39. Magnifying-glass, Opera-glass, Opera-glass case. 40. Glove, Gouge, Grain. 41. Grapes, Graver, Guide. 42. Railway Guide, Steam-boat Guide, Gum. 45. Hammer, Handbill, Handkerchief. 49. Ice-cream, India-ink, India-rubber. 53. Knife, Knife with 1 blade, Knife with 2 blades. 54. Knife with 3 blades, Knife with 4 blades, Bowie-knife. 55. Knob, Lace, Lancet. 56. Lease, Legal document, Lemon. 60. Match, Medal, Meerschaum. 61. Piece of Metal, Microscope, Mineral. 67. Nut-cracker, Oil-silk, Ointment. 69. Paint, Paper, Blotting-paper. 70. Newspaper, Sand-paper, Passport. 71. Parasol, Peach, Pear. 72. Pen, Pen-holder; Pencil. 73. Pencil-case, Pencil-cover, Pencil-sharpener. 74. Slate-pencil, Perfume, Photograph. 75. Pickle, Pill, Pin. 76. Pin-cushion, Hair-pin, Safety-pin. 77. Scarf-pin, Shawl-pin, Pipe. 78. Pistol, Plaster, Pliers. 79. Pocket-book, Pop-corn, Portfolio. 80. Postal-card, Powder, Powder-horn. 81. Prescription, Programme, Punch. 82. Purse, Picture, Quill. 83. Rattan, Receipt, Reticule. 84. Reward of Merit, Ribbon, Ring. 85. Snake-ring, Seal-ring, Rivet. 86. Rubber Band, Rule, Printer's Rule. 88. Saw-set, Scarf, Scissors. 91. Cigar-holder, Cigar-lighter, Sewing-silk. 93. Shoe-peg, Shoe-string, Shot. 95. Soap, Spectacles, Spectacle-case. 100. Sugar, Surgical Instrument, Swivel. 102. Tack, Tag, Tape. 103. Tape-measure, Tassel, Thermometer. 105. Ball-ticket, Bath-ticket, Excursion-ticket. 112. Umbrella, Umbrella-cover, Veil. 114. Violin-string, Vegetable, Wafer. 115. Watch-guard, Water-color Sketch, Wax. If the first article in any triplet is offered by the audience, the performer merely gives the cue corresponding to the distinguishing number of the triplet, affixing some such sentence as "What is this?" to make the question natural. If it be the second article of the triplet, he adds the word here; and if the third article, he substitutes or uses that. To give an example: Suppose a glove is offered. This is the first article of the fortieth triplet. The question would be: "Tell us (4) what this is, there (0).” Should the second article in the fifteenth triplet be offered, the question would be either, "Here, what's this? Go on (15),” or "Come (1), what's this here? Well (5)?" and the answer in either case "A button-hook." It sometimes happens that two articles of the same kind are offered either in immediate succession or in the same performance, for the purpose of detecting whether the question is identical in each instance. But we are prepared for this, and avoid the snare. If, for example, two fans should be offered, one immediately after the other, for the first we would give the number cue, and for the second use merely "This?" which is known as a repeating question. If the second fan should not be offered until later on, it may be politely declined on the ground that " we had that same article but a little while ago"; or, if the owner be persistent, the word can be spelled out. It may be urged by those who have never exercised their memory to any extent, that it would be almost impossible to memorize such a list as the one given. But that practice makes the memory wonderfully acute, we have plenty of proof. Many actors have such a "quick study" that they can learn the longest part in two days, and the late J. W. Wallack, Jr., on one occasion appeared in a character, the "lines" of which he had neither heard nor read until the afternoon of the day on which the play was produced. In our own day we see many cases of excellent memories, notably that of Mr. Burbank, the elocutionist, who recites the entire play of Rip Van Winkle without once referring to a book. For my own part, my memory has so improved by constant practice in "Second-sight," that, after three readings, I can repeat any hundred words, selected at random by an audience, not only from first to last and vice versa, but also give the numbers of the order in which particular words are placed, as the tenth, twentieth, etc. Most wonderful of all is the work of the "assorters" at the New York Post-office, each of whom remembers about 20,000 names, can tell at a glance what letters belong to box-holders, or can give the number of any business firm's box. In exhibiting "Second-sight," a very wonderful effect is reached by combining the two systems of the triplets and of spelling. Suppose a necklace, bearing the name "Jane," is offered; this is the way in which the question would be asked: (Remember that necklace is the third in order of the sixty-fourth triplet.) "What is that, please (6)? Make haste (4)." "It is a gold locket, and has a name on it." The yes and good, which sound merely ejaculatory, being respectively the cues for gold and name. "Let me know (J) the name. Come (A), do you know (N) it? Well (E) ? " These questions may look strange on paper, but when asked in an abrupt, disjointed way, sound perfectly natural. So much for spelling and the triplets. Of course, there are many other cues which are not here given; as those for a torn or broken article, colors, dates, countries and initials; these are simply matters of pre-arrangement. In order to still further mystify the audience, the performer picks up a call-bell, with the remark: "As many imagine that my questions convey the name of what is offered to me, I shall dispose of that theory." Picking up some article, he taps the bell, and the answer comes as readily as if a question had been asked. This is continued six or seven times, and then even the bell is put aside. The assistant on the stage turns his back to the audience, and the performer merely points at or picks up the articles. And yet they are described. For the first of these methods, it is merely necessary to memorize six or seven ordinary articles, such as are found in every audience, as a hat, fan, handkerchief, etc. These are taken up in a pre-arranged order, and constitute the bell-questions. In a mixed audience so many things are offered that a choice is very easy. For the dumb business, a third person is brought in. This person is in some position where he can see whatever is offered to the performer,—generally at a "peep-hole" under the stage,-and, by means of a speaking-tube leading to the assistant on the stage, communicates the names of the articles. The fifth and last method-the one with which the trick is generally concluded-is what is technically known as the hat-fake, "fake" being showman's slang for "trick." Although introduced at the end, this part of the trick is begun when the performer first comes on the stage, and before the assistant appears. A soft felt hat is borrowed, and the performer requests the loan of a few articles. Considerable fuss is made in collecting these, and they are gathered from various parts of the house. As a rule, not more than three or four things are taken; but with them are placed four or five odd articles belonging to the performer, such as a curious coin, a pin cushion with a certain number of pins in it. Finally, the hat is placed where ali can see it, and the performer goes off for the assistant. As he passes behind the wings, he whispers to his assistant the names of the three borrowed articles. The trick is now introduced; it proceeds through its various phases of spelling, triplets, bell-questions and dumb business, until at length the hat is reached. "As a final and conclusive test," says the performer, "let us go back to the hat, which has never once left your sight. Will some lady or gentleman ask the questions ?" 66 The articles are handed out singly; of the borrowed ones, merely the name is given; but of those belonging to the performer, of course, the minutest details are furnished. The trick is done. The assistant retires, and the performer comes down to the footlights for his concluding speech. "Now, how is this done?" he asks. “Well, I don't mind telling you, with the express understanding that it goes no further. It is neither mesmerism, spiritism, ventriloquism, rheumatism, or any other ism. It is brought about by the action of arcane-dynamics, subjectively submitted to the action of the passive agent, and the result, as you have seen, is a stentorophonic reproduction of the original idea! I'm afraid it's not yet quite clear to some of you. Well, then, in other words, it's a system of mental telephony. When an article is offered to me, I seize it; and then my assistant, he sees it. Ah! you smile-you understand it; but, remember, not a word outside as to how it's done." The performer bows, the curtain falls, and the audience retire as much in the dark as ever, except those who have read this explanation of the secret. TWO SINGERS. SOMETIMES, dear Love, you murmur, "O, could I Alas! My springs of thought but serve to do TIGER-LILY. IN THREE PARTS: PART I. THE shrill treble of a girl's voice, raised to its highest pitch in anger and remonstrance, broke in upon the scholarly meditations of the teacher of the Ridgemont grammar school. He raised his head from his book to listen. It came again, mingled with boyish cries and jeers, and the sound of blows and scuffling. The teacher, a small, fagged-looking man of middle age, rose hastily, and went out of the school-house. Both grammar and high school had just been dismissed, and the bare-trodden playground was filled with the departing scholIn the center a group of boys had collected, and from this group the discordant sounds still proceeded. ars. "What is the meaning of this disturbance?" the master asked, coming near. At the sound of his voice the group fell apart, disclosing, as a central point, the figure of a girl of thirteen or fourteen years. She was thin and straight, and her face, now ablaze with anger and excitement, was a singular one, full of contradictions, yet not inharmonious as a whole. It was fair, but not as blondes are fair, and its creamy surface was flecked upon the cheeks with dark, velvety freckles. Her features were symmetrical, yet a trifle heavy, particularly the lips, and certain dusky tints were noticeable about the large gray eyes and delicate temples, as well as a peculiar crisp ripple in the mass of vivid red hair which fell from under her torn straw hat. Clinging to her scant skirts was a small hunchbacked boy, crying dismally, and making the most of his tears by rubbing them into his sickly face with a pair of grimy fists. teacher, with a feeble "Is that so, boys?" The boys grinned at each other furtively, but made no answer. "Boys," he remarked, solemnly, "I—I'm ashamed of you!" The delinquents not appearing crushed by this announcement, he turned again to the girl. "Girls should not quarrel and fight, my dear. It isn't proper, you know." A mocking smile sprang to the girl's lips, and a sharp glance shot from under her black, up-curling lashes, but she did not speak. "She's allers a-fightin'," ventured one of the urchins, emboldened by the teacher's reproof; at which the girl turned upon him so fiercely that he shrank hastily out of sight behind his nearest companion. "You are not one of my scholars?" the master asked, keeping his mild eyes upon the scornful face and defiant little figure. "No!" the girl answered, shortly. "I go to the high school!" "You are small to be in the high school," he said, smiling upon her kindly. "It don't go by sizes!" said the child, promptly. "No; certainly not, certainly not," said the teacher, a little staggered. "What is your name, child?" "Lilly, sir; Lilly O'Connell," she answered, indifferently. 'Lilly!" the teacher repeated, abstractedly, looking into the dusky face, with its flashing eyes and fallen ruddy tresses,"Lilly!” The teacher looked about him with disapproval in his glance. The group contained, no doubt, its fair proportion of future legislators and presidents, but the raw material was neither encouraging nor pleasant to look upon. The culprits returned his wavering gaze, some looking a little conscience-smitten, others boldly impertinent, others still (and those the worst in the lot) with a charming air of innocence and candor. "What is it?" the master repeated. Tiger-Lily! That's a good one!" "What is the matter?" "It ought to have been Tiger-Lily!" said a pert voice. "It would suit her, I'm sure, more ways than one!" and the speaker, a pretty, handsomely dressed blonde girl of about her own age, laughed, and looked about for appreciation of her cleverness. "So it would!" cried a boyish voice. "Her red hair and freckles and temper! A shout of laughter, and loud cries of |