Ester Ried Yet Speaking | Page 6

to."
The people who had known Flossy Shipley well would have detected a
curious little quiver in her voice, which meant that she was making a
strong effort at self-control; but a stranger would hardly have observed
it.
"Do you wish me to go away, young gentlemen?"
The scamps thus appealed to, looked at one another again, as if in
doubt what to say. This again was new ground to them. Policemen they
were accustomed to. At last Nimble Dick made answer:--
"No, I'm bound if we do; it comes the nearest to looking like a lark of
anything that we have had in a long time. I say, Parson, go off about
your business and let us alone. We was having a good time getting
acquainted till you come and spoiled it. We'll be as sober as nine
deacons at a prayer-meetin'. And look out how you insult this young
woman; she's a friend of ours, and we're bound to protect her. No

asking of her to change her seat; she's going to sit right here to the end
of the chapter."
Mr. Durant looked his willingness to summon the police at once, but
Mrs. Roberts' voice, evenly poised now, took up the story:--
"Thank you; then I will stay. And since it is getting late, suppose we
lose no more time. There was something about which I wanted to tell
you. But a few evenings ago I attended a gathering where I saw some
very singular things. A gentleman in the party was tied with a strong
rope, hands and feet, as firmly as two men could tie him,--people who
knew how to tie knots, and they did their best; yet while we stood
looking at him he shook his hand free and held it out to them. How do
you think it was done?"
"Sham knots!" said one.
"No, for my husband was one of the gentlemen who tied him, and he
assured me that he tied the rope as firmly as he could. Besides, more
wonderful things than that were done. I tied my own handkerchief into
at least a dozen very hard knots, and gave it to him, and I saw him put
it in a glass of water, then seize it and shake it out, and the knots were
gone. I saw him take two clean glasses, and pour water from a pitcher
into one, and it seemed to turn instantly to wine; then he poured that
glass of wine into the other empty glass, and immediately it turned
back to water, or seemed to. Dozens of other strange things he did. I
should really like to tell you about them all. I will, at some other time;
but just now I think you would like to know how he did them."
"How he did them!" "As if you could tell!" "Can you tell?" "Pitch in,
mum; I'd like to hear that part myself!" These were some of the eager
answers.
Had the little teacher, under the embarrassments of the occasion, taken
leave of her senses? Actually she was bending forward, opened Bible
turned face downward on her knee, engaged in describing in somewhat
minute detail the explanations of certain slight-of-hand performances
which she had recently seen! What idea of the sacredness of the office

of teacher, and the solemnity of the truths to be taught, had she?
The boys were listening, their heads bent forward all around her. What
of that? They would have listened equally well to a graphically-told
story of a Fourth Avenue riot, and been equally benefited, you think?
They did not know just when the speaker slipped from the events of
last week to the events of more than three thousand years ago. Indeed,
so ignorant were they of all past history, that they were not even aware
that she went back into the past; for aught they knew, she might have
gone, on Wednesday of last week to see the man who could untie knots
by magic, and on Thursday to see the men who could drop canes on the
ground that would appear to turn into wriggling serpents. But there was
one statement that proved too much for their credulity.
"You could not imagine what occurred next," said the bright-faced
teacher. "The cane or rod that the first man had dropped, actually
opened its mouth and swallowed the other rods that seemed to be
serpents, and was left there alone in its triumph!"
"Oh, bosh!" said Nimble Dick, contempt expressed in the very curve of
his nose, "that's too steep; I don't believe a word of it! These fellows
can do lots of queer things; I've seen 'em perform, myself; but they
never made a live thing yet; I've heard folks that know, say so."
"Precisely what I wanted