Proving His Point

Sevcral prominent people were talking together recente in a billiard room of the principal hotel in a large provmrial town in the north when a wellknown conjuror and mesmerist carne in to see if the Wllposter had left any oi his programmes, says the scoiusu Nights Two or three gentlemen began to poke íun at the prefessor and intimated that there was some trickery in his performance. Finally the mesmeric professor stood upon hls dignity, and oftered to give a free exhtbition of his skill there and then He said thát he would so place P nf the narty wben under his ence that when he had caused the 1 ject to grasp his own nose he could not leave the room without taking his fingers from his no.se. The wager was accepted and one of the party, an alderm&n, eave himsolf up to the ïnfluence of Uie mesmenst, who placed him by the side oí an iron column at the end of the room, toid him to close his eves and made a few passes over his face He then tock the alderman s aran, fcroaght it around the column, and put nis nose between hls fingers. Aíter a few more passes the professor eaid: "Now, sir, you canuot leavo the room without taking your flnger from your ] nose." The victim opened his eyes and at once saw the point of the joke.