Mr. Parker read the item and his eyes blazed with anger.
“Do you know what this means, Penny?”
“Mr. DeWitt told me a little about the Celestial Temple society. He said the paper never ran such items.”
“Certainly not! Why, I should like nothing better than to see the entire outfit driven out of town! Riverview is honeycombed with mediums, fortune tellers and faith healers!”
“Perhaps they mean no harm, Dad.”
“I’ll grant there may be a small number of persons who honestly try to communicate with the spirit world,” Mr. Parker replied. “My concern is not with them, but with a group of professional mediums who lately have invaded the city. Charlatans, crooks—the entire lot!”
“Why don’t you write an editorial about it?” Penny suggested.
“An editorial! I am seriously tempted to start a vigorous campaign, but the trouble is, the police cannot be depended upon to cooperate actively.”
“Why, Dad?”
“Because experience has proven that such campaigns are not often successful. Evidence is hard to gain. If one place is closed up, others open in different sections of the city. The mediums and seers operate from dozens of private homes. When the police stage raids they acquire no evidence, and only succeed in making the department look ridiculous.”