After a little music I stood up, made my bow, and gave about the following harangue:
“Gentlemen, with your kind permission, I will entertain you for a few moments with a few tricks in legerdemain. I am a stranger in your place and hope to show you strange things. India is supposed to be the land of magic and the home of the conjuror, but India itself has never invented anything equal to that which I propose to do before your astonished eyes tonight. The first trick is one of my own invention, and one which no other man in the world than myself has ever successfully performed.
“Five years ago I offered one thousand dollars to any man who could do it, and tonight I will double the offer. I will give two thousand dollars in cold cash to the individual who will do the trick, and grant him full privilege to watch me while I am working.
“What is this wonderful feat? I will tell you, gentlemen. I propose to take a loaf of bread, a common, every-day loaf of bread, and right here, before your very eyes, turn it into a horse, a real, prancing, living, breathing horse.
“I was at Newton the other night, and while preparing to do the trick a man in the audience interrupted me by saying to one of his friends, ‘Bill, I know how he does it. He’s got that horse up his sleeve.’
“Now, in order to convince my audience that there was no truth in the explanation, I shall, while doing this feat, take off my coat and roll up my shirt sleeves. This certainly ought to be enough to convince the most skeptical.
“I have just sent for a loaf of bread,” (after a few whispered words the “local” musician had suddenly taken his departure) “and while the young man is gone, allow me to talk for a few moments concerning a little article I have with me here, an article by the assistance of which, in reality, I do some of my most singular feats.
“Understand, gentlemen, I am not going to sell these articles, but intend to give them away to those fortunate individuals who apply before the limited supply is exhausted.
“The instrument is known as the Microscopic Look-Back, and was an original invention of my own while I was on the detective police force. The only reason why I don’t sell them is because the law forbids me doing so. But, my friends, in this great and glorious land of ours, which lies under the stars and stripes, where every man is free and endowed with certain inalienable rights, there is no law which can stop my giving them away.
“I can the better explain to you the benefits of this little instrument by giving some practical illustrations of its use.”