her-in-law, Mrs. French.

This greatly pleased both the young man and his father; and the latter
said it was worth ten times the price to them, as they would now have a
case to present to their wives that would ever after cure them of
patronizing agents.

I assured them that their wives had actually purchased an article
superior to anything they could produce. They said it didn't matter--it
had all come from their store, if they didn't know how to make it.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XIX.

MY CO-PARTNERSHIP WITH A CLAIRVOYANT DOCTOR--OUR LIVELY TRIP FROM
YPSILANTI TO PONTIAC, MICHIGAN--POOR SUCCESS--THE DOCTOR AND HIS IRISH
PATIENT--MY PRESCRIPTION FOR THE DEAF WOMAN--COLLAPSED, AND IN DEBT FOR
BOARD.

I remained at this town about a fortnight, when I received a letter from
an old acquaintance then in Toledo, Ohio, but who had formerly practiced
medicine in Bronson, Michigan.

He urged me to join him at once, to take an interest in the most
gigantic scheme ever conceived.

The Doctor was a veritable Colonel Sellers.

His hair and moustache were snowy white.

He wore a pair of gold spectacles, and carried a gold-headed cane; and
altogether, was quite a distinguished-looking individual.

He was of a nervous temperament--quick in action and speech; and would
swear like a pirate, and spin around like a jumping-jack when agitated
in the least.

I took the first train for Toledo, and was soon ushered into the
Doctor's private room at the hotel. Without any preliminaries he said to
me:

"Well sir, Johnston, I'm a Clairvoyant--a Clairvoyant, sir. By laying my
hands on the table, in this manner, I can tell a lady just how old she
is, how long she has been married, how many children she has, and if she
is ailing I can tell just what her complaint is, and how long she has
been sick, and all about her."

"Can't you tell as much about a man as you can about a woman?"

"Well, ---- it, I s'pose I can, all but the children part of it."

He wanted me to act as his agent, and I should have half the profits.

We decided to go through Michigan. I wrote up a circular, and sent a
notice to a couple of towns to be printed in their local papers.

The Doctor said he would pay all expenses till we got started;
consequently I sent what money I had to my wife.

We visited several towns, meeting with no success and constantly running
behind--principally on account of the Doctor's lack of proficiency as a
Clairvoyant.