s,
but they sometimes work no little mischief.

There people do not advertise their willingness to read the
fates, and only exercise their gifts in that direction as a
matter of friendship to certain favored ones. The city and the
suburbs are full of people of this kind, who profess to know the
gift of prophecy and of miracles, but who do not make their whole
living by the exercise of their supernatural powers, depending
in part on some popular branch of industry. They differ, however,
from their sisters of the country in this regard; whenever they
do consent to do a little magic for the accommodation of an
anxious inquirer, they are very careful to charge him a round
price for it. Many of them combine fortune-telling with hard
work, and do their full day's work of faithful toil at some
legitimate employment, and in the evening amuse themselves with
witchcraft.

These are chrysalis witches; prophets in embryo; magicians in a
state of apprenticeship; they are learning the trade, and as soon
as they feel competent to do journey-work, they drop their hard
labor, and at once set up for full-fledged witches or conjurors.

Mr. Grommer, the Black Sage of Williamsburgh, and his solid and
amiable wife, were in this half-way state when they were visited
by the Cash Customer. Their fame had reached his ears by the
means of some kind friends who were cognisant of his peculiar
investigations at that time, and who told him of the supernatural
gifts of this amiable old couple.

Accordingly the Individual, having made exact inquiries as to
their local habitation, one fine morning set out in pursuit, and
in due time made up the following report. Since that time it is
reported that this worthy pair have followed the law of
progression hereinbefore hinted at, and having arrived at the
fulness of all magical knowledge, have laid aside the whitewash
pail and discarded the scrubbing-brush, and given their time
entirely to the practice of the Black Art.

The Individual beginneth his discourse thus:--

It is an old saying, that "The Devil is never so black as he is
painted." What may be the precise shade of the complexion of his
amiable majesty the Cash Customer has no means of ascertaining to
an exact nicety at this present time of writing; but he makes the
positive assertion, that some of the Satanic human employees are
so black as to need no painting of any description.

Whether or not the ancient "wise men from the East" were sw