of a very simple mind and behaved
inoffensively, rather shrinking from publicity than courting it, he had
at first attracted little attention. It appeared, however, that he had
presently begun an absurd pretence of healing the sick and the lame;
and, like all charlatans, he so cunningly worked upon the imaginations
of his dupes that a remarkable number of them believed that they
actually had been healed by him. In fact, the nuisance of his operations
had grown to an extent so alarming that thousands of people stood in
line from early morning until dusk awaiting their turn to be blessed and
"healed" by the impostor. Just as several of the clergy, said Mr.
Gridley, were on the point of denouncing this creature as anti-Christ
and thus exploding his pretensions; and when the city authorities,
indeed, appealed to by the local physicians, were on the point of
suppressing him for disorderly conduct, and a menace to the public
health, since he was encouraging the people to forsake their family
physicians; and just as the news came that a long train-load of the
variously suffering was on its way from Omaha, the wretched impostor had
himself solved the difficulty by quietly disappearing. As he had refused
to take money from the thousands of his dupes who had pressed it upon
him in their fancied relief from pain, it was known that he could not be
far off, and some curiosity was at first felt as to his
whereabouts--particularly by those superstitious ones who continued to
believe he had healed them of their infirmities, not a few of whom, it
appeared, were disposed to credit his blasphemous claim to have been
sent by God.

According to the lookout thus kept for this person, it was reported that
he had been seen to pass on foot through towns lying south of Denver,
meanly dressed and accompanied by a young man named Linford. To all
inquiries he answered that he was on his way to fast in the desert as
his "Father" had commanded. His companion was even less communicative,
saying somewhat irritably that his goings and comings were nobody's
business but his own.

Some six months later the remains of the unfortunate person were found
in a wild place far to the south, with his Bible and his blanket. It was
supposed that he had starved. Of Linford no further trace had been
discovered.

The most absurd tales were now told, said Mr. Gridley, of the miracles
of healing wrought by this person--told, moreover, by persons of
intelligence who