eling through the
Street of Carnivals. He watched the fronts of the amusement buildings
pass before him and he read their advertisements listlessly.

Suddenly one sign seemed to spring out from all the others:

LIMA
MYSTIC OF THE MIND

He left the trolley at the next corner and made his way through the
crowd to the brightly lit carnival building.

Inside, he found a chair and seated himself. The show's act appeared
about half over. It was pretty evidently charlatan stuff, Bennett
decided, but the black-hooded mystic on the stage held his attention.
She was a tall woman, with a slender figure and fair flesh. She was
poised, or perhaps it was indifference to the crowd.

A runner went through the audience touching articles of clothing or
ornaments, and the woman without hesitation named each one he touched.
The act was slightly different from most Bennett had seen in that the
runner said nothing, merely touching the articles to be named.

The next portion of the show consisted of a mind-reading act. Bennett
expected the usual routine of writing a question on paper, which would
be sealed in an envelope and placed in a container on the stage.

He was surprised when the runner returned to the crowd and asked for
volunteers for thought-reading.

A short man with a bright yellow necktie raised his hand. The runner
made his way through the crowd to the man and touched him on the
shoulder before turning back to the mystic. He still said nothing.

"This man is thinking that he should have stayed at home tonight," the
mystic said. "There are wrestling matches on the teletone, and he
would have enjoyed them more than this show. Besides, he would have
spent less money that way than he has tonight. And he does not like
to spend money unless he must."

A titter of amusement went through the crowd as the man blushed a dull
crimson.

The runner touched a second man.

"This man wishes to know the winner in the eighth race at the horse
tracks tomorrow," she said. "I am sorry, but, because of Public Law
one thousand thirty-two, Section five-A, I am prohibited from
answering a question of that nature."

The third person contacted was a woman. She raised her hand, then half
changed her mind when she saw that the runner was turning toward her.
But then she defiantly tossed her brown hair back from her face and
allowed him to touch her shoulder.

"This woman is wondering if her lover is true to her--and if her
husband will fi