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 swarthy
skinned he is not competent to decide; but he is able to prove,
by ocular demonstration, to an unbelieving sceptic, that some of
the modern “wise men” are particularly “dark-complected.”
Mrs. Grommer, of No. 34 North Second Street, in the suburb of
Williamsburgh, is a case in point. The fame of this illustrious
ebony lady had gone abroad through the land, and her skill in
prophecy had been vouched for by those who professed to have
personal knowledge of the truthfulness of her predictions. But an
air of mystery surrounded the sable sorceress, and it was
declared to be impossible to obtain a knowledge of her exact
whereabouts, except by a preliminary visit to a certain
mysterious “cave,” the locality of which was accurately
described.
A cave! this promised well; no other witches encountered by the
Cash Customer, had he found in a cave, or in anything resembling
that hollow luxury.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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