Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-03-05
From the Riverside Magazine.
The Alehemist.
BY ABBY RAGE.

At the end of large room, so old and
dusty that it looked as if ages had pass
ed since the ponderous brown rafters
in the ceiling were first fixed in their
places, huge fire roared with a hollow
sound in brick furnace. Over this fur
mace sat deep brazen cauldron, filed
with boiling liquor, which looked like
motion gold, on nwhose surface and brim
danced blush, lambent flames. An
old man, with streaming white hairs,
bent over the cauldron. His figure was
crooked and deformed with age and
continued STOPPING, and his hair and
long silvery beard were dry and crisp,
as if they were singed in the fierce heat
in which he worked. This old man was
A1thausen, who was working day and
night, and had been working night and
day for fifty years, to find the Elixir of
Life,-that wonderful liquor which
would make youth immortal and keep
the body always vigorous and fresh,
On this day the old A1chemist was
wondrously happy. Never had the fire
in the furnace roared so deeply. Never
! had the mixture in the cauldron borne
such bright, changeful bubbles on its
surface. Peter watched it with the
| fierce glow from the fire reflected in
his eyes. At length he cried
1'There is only one thing wanting
now. The Elixir is nearly perfect. It
needs only portion of ife-blood from
young veins"
As he said this he looked wistfuIly at
his barred arms, but the sight of the fac
cid flesh and wasted veins made him
shake his head desponding1y. After
moments pause, he went to the stair
case which ascended from one corner of
the room, and called in shriIl, tremu-
1ous voice,-'s6 6adeIaine Madelainel,,
A light foot was heard upon the stairs
in answer to his call, and Peter Al
thausen's youngest daughter, the only
rem aiming child of his old age, came
slowly down into the laboratory.
''Didst call me, father?'' she asked
softly.
Ali Peter Athausen's family wore
traces of subdued grief in their faces.
They had waited so long for the liquid
which was to give them immortal youth
that their youth and prime had wasted
in the slow fever of anxious expectan-
cy. Their voices were low and mourn
full, they stepped slowly and irresolute-
1y, as if all the freshness and buoyan-
cy of life were deferred for them, and
they were waiting in patient quiet till
it came.
Madelaine paused and repeated
''Didst thou cal me, father 2"
SAY, my child, - said the old man,
Iookingu up from mis- task of stirring the
mixture in the cauldron; 'tthe potent
liquor is nearly completed. 1t lacks
ONLY little life-blood from younger
thou courage to bare thine arm to me d?
Think, child, the Elixir that is to make
us all immortal -
The young girl smiled little,-a sort
of sad, weary smile, and asked,-"Is
it well to live always, father I feel
sometimes tired-so tired! Perhaps
we might sometimes be glad to die"
Nonsense, child!'' said he, impa-
tiently. 81 am fourseore and five years
and I am most eager to live. To the
young death is far off they do not fear
it. But decide quickly. Seel the
liquor foams higher and higher"
The girl barred her white, thin arm,
and Peter pierced a vein with a sharp
lancet. The blood trickIed in a tiny
stream into silver bowl which he held
close to the wound. When it was half
full he bound 1T up hurr1edly, and did
not notice that she had tainted in the
chair where she had seated herself.
The mixture in the furnace engrossed
all his senses. 1t was growing more and
more brilliant, and the glowing bub-
bIes rose higher and higher, till they
oVerf1owed the cauldrOn's brim and
were deYoured by the leaping flames
beneath. Peter emptied slowly, drop
after drop, the contents of the bowl in
in the boiling mass.
Then, from out the cauIdron and
encire1ing it, vapor began to rise
Vapor which grew larger and denser,
till at length It touch the ceiling like a
dame-colored cloud. The cloud began
gradually to change in form and shape
itself, till, while the old man looked,
the cloudy mass put on the semblance
of gigantic human form. Though it
was the figure of a man, it was still the
color of fire. The streaming hair and
and beard were like licking tongues of
flame. The eyes were glowing Goals,
and the robe which swept about this
wonderous image from the head, and
lGTn~, lido
brim whereon its feet were set, fell in
quivering folds like sheets of glittering
yellow flame.
Peter covered before the presence,
but did not speak. The spirit did not
wait for him, but spoke in deep NUT
tering tones, like the distant roar of
fierce fire.
"Peter Althausen, thy Iife-work is
finished. In the bottom of this caul-
dron are some precious drops of the
Elixir of life enough to make thee
and thine immortal. It is thine-the
reward of thy whole life's labor
Drink, if thou Wishest it i; but pause
ere it is at thy lips. Once having quaff-
ed it, thy life is no longer subject to the
laws which govern the lives of other
men. Thou art forever shut out from the
sympathy with them. Thou canst new
er again know any tender emotion, for
if thou shouldst weep from any cause,
from love, pity, or sympathy, the spell
is broken, and thou art once more
poor, infirm old man with only a few
hours of life remaining. Count the
cost, then, before drinking the strange
draught."
Peter Althausen heard as if it were
in dream. The human shape turned
back to cloud again, the cloud melted
into thin vapor, rolled away from the
cauldron, and dissipated itself among
the brown rafters of the ceiling. Peter
| looked into the vessel. At the bottom
were few drops not more than a small
vial full, of liquid as clear as crystal
and yellow as molten gold. He dip
ped into it small 1adIe of silver, and
! quickly collected every drop into acrys-
tai drinking cup which he had ready.
! When he had taken up the last drop,
the huge cauldron, with loud crash
| fell to pieces, and it's broken fragments
fed the flames which had long nourish-
ed it. Peter held up the glass and look
ed for moment at Its bright contents.
81 viii drink few drops" he said :
ga drop will suffice to make me immor-
tai. The rest / viii share with NIadel-
aine and her mother.u
Then he put the brim of the tiny COB