The Portland daily press., 1871-09-30

=, lot them. He was very runctual on the
" hnIc INT this time, en--fiiteen-minuies
Nossed and II ere was no sign OF him. l be.
Gsn TO fear that he might have taken a glass
ZOO much. as be sometimes did, and was lust
tbinkino of going to look after him. when all
at once, | heard, far down below pose as if
the bcuse-door had been suddenly onened
and then step come up the stars right to-
ward my door. | have quick ear of nv
own, and 1t struck me directly that the tread
was tirmer and heavier than old Jobann,S
l guessed at once that there had haan foti
play somewhere, and for a moment + thon1ht
OF locking my door and calling for helm
through the window; but, on second thouobs
i, ueciueu mat 1t would be better to let the
NV uuel (WhoeVer he might bel come right
up " me, ana TO see what he really waited"
looAeu at the professor with involuntary
admiration. To hear this little, delicate, be-
mountaineering old gentleman talking SO
eooliy OF deliberately allowing a robber (per-
maps more than one) TO march right into his
room at night, without stirring a stepto give
the alarm, simply because he Thought it bet
ter TO see what he wanted, had really he
roic flavor about it and l bent eagerly for
ward to hear the sequel OF the adventure.
the door opened" pursued my friend, and
land in came tall, hurley fellow, with
| black mask on his face and pistol in his
| hand. The moment he was in, he locked the
| door behind him, put the key in his pocket,
and came forward to the table where l was
| sitting.
Now, my old 'un, said he, with chuck
| lie, we've got the house ali 10 ourselves.
Your servant is lying fast asleep under the
| club-room table at the Thirsty Fox. Drug
| 9ed beer is inc thing to make man sleep
| sound, and lie won't wake much before to-
morrow morning. In. the mean time, out
with Your money, Or you're dead man.,
| "He cooked his pistol as he spoke, and lev
| elled it at my forehead.
| You will think, mem Herr, that l must
have been frightened; but, strange as it may
| seem | was not. Had l met this man in the
street, or out in the open country, he would
have been on his own ground bnt here, with
in the walls OF my laboratory, he was on
| mile. He came to me in the guise OF a new
experiment, and L felt him in my power Be-
tore he had done speaking, had tried him in
my own mind, condemned him. and sentenc-
| ed him to DEATH"
Soft and pleasant as the old mans voice
was, there was a hard metallic ring in it Just
| then, and an omnouS compression of the
| small delicate mouth, which showed me, for
| the hrst time, what this quiet good thumored
scholar might be capable OF doing. In truth.
| tbe cruelty of passion revengo 10 40 no.l,iae
| to that OF science. Parrhasus crucifying his
suilerlngs which he painted Michael Angelo
studying with cool analytical keenness the
loatnsome mlnutl@ OF the plague-hospitals,-
| Or. LIE Cat Keeping horses and dogs alive for
weeks uLder his seal pei, only to inflict upon
| them more varied and complicated tortures,-
such examples are terribly suggestive; and l
could not help thinking thai, had l been a
ROPER, should have been very 10th to en-
trust myself to the tender mercles of nv
| friend the nrOtpSSnF
destruction to be commensurate with his will.
Alter pause, he resumed
wen, cant resist you said to the rob.
Der, assuming look of terror such as | had
not worn since l went up for my first exam
nation as candidate at Jena. 'PIl give you
all have, and when you have taken it,
hope you'll be satisfied and do me no further
injury"
"'Oh, III be satisfied when [ touch the
money, never tear, old boy answered he
with laugh. Come, out with 1t, quick"
Its in that bureau yonder,' replied L
throwing key on the table; help Yourself .
II need not tell yon, mein Herr, that in the
Whole bureau there was not single pfsnniq:
but he went towards it to unlock 1t, which
was all wanted"
An, you wanted to get chance of stick
ING HIM from behind, supposed" said |, Sc
cretly marveling at the strategic ability of this
pacific man Of letters
| Meln llcher Herr" returned the professor
With au air OF grand contempt, suggestive OF
socrates, setting down" Prota .oras. "sciepee
does hot fight with such coarse materia
means as those. have told you that hat
regarded this man in the light of all expert
ment, and acted accordingly. If you wlsl
10 know what Was my real object in sendin!
MN 10 the bureau, step forward and pres
you heel upon that little knob in the floor.n
| | uDpVou and n ~
good square yard of the flooring immediate
ly 10 'front.' OF the bureau gave way with ;
loed Whlrrlng noise, disclosing dark chas q
OF unknown depth, from which arose the
hoalse gurgle OF running water.
"Why, you don't mean to say"-faltered T.
glancing from the ghastly abyss below TO the
Denevoleht race Oh the savant, which looked
mllder and more benevolent than ever.
Precisely So" answered the professor will
a genial smile, and rubbing his little fat hand,
gleeully. That's the Neckar which YOU beal
9rnmblng down Honder ;but there was a gooG
| yard OF dry pavement beside it for him to tal
| upon, and 1t sufficed. Unhappiy. the fall
necessarily occasoned certain Injuries to hi
anatomical structure, which, however, m,
humble knowledge of surgery has, as you see
enabled me to repair. And he pointed to TIL
pistol bearing skeleton with'a complacent air.
why do You look SO shocked, INV friend? L
was fair trial OF skill against strength. He
the man OF brute fnrce attempted to entral
me, the man of science-and he was caught
in his own trap. Fill your glass, my Ifriel.d.
cried the professor enthusiastically; "fin YOU
glass, and let us drink to the great scientifi,
movement which has made Europe the frs
quarter OF the world, and Germany the first
country in Europep
filled my glass, though l did not drink
but made some excuse, and gladly left tn,
house.