St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-10-13

| nv nl9l iOf lUS>lIi anu skeletons gave
some color to the myth in my case; bu
at any rate 1 was soon known in lIcidcl-
berg as the rich Prof Weisscnbart, and
my friends began to warn me that if
did not take care might some day chance
TO get robbed.
''NOw ut that time had but one scry-
ant, who had been with he many wears,
and was beginning 10 get old and feeble.
Every one said that he was not enough
to take care of the house himself, and
that I'D better have a younger man TO
help him but | didn't like TO vcx poor
old Johann by seeming to think him past
work. 50 just let things 60 on as they
were. lie was a capita! servant, and did
his work rs well as man could do but
he had one failing. Every now and then,
when tlc chance offered, he woull''-a
significant gesture of the professors hand
As If lifting class to his lips. completed
the sentence
'li'm rather bad fault in a man
upon whom the safety of the hna.c de
pended" observed |.
$50 thought" answered Tie proles-
sUr; ''anl more than once dorfbted
whether it might not be a5 well to take
my friends advice after all, and engage
a second servant. But | kept putting it
off, and putting it Oft, till at last | cot
punished for my hcattation, as you shall
hear.
"Onc night l Lad sent John out 10 do
some marketing, AMI was expecting him
back every minute. As Il rule, when
ever lac went abroad hc took the house
key (ot which | had Il duplicatc,) along
with him; 50 that nobody could get in
till he came back, unless | chose to let
them. lie was very punctual on the
whole, but this time cn-iiftccn-twen-
ty minutes passed, AMI there was no si.u
OF linn. | BEGAN TO fear that he might
have taken Il glaS- too much, as he some
times did, and was Just thinking Of aoIng
10 look after him, wien, ali at once.
heard, far down below, a n"i-s as if the
houSc-duor had been Suddenly opened and
shut again, and then Il step coming mp
the stairs right toward my door. have
a quick ear ot my own, and it struck me
directly that the tread wa~ iirmcr and
heavier than old .Iohann's | guessed ut
once that there had been foul play some
where, and for Il moment thought of
locking my door and calling for help
through the window; but, on second
thought, | decided That it wouii be bet |
er TO let the Intruder (wliaevcr he might
bc) come right mp To- mr, and to see what
he really wanted"
l looked at the professor with invoIun-
tary admiration. 10 hear this little,
delicate, benevolent looking old Gentle
man talking 50 cJoily OF deliberately al
lowing robber (pcrhaps more than one)
to march ri"ht into his room ut night,
without stirring Il step to give the alarm,
simply because he Thought it better To
see what he wanted" had a really heroic
i!avor about ii and bent eagerly for
ward to hear the sequel of the adventure /.
The door opened" pursuclmy friend,
''Anl in came Il tall, burly fellow. with
black musk on hi face and a pistol in
his hand The moment lie was in, he
locked the door hchinI him, put the key .
IN his pocket, and came forward To the
table where was sitting.
Now, my old un," ~aid lie, with a
''wc'Vc got the house all TO our- T.
selves. Your servant i lying fast asleep .
mder the club room table at the Thirsty /
Fox. Dru@gci beers a fine thing TO
make man sleep sound, and lie won't
wake much before Tomorrow morning.
In the meantime, out with your money,
+ you're :, dead man
"ile cooked the pi~,o! As h. spoke,
md l,vcled il at my forehead
"lou Will think, mcin Herr, that |
must have been frightened but, strange
Is 1t may seem, | was not Had met
hi man in tie street, or out in the open
Ia would have been on hs own
round, bat here, within the walls of my
laboratory, lie was on nina He came
o me in the guisc ot' Il new experiment,
nd l felt him in ny power, Before hc
ad done speaking, | had tried him in
ny own mind, condemned him anl sen
rnccd lilm to death.
SOFT and pleasant rs the old mau's
oice w;,S, there was Il hard metallic RIM
a II JuSt then, and an omimOuS compress
ion OF the small delicate month, which
h"wci me, for the litst time, what this
u;et, @ooI-humorcl scholar might bc
apab!c ot doin.. In truth, the cruelty
/ passion or revenge j. rs nothing to
hat OF science l'arrha>ius cruclyinm
Is slave IN order 10 gain more vivid
lea OF the suffering, which h. painted,
licharl Angelo studyin. with cool, ana I.
'tical krcnncSo the loathsome minuti;r
the plague hospital, DR.. H. Gait keep '
|" horses and do@s alive for weeks un-
cr his Scalptl, only TO iniiict upon them
lore varied and complicated tortures,-
Ich examples are terribly suggestive; :
nj could not help thinking that, had |
been 4 robbcr, should have been 10th !
} cntrust myself TO the tender mcrcirS OF |
~ friend the professor, supposim" his (
over of destruction to lie commensurate t
ilh his Will After 4 pause, he re- {
med - I
"Wcll, | can't rs>i-t you," said TO I
rc robber, a>Sumin. u look of terror |
l III a7 had not worn since went up Z
II my first examination as candidate 9
Jena. "Fll %ivc you all | have, and I
hen you have taken it, hope you'll! he
,ti~iied and do me no further injury" c
"Oh I'll br Satisfied when | touch the :
Iunry, never fear, old boy answered he +
,itl Il lauah Come. out with it, 4
uick" '
Its in that bureau yonder," replied '
thrnminn Il Icy ~, the tahlr .hnln c