South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-08-25
DIR. PECHAL'S THEORY.
BY JULIAN HAWTHORNE.


and evidently Ore:gBe--though of whf
nationality, owing 10 his familiarity Wit
languages, 1t Was not easy to decide. II
was not an engaging man, was supe
naturally conce-ted, srGe said Crazy. y
wore pair Of unusually shiny spectacle
it was believed 90 assist him il starinj
Ills hair wag long, tangled and SANDY
overhanging his cOat-cOllar, and pushe
back tehind his ears. His luggage COZ
sisted of a ragged, black carpet-bsg, whic
no one suspected OF containing clothes.
The captain himself was not sacred fror
the intrusive impe-tinence of this msr
The second dGy out, at dinner, he stare
uninterCpteSly fo- ten minutes at that ol
fcer. and tLe2 said:
"you must be Scotchmani' ~
The captains little hobby was to b
taken for az American; so he bowed some
what sti.1y, and continued his converse
tion with the american bankers wife, a
his right.
The frowzY foreigner drew from hi
pocket greasy note book, piloted his wa.
through several pages with his dirty fore
finger, till he arrived at certain entry
then, with powerful assertativeness:
You are forsy-eight years old today 7
The captain was a yOung-looking man
perhaps not Unw4llingly so. especially IL
the eyes of his fair right-hand neighbor
So he looked up rather severely at the
foreigner, and said, grufSy:
"Well, sil p
"0f course" pursued the other, absorbed
in his note book all here, sir. l calcu
latsd your group some time ago; it com
prises four, and possibly five. l met one
last year in Iurkey-a very pretty little
girl Whereabouts will you be seven
weeks from to-day, oaptain?"
The captains patience began to grow
thin; but lie com handed himself 20 reply,
albeit somewhat testify:
Give fair weather, off the southern
coast of Irel1ni"
The frOwzy foreigner was charmed. He
bubbled over with an unclean smile; his
teeth were dreadful
Right quite rightl" he exclaimed,
rubbing his fat hands selfapprovingly
You will be drowned off that coast, sir /;
steamer founders, OF you are washed over
board-cGInot be sure which"
At this sally, every one, except the cap
tain, either laughed or smiled. He, strange
to say, turned pale and frowned slightly.
The foreign lUnatic calmly II placed his
note. book anS resumed his dinner
Could it have been coincidence that,
seven weeks from tiat day, in heavy sea
of the southern cosst of ireland, Captain
McAlenny, of the Ecliptic, was washed
overload and lost? Curious, at all
events. Moreover-though what has this
to do with it:-tle little daughter of a
prominent Official in ConstantinOple died
the same dag, after the crisis of long and
painful fever.
TIE conceited foreigner was not, there
fore, an agreeable companion. He was no
of persons; for he used up even
a custom house officer in this wise:
After tIansfixing him with an indignant
and prolonged glare of his spectacles-
' Why, you should have been dead two
years ago. Your time expired in the sum-
mer of 1868. 1 saw one of your group
condemned to be hanged for murder in
June of that yesr, and cannot be mis-
taken in you" said he, referring TO his
note book.
The custom house officer glared back in
savage ama-ement. Ell 'twarn't f'my wife
nd child'n," lie began, menacingly; but
the fat foreigners brow cleared up imme-
diately, as if his mind were relieved from
an immense load o. perplexity.
my dear sir-tC be surei How could
Z of all men, make such an oversight? ?
And now l recOllect-his sentence was
commuted-.mprisonmentf for life. Letme
wife? ah, yes! she belongs also
With the young Frenchman; and that Jew,
think, must be connection. Well, well,
sir, you're safe for six years yet" And the
maniac departed in total apparent uncon-
;ciOusness of the black wrath distorting
lie custom-house officers black visage.
Landed il New York, he grasped his
ragged, BLACK carpet bag, and walked to
ne South Sea Eotel. On his way he stop
Jed to purchase directory, and barely
escaped b ling knocked down by the sales
nan because lie Informed him the only
;afe thing N his case was to marry q GER
ain African lady. resident of Guinea
irving at the hotel, he engaged room |
or three days, and registered his name as
oechal, from Belgium. He eyed the gen.
l,nanly clerk searchiDgly.
Your hair E.IEst be dyed, sir" said he
It last, firmly.
The gentlemsnly clerk drew himself up |
The doctor glared, and shook
lis fro~Gy head.
"No use, sir; it won't save you No
immediate danger, however; your group
emains TIL the next decade"
In short, DR. Pechal Was not merely dis
5reeable-he was swful.
He entered and locked his room-door,
Dened the black carpet bag and poured
he contents on the table-nothing but
i'd booksi There were a volume of To-
hfe-insurance reports, works on
and phyiolOgy, metaphysical
directories of various cities,
nd, at the very bottom of the bag, large
volume, whose contents the
octor only knew.
Heplaced these paraphernaliao of research
4 a semicle upon the table. seated himself
n the cOncavity of the arc, and worked
way steadily for at least three hours, con-
luding by writing down his results in the
volume, and making an elimina-
ion thereof into the greasy notebook.
hen he leaned back, ran his thick fingers
1tO his hair, and ruminated. The manu-
cript book lay open on the table. II was
ntitled Todes-Gesetz," which appella-
on, should it afford no enlightenment to
be reader, places him on an equality wi b,
IT US say, nine people out of ten. 1t was
He'd with closely written pages of mystic
iods ana enigInatical import, in a dozen
iferent languages, and, for the most
art, uniLapoTtant TO the present history
.ut the last entry, as transcribed into the
reasy note book, may possible be of some
ssistsnce. Here it is:
"Group comprises four. Distribution
two to one each-In Belfast, America,
Ossi0ly france, possibly Asia.
distribution as regards sex-male, two;
smal5s, two.
Incidence OF law (as calculated from
able of logsTithms, Natural Sine -four
ays from date, subject to following i'm
ediments and exceptions:
IL. Anna. .gamation to have occurred be-
yeen two of this group; Or
%. such amalgamatiOn to take place
lithin the next four days, provided that
Literal identity of surname exists be-
ween the two.
" Outside contracts no obstruction to
lw's course"
Besides this there were sundry personal
escriptons and date, and numerous refer
nces, citations, and comments. which
lay as well be passed over for the pres-
ut 1t will be ulOre to the point. and
ute as discreet, to listen to the doctors
Poor prospects, Emil, very poorl Al
'wing thee everything that the person
in New YORK, is woman, is unmarried.
nd is willing TO marry thee-still are the
hances as to literal identy an infinity
yainss cne Ali Emil whv didSt tbo1, !