Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-11-29
1" So [ thought" answered the pro

a second servant. But I kept putting
it off and putting it off, till at last I got
punished for my hesitation, as you
shall hear.
zone night [ had sent Johunn out
to do some marketing, and was expect
ing him back every minute. AS arule,
whenever ne went abroad he took the
house key (of which I had duplicated
along with him, SO that nobody could
get in till he came back unless [ chose
to let them. He was very punct-
lial on the whole; but
this time, -ffteen-minutes
passed, and there was no sign of him.
[ began to fear that he might have
taken glass too much, as he some
times did, and was just thinking of go
ing to look after him, when, all at once,
[ heard, far down below, noise as if
the house door had been suddenly
opened and shut again, and then a step
coming up the stairs, right toward my
door. [ have a quick ear of my own,
and it struck me directly that the tread
was frmer and heavier than old Jo-
hann's. [ guessed at once that there
had been foul play somewhere, and for
moment [ thought Of locking my
door and calling for help through the
window; but, on second thought, I de-
cided thatit would be better to let the
intruder (whoever he might be) come
right up to me, and see what he really
wanted. y
I looked at the professor with invol-
untary admiration. To hear this little,
delicate, benevolent-looking old gen
tleman talking coolly of deliberately al
lowing robber (perhaps more than
0ne) to march right into his room at
night, without stirring step to give
it better to see what he wanted" had
really heroic flavor about it and I bent
eagerly forward to hear the sequel of
the adv enture.,
The door opened" pursued my
friend, " and in came tall, burly fel-
low, with a black mask on his face, and
a pistol in his hand. The moment he
was in, he locked the door, put the key
in his pocket, and then came forward
to the table where [ was sitting.
CHOW, my old 'un, said he, with
chuclzle, 'we'eve got the house all to
ourselves. Your servant is lying fast
asleep under the club-room table at the
Thirsty Fox. Drugged beers fine
thing to make man sleep sound, and
he won't wake much before tomorrow
morning In the meantime, out with
your money, or you're dead man. y
He cooked his pistol as he spoke,
and levelled it at my forehead
"You will think, mein Herr, that I
must have been frightened; but, strange
oc. I / To- T -
this man in the street, or out in the
open country, he would have been on
his own ground; bat here, within tho
walls of my laboratory, he was on mine.
He came to me in the guise of new
experiment, and [ felt him in my pow
er. Before he had done speaking, /
had tried him in my own mind, con-
demned him, and sentenced him to
death. F."
Soft and pleasant as the old mans
voice was, there was a hard metallic
ring in it just then, and an ominous
expression of the small delicate mouth,
which showed me, for the first time,
what this quiet good natured scholar
might be capable Of doing. In truth,
the cruelty of passion or revenge IS as
nothing to that of science. ParIhasius
crucified his slave in order to obtain a
more vivid idea eff the sufferings which
he painted, Michael Angelo studying
with cool analytical keenness the loath
some minuti@ Of the plague hospitals,
DR.. lie Cat keeping horses and dogs
alive for weeks under his scalpel, only
complicated tortures, such examples
are terribly suggestive and [ could
not help thinking that, had been
robber, I should have been very 10th
to entrust myself to the tender mercies
of my friend the professor, supposing
his power of destruction to be commen-
surate with his viii. After pause, he
resumed:
"WeIl, can't resist you," said [ to
the robber, assuming look of terror
such as [ had not worn since [ went up
for my first examination as a candidate
at Jena. "I'll give you all have, and
when you have taken it, l hope you'll
be satisfied and do me no further in
jury"
"Oh, I'll be satisfied when [ touch
the money, never fear, old boy" an
swered he with a laugh. "Come, out
with it, quick"
''' It's in that bureau yonder,' re-
piled [, throwing key on the table;
help yourself"
''I need not tell you, mein Herr,
that in the whole bureau there was not
a single pfsnaa&g, but he went towards
it to unlock it, which was all l wanted. "
seAh, you wanted to get chance OF
sticking him from behind, [ suppose?"
said I, secretly maryelling at the
strategic ability of this pacific man OF
letters
FMein icher Herr" returned the
professor, with an air of grand con-
tempt, suggestive of Socrates 'Esettlng
down" Protagoras, science does not
fight with such coarse material means
as those. have told you that L regard
ed this man in the light of an expert
ment, and [ acted accordingly. If you
wish to know what was my real object
in sending him to the bureau, step for
ward and press your heel upon that lit
tie knob in the floor.
I obeyed, and was not little start
led when good square yard OF the
flooring Immediately in front of the
bureau gave way with a loud whlrring
noise, disclosing black chasm OF
unknown depth, from which rose the
hoarse gurgle of running water.
'Why, you don't mean to say =
faltered I, glancing from the CHASTITY
abyss below to the benevolent face OF
the servant, which looked milder and
more benevolent than ever.
/" Precisely So" answered the pro-
fessor with a genial smile, and rubbing
his little fat hands gleefully. "That's
the Neckar which you hear grumbling
down yonder; but there was a good
yard Of dry pavement beside him to
fall upon, and it suficed. Unhappily,
the fall necessarily occasioned certain
injuries to his anatomical structure,
which, however, my humble knowledge
of surgery has, as you see, enabled me
to repair (And he pointed to the pis
tol-bearing skeleton with a complacent
air. "Why do you look so shocked, my
friend it was fair trial of skill against
strength. He, the man of brute force,
attempted to entrap me, the man of