Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1872-05-09


done all that the earthly and sorpossal
Ipart Of thee demands for its sustesasce
heoceforth thou art free to serve the cause
Of science. and. il may be, even 10 add ,
little grain of knowledge to the sum Of hu.
man learning / vent to work with all
earnestness. filled my house with rars
plants. rare fossils, -rare minerals. I paid
high for curiosities of eysry kind. 0ucs
| I gave handful of thalers for the csrcas1
Of donkey, Which, exhibited singalas
malformation Of the spinal column. ID
dissection led me 10 one Of the most inter,
tsssine discoveries which Ihavs ever made.
All, mein Herr Jon Who are man ol
amusement and adventure, cannot fathom
the delight | fel. in cutting up that glori-
ons donkey But once before in my whole
life did | experience the same b!easure,
and that was when was called in. little
while after ]. 6rst came here. to treat a
patient whose case exhibited some very
unusual and perplexisg symptoms. lex
amined him; / reflected the truth fash
ed upon me. l fung my hat on the
ground. and embracing the sick man with
rapture. cried out. L congratulate you,
my friend !! you have revived q disease
which has been unknown for the last six
centuricsr
The idea Of such consolation admin
istered to an invalid was too much for my
gravity. In spite Of all efforts to compose
myself. / laughed till was fairly exhaus-
ted and Herr Weissenbart very good
humoredly joined in the merriment. though
evidently without the least suspicion Of
having given any cause for it.
"Well. mein liebcr Herr" he coutin.
ued. lyon doubtless have remarked it as .
singular law Of nature. that whenever a
man lives all By himself. in particularly
old and shabby looking house. be invari-
ably acquires the reputation of being i'm
messely rich. Perhaps my paying so
high for fossils and skeletons gave some
color to the myth in my case; bu. at any
rate was soon known in Heidelbury as
the rich Professor Weissenbart. and INV
friends began to warn me that il I did no,
take care | might some day chance to get
robbed.
Now. at the time I had but one ser
want. who had been with me many years.
and was beginning to get old and feeble.
Everyone said that he was not enough to
take care Of the house BY himself, and I'd
better get young man to help him; but
dida's like to vex poor old Johann by
seeming to think him past work. so just
Let things 60 on as they were. He was
capital servant. and did his work as we'll
as man could do. but he had one failing.
lie would'-a significant gesture of the
Professors hand. as if lifting glass to his
lips. completed the sentence.
Him! rather bad fault in man upon
whom the safety Of the house depended"
observed I.
80 thought" answered the Profess
sor. land more than once doubted wheth-
er it might not be as well to take nv
friends advice after all and engage So
cond servant. But kept putting it of
and putting it of till at last l got punish
cd for my hesitation. as you shall hear.
"One night l had sent Johann out to
do some marketing. and was expecting
him back every minute. As rule when
ever he went abroad he took the house
key Ito which l had the duplicate) along
with him. So that nobody could get in Till
he came back unless chose to let them.
He was very punctral on the whole, bu.
this time ten--fftcen-twenty minutes
passed and there was no sign of him. I
began to fear that he might have taken a
glass too much. as he som etimes did. and
vas thinking Of going to look after him.
when all at once heard, far down below.
. noise a. if the house-door had been SUI.
denly opened and shut again, and then a
step coming up the stairs right toward nv
door. have . quick ear Of nv own. and
it struck me directly that the tread vas
hrner and heavier than old Johanu'.. n
guessed At once that there had been foul
play some where. and for q moment I
Thought Of locking my door and calling
for help through the window; but on Sc
cond thoughts Idecided that il would be
better to let the intruder (whoever he
might be) come right up TO ,ns and zee
wbst he really wante,i."
1 looked NJ the Professor with involun-
tary admiration. To hear this little. del.
icass. bcnevolens-looking old gentleman
talking 50 coolly Of deliberately allowing
robbcr (perhaps more than oue) to march
right into bis room at night. without STIR
ring step to give the alarm, simply be-
cause he ''thonght il better to ses v whst he
vaated''-had Feally q heroic favor about
|H: bent eagerly forward to hesr the &C.
quel Of the adventure
''The door opened. )" pursued nv friend
s.and in came tall. burly fellow, with a
black mask On his face. and pistol in his
hand. The moment he was in he loch.j
the door bchind. put the key in his pock-
et. and came forward to the table where I
vas sitting.
Now. my old 'na.' said he, With a
shuckle. 've've gos the house ali 70 our
selves. Your servants lying fast a.leep
sader the elah-roem table as the Th;r..r
Fog Dragged beers 4 line thing to make
. man sl@p sound. aud he wont rake
much before to-marrow. In the me.n.
tame out w'aa yoar money Or you're dead
HE cooked his pistol a he make .,d
levelled il u my head. -
"Iea wiu think. mine Herr. th.s 7
1nst have been frighaened /; bus strange
. q may seem. uas noe. Had I nj
this nan in tha street. Or oat in she opep
seeensry. ks vcsla have been On his svn
erosnd sbat hers, wishia the valls of ms
laberstosy. hs wAs O mine, He eane =
.e ip - Esiss sfa ssv ssperinen.. and
lfele bin IL NJ power. kseo~s As hed
ssas sTeaaipg 1 ksd tzisd kin in ngo own