Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-05-28

"No."
"Well, then, why do you come for
me at this time of night? q
"Don't bother, professor. The man
amt dead yet; but they say he will
die before morning"
care doctors attending him?
ooh! he's in good hands, professor,
"What's the matter with him."
"Well, said the official, "some folks
say he's got so much knowledge into
him that he can't live under it.
Cerebral disorder, eh?"
"What? ?" asked the man.
"Brain disorder, | mean--some-
thing wrong here"
touched my forehead, and so did
he as he said:
cay; and thought I'd drop in and
tell you, if you was going to the sta
ton tomorrow, to take a look and see
if it's post morte.n or not. Besides,
| want to see where | could always
find you in case. of need"
bowed, and attributed his visit to
q feeling of curiosity. He sat on the
sink, with one foot over the other, and
wiped his nose with dirty handker
chief several times, while his eyes
wandered about the room, as if no
ting all it contained. Finally he spoke,
like one who thought himself called
on to say something:
"Professor, there's been a terrible
accident this aftermoon-terrible too"
"Ah !" said /.
"Awful," said he.
"What was it g
"Nitro glycerine explosion up in the
iron mills. \ hundred fellow mortals
killed"
''Sad -
Affecting, very" Here he rub
bed his mouth with the back of his
hand. professor, what is that nitro
glycerine?"
''It is very dangerous article" |
answered, happy to display my knowl-
edge. 'It has nearly twice the de-
structiveness of gunpowder, but, un-
like it, does not explode on the appli-
cation of heat. A red hot coal drop
ped into it will not explode it. 1t
will freeze it is yellow and greasy
"You don't mean to say so y said
the officer, iuterrupting me in disa-
greeable tones in the very middle Of
choice extract from one of my lee
lures. "Why, but you haven't told me
how it goes off. If fire won't do it,
what the deuce will %
told him that if it were pressed, or
anything fell upon it, it would ex-
plode.
"Place it under the crusher of a
cider mill, strike it with hammer,
let weight fall upon it from
height"
"Yes," said my man |; "and that
rouses its volcaner, does it How
does it come, Professor?'
Gin little cans-why, like these"
said /, discovering there was a little
can of it on the marble sink, which 1
had carelessly neglected to replace in
the cellar.
then took little of the glycerine
and spread it on thin piece of paper,
and lay the paper on an anvil,
struck it with hammer. A slight
explosion and flame burst from the
paper.
''Now, really" said the policeman,
starting back. 81 suppose, Professor,
that that can would make mighty
noise ifallowed to explode in here all
at once?'
"It would blow the entire bnilding
to atoms," said |, resuming the analy-
sis of Mrs. Johnsons stomach.
"No," heard the policeman remark,
in deliberate tones, "youdon't say 500"
The next moment Hay on my back,
gag in my mouth, terribly frightened
and sick at heart. Over me stood the
policeman, and the first thing that
functionary did was, looking me
straight III the face. to take off his
nose. He then rid himself of his red
eyebrows, hair, cap, and overcoat, and
became determined looking fellow,
with the eyes of fiend and the nose
of Roman.
$50, you think, said metemorphos-
ed, in the tones OF gentleman, "that
nothing can save Joe Johnson from
the rope? Poor fellow! it does look
like it. But, my dear professor, Joe
johnson is fortunate enough to havein
me devoted friend, as we'll as brother.