Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-07-04
EXTRAORDINARY CASE.
One OF George Augustus SaIa's Read
able stories.


DIR. 4Eneas Macbride was strong in com.
parative anatomy, and dissected every.
thing that came in his way. His disscct-
ing room was in the courtyard of the Pal.
azzo Carminah, Rome. But it was up.
stairs i'll his library and alone that III
Scozzesc'' carried out his choicest mani
lulations, and made the more delicate of
his preparations of human muscles ar
teries, veins, and nerves, which, when
completed, were displayed under glass
shades on a large table in the centre of
the apartment 1t was at this table, hav-
ing just finished the dissection of very
small hand, never mind to what kind of
creature the hand while it was a living
one, had belonged-that he was sitting
one evening in July, 17j5, when it sud
denly occurred to him that he had ex-
hausted his supply of cochineal with
which TO tingc the melted wax which he
proposed TO inject on the morrow morn
ing into the vonous system of his "prepa-
tion.
Dr. .Encas Macbridc proceeded to the
we'll known druggists shop kept by Sig.
nor PancairOtto, at the corner of the Via
lie Coudotti. 1t was one Of the largest
and handsomcst shops in Rome lie
made his purchase, and placed the packet
of cochineal in a side pocket.
Stay he suddenly exclaimed paus-
ing on the threshold II had forgotten
something. You must make up, if you
please, that admirably cflicacious sleep
ing draught with the secret of the formula
of which only you and are cognizant,
and which has given ease to SO many of
my patients. Will you prepare it for me
at once? / must take it with me.
with pleasure, illustrissimo ed excel
Ientiseimo dottore, said the apothecary,
as he hustled from jar to jar, pouring va
rlous ingredients into glass vial. "'Tis
n wonderful sleeping draught to be sure.
| have tried it on my wife, who, poor soul,
endures agonies from tue toothachc, and
1t never fails in producing slumber To
be sure, had you not told me that the DO
ton was quito harmless, l should have
been afraid to use it for the sleep which
1T brings about is SO deep and so long as
to be really like the sleep of death.
He had soon completed his task, and
Dr. Macbride, placing the vial in his side
pocket with the cochineal left the farma-
cha. He crossed the Piazza di Spagna, in
the direction of the College of the Propa-
ganda when Just as he had reached the
spot where now is the monument his path
was crossed by a tall man who was wrap
ped up i'll a long brown cloak and who
wore his broad Tapped hat slouched over
his eyes.
'It's all very well for you to slouch
lat over your eyes, my friend, " said DR..
Macbrde to himself "but | know that
hat and coat very well, or | am grievous-
ly mistaken. They belong to the name
less man who lodges in one of the garrets
at the Palazzi Carminali. 1 once nursed
you through fever, my friend, and gave
you money to get your cloak out of pawn.
don't think that you would do me any
harm, although folks do say that you are
spadacino-a hired assassin !"
Scarcely had he thus mentally express
ed himself, when he heard in low voice
behind lin, the single word, "Eccolo %
Here he is - And Immediately he was
seized from behind by strong arms, a
heavy cloak was thrown over his head,
and he was lifted from the ground and
carried some yards. Then he was thrust
forward on what seemed to be some kind
OF a bench or seat the arms which had
seized HIM bad relaxed their grasp, n door
was slammed, and he became aware that
he was IN rapidly moving vehicle
DR.. Eneas Macbride had in verify been
kldnapped by two men, forcibly carried
by them to coach, one of the doors of
which was standing open huddled into
the vehicle, and rapidly driven away. The
whole proceeding, indeed, had been
watched with the liveliest interest by an
individual whoiwas clad in long brown
lsh overcoat and who wore his hat SLOUGH
ed over his eyes and who-there is no in
discretion IN saying twas the nameless
man who lived in one of the garrets of
the Palazzo Carminali, and whose pro-
lesion was conjectured to be that of an
assassin for hire. And as he watched the
carriage rapidly retreating into the shad-
ows the nameless man was iingling some
golden coins in his pocket and chucklinR
merrily.
''Ten ducats," he rehected-"ten du-
cats only for pointing out the Signor Dot
tore to them. And they have sworn not
to do him any harm. OF course if they
had wanted to harm him they woull have
come to me ; but ] would not have stab
bed the Signor Dottore no, not for
hundred ducats. Let us go and drink
bottle of Chant.
While the nameless was thus congratu-
lating himself on the successful result of
his exceptionally bloodless nights work,
unseen hands had relieved Dr. AGneas
Macbride of the heavy cloak in which he
had been muffied, and III wltru he
had been all but sufiocated. He sat up,
to find himself indeed in the interior of
what was evidently carriage belonging
to some person of rank The blinds were
closely drawn down, but small lamp