Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-08-20
TOM'S SECRET,
How It Was Told to One Who
 Already Knew It.

Tom Douglas was young, good looking,
 and would some day be well-to-do; but above 1 all things he was scientific Ills passion
 for science first became noticeable when
 he began to learn chemistry in the Fourth
 Form at Halstone School. Tom and all his
 class fellows were deeply taken by the
 weird and uncarthly odors, the terrifying 2
 explosions, and the miraculous bursts of
 subaqueous fire which appeared at the will
 of Mir. Stubbs, the science master. Indeed,
 they endcavored consistently to emulate
 their tutors exploits; but even the tutor's | performances were presently quite cclipsed | by those of his promising pupil Tom. The l boy had perfect genius for explosions, so
 that it soon became customary among the | others, during the two or three hours | which they spent each week in the labora-
 tory, to give up any little enterprises of
 their own and simply keep an eye on Toms
 movements. It was usually worth their
 while, for he rarely failed to do something | marvellous.
 When the end of term came aud the youth arrived at his homo in Dulberry, he set off at once on a tour of inspection round the | homo premises. A small building, which be- 1 longcd to tho gardener, and was used by l him as a storehousc for seeds, flower pots, and other things appertaining to his craft, struck his fancy. He found no difficult ty in persuading hls too complaisant pa rents to make this room over to him; !; and notwithstanding the murmurs of Sandy 1 the gardener, it was forth with emptied of l it's horticultural contents, fitted with benches, shelves and fire place, and gen. orally rendered habitable. Chemicals also, | and all kinds of apparatus, were ordered l from London. Had his parents not been | altogether ignorant of the science of chem | istry, they would have noticed that the chemicals which Tom ordered, and for which they blindly paid, were chiefly of the kind which go to make up explosions. Al most as soon as the laboratory had been fitted up the goods arrived from London. On the first day nothing worthy of note l was seen or heard, Tom being too busily | engaged in the arranging and admiring his treasures to begin experimenting with | thcm Soon, however, the household began | to listen With mild toleration to the loud ex- | plosions which, at intervals of about an hour, were constantly heard from the direction of Toms laboratory. They were not quite so tractable, however, when the embryo chemist grew tired for the moment ! of noises and turned his attention to the production of unpleasant odors. But even | then the boy was quito safe from inter- 1 ruption. They were not likely to attempt to approach the source of odors by which they were already almost stifed; whereas Tom reveled in the malodorous products of his experiments, and behaved, in an at mosphere reeking with the most abominable gases, as if he were once more breathing his native air after 0 long and pain full period of exile.
 His lovc of science grew stronger, if a good deal more rational, as years passed by. At last, when he went up to Oxford, another room was added to his don. This was fur nishcd after the manner of the under grad uate's rooms, and here he kept his personal property and did most of his reading. Like most science-mcn, he was fond of novels, and of these this room soon contained an cx- tensive and catholic collection. But the courso of true love never did run smooth, and at last Tom Douglas discovered that there was one thing which, struggle al he might to ignore it, was beginning to inter- est him far moro than any of the sciences to which he had hitherto devoted himself. His fathers brother had many years ago emigrated to Australia. Almost immedi- ately he had married; but after few years of hard struggle against poverty his wife died, leaving him little daughter, Dora Tom Douglas was in his fourth year when he heard from home that hls unknown uncle was dead. His father had received a letter some months before, saying that Dora would soon be alone in the world. She would be rich-for success had como to her father when 1t was too late to save his wife and now the dying man begged his broth CT to become her guardian and offer her a home. MT. Douglas had at once consented; and Dora arrived in England shortly be- fore the commencement of Toms last long vacation; so that when he arrived at Dull berry she had already been there for q week or two. The cousins became very good friends; and it was the image of a sweet girlish face, hlue-eyed and a little sad, which occupied Toms mind and caused him to neglect his sciencework almost entirely.
 At the end of the ''long' he went up to Oxford once more, in order to take leave of his friends and formally to take his degree, for at the end of the previous term Ee had gained a first" in Honors Chemistry This brief absence from Dora was so utterly painful to him that he became aware of the fact that he really was very much in love with her. Of course, he ought to have known 1t before; perhaps he had done so, but at least he had never acknowledged it to himself At any rate he made haste to get back to his home.
 When he returned to Dulberry he carried with anxious solicitude box, which appeared to contain something at oncevery fragile and inestimably valuable. Dora had taken a great interest in his scientific studies-or rather, he had revived for her benefit his boyish interest in explosions. After lunch, therefore, he told her that during his ab- sence he had spent Q few days ill town and , there had secured scientific wonder, which she must examine. He took the box under hls arm, and they went together to