Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-03-20

would never
marry. lie was very much emersed
in science, and he was passed the age
when men generally think of wives.
Nevertheless with a suddenness that
took away the breath OF his friends,
Prot Ponder went before amaGistrate
and was married.
Very little was known about the
woman he married, but what was
known was appalling enough Shehad
had three husbands before she corral
led Prof. Ponders. On each of these
three occasions, as far as could be
found out, she had married men we'll
on in years. Each of her three hus-
bands had died rather suddenly, and
The relatives of the last man had
caused some little trouble by an in
vestigation which was held as to the
manner of his death.
However, in this instance the Wild
ow had come off victorious, and it
had been shown conclUsively that the
old man came to his death through
natural causes, something, apparent
ly, verymuch like the cholera. 1t was
supposed by his friends that PROBES
sor Ponder had Suddenly begun to
feel the need of a home and some one
TO take care OF him, and that this had
led him into a rash and ill-advised
marriage, for all his friends were
unanimous in feeling that the marriage
was ill-advised and cash.
Perhaps this May have beencaused
by the fact that the Professor, al
though he had been a singularIy UNI
worldlyman, had managed to accumI-
late considerable property. This ac-
emulation was caused rather by his
neglect OF business affairs than his at
tention to them. The University paid
him n liberal salary, and he had at
different times bought property which
he had afterwards forgotten all about,
and kept until it had become very
valuable. Thenhe was astonished by
the amount offered for it.
He generally accepted these offers,
L,
were usually utsder the market value
OF the property at the time the offer
was made. Yet, nevertheless, the Pro-
lessor continued to prosper in spite OF
himself, and maintained a large bank
account. He lived in such a simple
and inexpensive manner that even on
his salary he could hardly have help
ed getting rich.
Mrs. Prof. POmder speedily let the TEL
atlves know that she was mistress
of the Professors household. She
made it so decidedly unpleasant for
them that by and 10y the Professors
friends dropped OFF, but the Professor
did not appear to notice that he was
practically deserted man, for he was
made very comfortable in his home
and had now his whole time to give
unmolested to scientific researches.
1t was a about year after the Pro-
fessor's marriage that he was taken
suddenly ILL., His wife at once called
in n physician, who prescribed for the
OLD man, but did not thinl his illness
was serious. The Professors wife
told the doctor that he had been en-
gagged lately i'll his laboratory until all
hours of the night, and she was
afraid that worry over his work. late
hours and over-exertion had been the
cause OF his present collapse.
In this the professor himself agreed,
but the doctor thought that with rest
and the taking of the medicine he had
lett for him, the old nlanwould come
out all right. As it was, Professor
Ponder seemed to be very little trou-
bled by his illness. lie knew that he
wasa very much more ailing man than
either his wife or the physician seem
eel TO think. But there had come up-
ON him n certain peacetal resignation
which was q puzzle to his wife. and
which helped to deceive the physician
On the next visit that the physician
made to the professor he was alarmed
to find him dying. There was no
question aboutit. He hurriedly called
two other doctors in consultation.
and they all agreed that what hard
been done for the old man had been
perfectly correct, but it seemed that
he had not had enough reserve power
and good health previously to with
stand this simple attack.
One of the physicians, however, %
younger man than the other two,
who was himself keen student and
had been pupil OF the Professors
took more pains than the Others in
eDdeavoring to discover the cause of
the sudden collapse. As the Professor
in a weak voice described how the
attack had begun, and detailed his
feelings afterward, the young doctor
knit his brow and looked puzzled.
BY .Jove," he muttered, partly to
himself, tor hewas thinking deeply and
quite Oblivious to the fact that any
body was very near to him, "this locks
remarkably like pyroploxin poison
ing"
At the mention of the word both
the Professor and his wife looked
startled. IL the young doctor had
been alert i'm his observation he
would have noticed that the mention
of the word pyroploxin had strange
and different effect on both the
Professor and his wife. She turned
loa.11,. ,,ola al,