Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-11-23
THE THUMB MARK.

We three students, who had arrived
early, stood at the window of the labora-
tory and looked at the ruins of the house
opposite.
The new student, the pale man with tho
black hair-Chabot, think, was his name
was especially absorbed in the contem-
plation of the wreck WAS no one in
juredy' he asked.
mo one, fortunately" said Wilderspin.
The new man grunted.
Porch entered, shouting: Have you
snaps heard? Great anarchist outrage!
London in panic! Why aren't you terror
stricken? This comes of the abominablo
examination system. Not one of you has
had leisure to see newspaper this morn
ing"
We all started round.
"Listcn," said Porch, striking an atti-
tude. Yesterday that was the home OF
Inspector BulstrOde-the celebrated In
spector Bulstrode-and we never knew it.
Now behold it'
"How do they know it is the work OF
an anarchist" asked the new student as
Askin entered the room.
"They put every accident that happens
down to anarchists just now" said Will
1erspin.
1.-The police" said Porch, "have very
good reason to regard this outrage as the
work Of an anarchist SO the papers say.
However, it's very nice of the anarchists
90 pick house right in front of our win
dows. 1t will relieve the rigors of our
last week examining immensely
1T has made Smith late for once" said
Wilderspin, looking at his watch.
Il saw him over the way" said Askin,
"as was coming down the street. "
"Jove! What was he doing over thcre?"
asked the new man very quickly.
"Prying suppose, " said Askin. He
was talking to one of the policemen, and
ne had box in his hands with some black
stuff in it, I suppose he will expect us to
analyze that"
Here he comes" said Wilderspin.
We all turned to the window again.
Mr.. Somerset Smith, our excellent in
structor in chemistry, had appeared at the
side door opposite and was coming along
by the side of the house toward the street
gate. He carried box, and in it was a
quantity Of blackened rubbish, including
among other curiositiCs, broken glass jar.
His broad face was screwed up into an
inscrutable expression. He came across
the roadway, deep in thought, and was
presently hidden from us as he approached
the steps to the portico. We heard him
come up to his little preparation room
next the laboratory and slam the door
The four or five other students who con
stitutcd the class came i'll one by one.
We were soon loud in an animated dis
cussion Of anarchist outragcs. Mason had
heard that it was Smith himself who had
discovered that the fire opposite was the
work Of an inccndiary, and that he had
found CharrCd scrap of an intlammatory
plaCard. Aslin made an obvious joke ut
this The new man asked a great many
questions in n quick, nervous manner.
The excitement seemed to be bringing out
his conversational gifts, for hitherto he
had been rather conspicuous for a reserve
that most of us considered sulky in its
quality. We stopped our clamor. as Smith
entered
Contrary to his usual practice, he did
not go straight to the blackboard, but
came down the middle aisle of benches to-
ward the window. He was carrying pa
perweight of black marble in one hand and
in the other number of slips Of white pa
per. These he put down on Wilderspin's
bench. He pecred at the crowd of us from
beneath his heavy eyebrows.
ANY one ABSENT" he asked.
"No one, SIR" said somebody.
This fire over the way, gentlemen, is
very singular affair indeed, very singular.
Possibly none of you know how it was oc-
casioned. But you ought, l think, to know
without any delay that a strong suspicion
attaches hcre-a suspicion, that is to say,
that the incendiary, for it was no acct
dent, but deliberate arson-obtained his
materials from this place So far as l can
judge, the house was fired by means of
phosphorus dissolved in carbon bisul.
phide.
There was simultaneous exclamation
from the class. AS you are aware, gen.
tlemen, from the course of elementary
study we pursued last autumn, when phos-
phorus dissolved in carbon bisulphide is
exposed to evaporation the phosphorus is
precipitated in such finely divided state
1t catches fire. Well, the coal plate it
would seem, had been taken up, a consid-
cradle amount Of paper thrown down
among the frewood and small coal that
lay on the floor Of the cellar, and then a
Copious supply Of this solution-which,
must, gentlemen, have been mixed in this
house-was poured upon it. Evaporation
began at once, the phosphorus presently
caught and set the paper going, and in
half an hour nice little fire was burning
Its way up stairs to wake the. inspector
and his family. 'How did 1 ascertain
thisH Partly by accident and partly by re-
search. The accident was this: About 10
o'clock last night bad occasion to visit
my preparation room, and smelt the very
distinctive smell of carbon bisulphide va
por l traced this to the stoTeroom next
door, and entering saw at once that the
stores had been tempered with. A bottle
Of starch mucilage had been upset. and
the contents were dripping from the table
10 the floor. Sevsfal other bottles had been
taken down and not replaced Looking
round with the idea of discovering theft,
failed to detect the absence of anything
at first, except the carbon bisulphide, but
presently 1 noticed the phosphorus jar
was empty. The inference was either that
pme student contemplated chemical en-
kartaiDmpnt at hOma at INV avnnnco or