Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-14
FIFTH NSTALLMENT.

frofess0r Drummond turned from the
window out Of which he was gazing ard
addressed the doctor rs calmly as if moth
ing had happened. DIR. Williams rather
nervously inquired about Miss Willis.
little under the weather, but nothing
serious, l Think" responded the professor
young womans nerves are rather more
sensitive TO shock than a mans, l sup
pose" "1e
Rather. And yourself?''
On, I'm as well as ever I confess that
Inv WAS s1 pa z;nSt cut up yesterday morning; blu,
| thought?' Ai '''ei
Indeed 1 have, doctor! 1 was awake
most IN OF inc night with it. In one sense I'm
as much In the dark as ever, but that
Starkweather threw himself into the river
Is no" a certainty in my mind
ian you account for his falling appar-
entity dead in your hallway?'
Not satisfactorily; but, doctor did vou
never near OF men who possessed such un-
t usual strength Of will that they could con-
troll the action of the hearth"
Il believe there are authenticated cases
OF men whose volition extended more or
less to the hearts action
Il can't help thinking that StarkWeather
may nave been such man. 1 take it for
granted that there was some secret in his
lie that brought him to the awful step of
suicide. His very talk with me Just before
the end was characteristic of some sui
cldes, you know. They often indulge in
fanciful speculations about long life even
to the extent Of hilarty. while they are
contemplating an end to everything within
the hour. Wen, granting this, and it is es-
sential to the theory of suicide / suppose
that Starkweather did not wish any of us
to suspect that he had taken his own life
So he exercised that extraordinary faculty
OF checking the action of the heart This
ne may have done only at the moments
when l was examining him. When / had
gone down stairs he may have recovered
In spite of himself, and in desperation
rushed to one of the side windows and
thrown himself into the river What do
you think?'
I'm afraid people generally would regard
the theory as rather fanciful, professor"
y was asking for your own opinion"
The doctor hesitated. not daring to look
the questioner in the eyes, and at last re-
piled:
Il am not prepared to accept the theory.
and have none as complete to advance in
Its stead. ] can say frankly that II is no
moro strange than what has happened In
short the stated facts appear to be more
impossible than your theory to account fer
them"
THE stated facts, doctor?" returned Pro-
fessor Drummond, gravely. Are you using
words with careful appreciation of their
meaning?'
NO" hastily answered the Doctor faa,.
ing the color rushing to his cheeks. 81
meant the accepted, the known facts"
ON was all the professor replied, and
silence ensued.
frOIeSSOT DiuInfnOnI turned again to the
window. DR.. Williams felt all al war with
himself. He was acting out of character
Where was that blunt, fearless indepen-
dence that led him oftener to the verge of
quarrel with men than to beating about
the bush, juggling with words and avoiding
square issue? He really regarded the pro
lessons theory as preposterous. and he
wondered why the man ventured to advance
1t. He longed to cry out against such shall
low reasoning and demand that the whole
truth be told. for he could not believe that
the professor had told the truth, but when
he thought of Louise, he found his indie
pendence gone. his convictions as to right