The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-04
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CHAPTER Z
COPYRIGHTED IN Isas By THE AuTHoR.l E

Last winter occupied small villa
m one Of the towns of the Italian
Riviera To me it is a very delightful
little town-psrtly because 1t Is ex-
tremely picturesque and. partly, be-
cause it is yet almost unknown as a
health resort. You can live there with
out constantly hearing the cough of
the consumptive, and when you do
meet an occasional foreigner, he does
not instantly begin to discuss the con-
dition of his bronchial tubes, or to in
nuire as to the state of your own
lungs
Thank heaven! my lungs and bron-
chial tubes are perfectly sound My
only trouble is insomnia, and it was
for this that l sought the perfect re-
pose and stiffness of my sleepy little
Italian town. There was but one
other foreigner in the place, SO | was
told, and as ] was assured that this
foreigner was phenomenally strong
and well, and was, moreover, a Ger
man. and hence presumably unable to
converse with q man wholly innocent
of any knowledge of the German
language, did not find fault with the
fact that he was to be my next-door
neighbor. ! saw him In his garden a
day or two after my arrival, and was
struck by his singular resemblance to
the portraits Of Won Moltke. Although
he looked to be at least severity years
old, he was tall, and straight as an
arrow, and his face, which had some
al. 81
sculpture, was that of a man in per-
feet health and of an indomitable
constitution. Even if I had not al
ready heard him called 1.-The professor
/ should have known him at first sight
rs man of culture. Intense thought
and unremitting labor had chiseled
those clear-cut features. | made up
my mind that. instead of avoiding him,
I should like to make his acquaint-
ance, and found myself hoping that
he could speak English, or that, at all
events. could understand his French.
Twice during the first week of my
residence next door to the German I
saw after midnight light in his gar
den, and heard the sound of spade. It
Is one. of the advantages of insomnia
that the patient learns to know the
things of the night as well as those of
the day. Had l been able to sleep as
soundly as other people, should never
have noticed this mysterious midnight
tanthorn nor had my hearing sharpened
sufficiently to note and identify the
sound of spade. What was the pro-
lessor doing at SO late an hour in his
garden? Clearly, he could not have
been engaged in gardening or ditch
Ing. Even a German philosopher
would not be capable of getting up at
one o'clock in the morning to plant
eabbages, or to improve the drainage
of his garden. The only plausible ext
PLANTATION of his conduct was that he
was engaged in burying something
which he had reason for burying Sc!
cretly. knew that be lived absolutely
alone, without a single servant. Hence
he could not be a murderer, who made
a practice of burying his victims al
night.
Then, again, he was scientific per.
Son, and, of course, had no money for
safe-keeping In the earth. The third
time that saw my neighbours lanthorn
10 the garden, discovered that / had
IN object in life, which was to find
why he dug In the earth at an hour
when, as he supposed, all his neighbors
were asleep.
The mystery solved itself In few
days later, and proved to be disap.
pointingly simple. The arrival at my
neigh boris door of hamper of rabbits,
and another of guinea-pigs, showed me
ut once that he was engaged in studies
which involved the death of numbers
Of those unhappy little animals Oh
course, when his guinea-pigs and rab
bits had fulfilled their mission in life,
1t became necessary to bury the re-
mains; and the professor wisely per
formed his task at midnight in order
not to offend the prejudices of those
curious people who believe that vivi.
section Is merely a form of vice in
which inhuman men indulge purely for
recreation. l had seen the professor,
and could have sworn that he was
kindly and gentle man. If his guinea
pigs and rabbits We're cut down in the
prime of life, felt sure that they dice
in the interests of humanity, and then
fate gave me no pain.
My acquaintance with the professo,
whom will call Prof. Schwartz. foI
the reason that it was not his name
grew up gradually. We began by eS
changing polite commonplace over the
wall, and | found that he spoke Eng
fish perfectly. We were both method.
ical in our habits, and were accustomed
to smoke in our gardens every after
noon at about the same hour. Gradual
~ we passed from the discussion of the
weather 20 more interesting themes
and, finally, the professor accepted
my pressing invitation to come and in,
ppect a plant growing in my garden
Of the name of which was ignorant
When | returned his visit, | accidental
" discovered that, like myself. he wa,
devotee OF chess. That put the finish.
ing touch to our acquaintance, and we
Tell into the invaria BILE habit of play
ing chess, every evening, from seven te
nine.
found him extremely interesting
BE was a physician. though he hat
long since ceased to practice medicine
and had devoted himself. SD he told me
TO the study of bacteriology. He was
moreover, a man of wide culture; sni
there seemed to be hardly any subject
of which he had not more or les
thorough knowledge. But wha'
charmed me most IN the man was hi
kindness OF heart, His philanthropy,
was unhounded iov any Of the limita
ions Of race or creed. The sufferincs
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