The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-09
THE MYSTERIOUS PRESCRIPTION.
sy MRS. coULsoN KERNAHAN.
Author of IA Laggard In Love-"
Copyrighted. 1896, by.MrA cOulsOn Kernahan.
CHAPTER I.


-io,sl mask. 1 feel almost like med
80 student again, smoking my pipe and
S-l.tir, a hook of lager in the open!'
I,-a the ''Marchioness," Sir Darlington
~ ~ .pretend very much" To visit old
s-,,,te where one has been young and
- IL not always celebrating, and the
ssyslcian had left youth and long way
tsbind him, and he had no companion 10
sslp him to forget the fact.
u. was sitting in the almost deserted
Len promenade which overlooks the
pbine at Coblenz, and July moon was
Inc the turbid river with shimmerins
lgbt and revealing an alternate shadow
sbarn outline the fortress of Ehren-
b-sirstein. A Rhine steamer was pass
- closa under where he sat, on its way
- Cologne. There was a band on board,
sDd il struck UP a German all. one of these
ou,ck minor movements which are some
times sadder than dead march IL was
q wild. fantastic air, through which wall
Of pain seemed to rise and fall amid the
gaiety. 49,,
Sir Darlington stirred uneasily; THIS
music moved him strangely. 1t brought
with it a haunting remembrance, vague
enough-more atmospheric than anything
else. He was conscious Of having heard
the air somewhere before, and that II
was connected with something uncanny'
He finished his book" and rose impa>
tientIy and began to walk.
81 do believe am growing nervous and
morbid" he said to himself. What
grim irony for me, who am supposed to
be the first authority on nerves, and to
he in the secret of all their tricksW He
relit the pipe which he had allowed to go
out and strolled on. Then, as the music
still foated toward him, there arose in
his consciousness a picture sufficiently
vivid. He was again in Normandy on a
holiday, as now-time receded, ana ne
was three years younger. Yes, there We're
the corn-felds ripe for the sickle, with
their long bOrder-line of straight pop
lars There were the crossroads, one de-
scending to the cool valley, the other
diverging among the golden fields, and
there-hoW well he remembered TINS now
where the roads met, stood a crucihX.
1t was at the foot Of this crucifiX that
ne had seen-that he seemed now TO see
q young peasant girl kneeling, her hands
clasped, her face upturned. But she was
not praying she was singing this weird
air which was now filling his ears. Then
She had risen suddenly and turned face
full of anguish upon him and fed into the
valley but she had left with him a vague
sense of uneasiness-a presentiment-a
something as impossible to shake off as
TO define.
The physician pulled himself together.
He was thoroughly out of patience with
himself. He half wished he was back
in Grosvenor street, and in harness again.
However he was determined to shake
off this uncomfortable mood, and he
made his way toward his hotel-the RE
sen"-pausing once or twice to watch the
play of moonlight upon the broad bosom
of the river.
"What a restful scene this would be-
he pondered, "but for a haunting idea.
I 1 wonder he queried-for he was a
metaphysician among other things-"I
wonder if all scenes would appear equally
restful if there was a total absence of
ideas Yet" he went on, getting into a
fog, as is the way of metaphysicians, ''if
there were no ideas, it is not clear that
there would be any scenes, since scenes
may be only ideas"
He walked rapidly on, and his old COM
rade Pathology came to the rescue, and
changed his mood, and he soon was deep in
a problem the solution of which was to
astonish the world of science later on.
he had nearly reached his hotel when
the sound of music once more greeted him;
but this time it was one of the Volkslied-
er, full OF volume and passion. The sound
came from a ''rrinkhalle,' and the door
stood open. The great Sir Darlington might
enter here at Coblenz where no one knew
MIN, and he chose to do So There was
party of young rollicking students whose
gay Glamour recalled old days in the Quar-
tier Latin, for he had passed most of his
student days in Paris.
me intrusion of a stranger into the con-
Nlvial group did not pass unnoticed One
oI the students in particular eyed the new
conner narrowly. This was a youth of nine
tteh or twenty, who was wearing a cravat
ued IN large bow and velvet coat He
wore his brown wavy hair rather long, and
MS eyes We're blue and very earnest in eX-
preston Sir Darlington Judged him to be
a. dft-student till he presently sang gu
bdcnarach am Rhein.' He then formed the
op.Ilon that the young fellow must be a
STUDENT at some conservatoire, his voice
showed such remarkable signs of careful
framing. He had very pleasant voice 100
q heH ne had finished and the applause mad
uIed away, the doctor addressed the
.ouhg fellow in German on the subject of
ne alf ne had heard the band playing on
1le hhlne steamer. He wanted to find out
s"Hal II was, he said; and he sang a few
UaIs 10 Indicate the air.
10 his infinite Amusement the color slld-
u1ulg lett the young mans cheek Herr
So. ne exclaimed, why is ii me you
asA. Then calming himself with evident
~ ~, - ne went on in very good English
Excuse me. l did not mean to appear
abrupt but that air has painful associa-
~ e-9.s Tor me; II sounds like the forerunner
" ,IIoqole. have come here to forget it."
e.. "a darlington had half risen from his
IA as these words We're sDO1qO and re-
coriig' really the victim of decisions, or
~ ~ ne near Alright? Could it be that
H. vas another man who was posses sed
haunting idea about that song?
p;ssolLI4 s point the gorgeous porter of the
LeH entered the Trinkhalle to drink
lux OF "Munchen" and obtain a lit
~ az amusement. He looked rather taken
ier N al the sight of Sir Darlington Cut
va. III Sach place. for he had formed
res 4dgas Of the English milors great
g 49,, ne however, quickly HID his as
+ fba --it-ilent, and respectfully addressed
gi;s physician. 1t appeared that an En-.
q viila tHuenan who resided in one of the
q t6 ma +, on the Rhein-Anlagen had been to
81 Rsbf-,,Vl lhqulring very urgently for Sir
Tb ,oH cullen. He had left a note.
81 nigt, puyslcian bid a courteous good
10 ID. - Ine students, and went at once
81 usfsf MOTEL. A faint color crept over mis-
4 OF a. -dIdVerous cOuntenance indicative
irnno-,.-'o. vance Either some monied and
8 10 foro-lNe compatriot of his was trying
q WANT an acquaintance, or, he was
EHbar IN his professional capacity.
abb - opposition was equally disagree.
MAXI ms mind. He was not given 10
certai-55 random acquaintance, and he
Of CT mad not escaped from the tolls
tice os eIor street to pursue the pra,-
4 medicine at Soblenz.
tltrd moments later however his a..
The h. hanged. He had hastily torn omen
and Ter when it was handed to him
miiiav Ohce recognized something ~.
lows. I'D the handwriting. It ran as fol-
ffH.--