The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-11-04


may namo as reasons for this the un-
healthfulness OF the place. and the fact
that Ia the rainy season, when the river
is high. the water backs up into the
sloughsand entirely surrounds 1t. There
is one other reason, but OF It Will tell
later.
Two towering cottonwood trees stand
ike sentlnels at either end Of the land,
and over the whole place gooseberry
bush and poisoned bramble and trailing
vine block with thorn and treacherous
tripping rope the passage of those who
unwlttiagly venture there. The island.
for such ] may call 1t. is as silent even
in these busy days as the place Of the
dead, save for the lncessant drone Of In
sects, the chirp OF squirrel or the silver
music Of little birds in the cottonwoods.
Perhaps, too. the sound of some distant
woodchopper's az ringing high in the
dir breaks the quiet.
But one man. to my knowledge, bar
ring myself, has ever set foot upon it.
/ refer to Dr. Nelson, my friend. call
hin'trleud for want Of better word to
Mace upon our relations, for. while
haven't seen him in a tleshy sense these
twenty years, he visits me quite often.
TO be sure. not SO often as of yore, but
he explains this very well and good
with ,hrase like this:
Well Norris, old man. I'm getting
old. you know, and travel sets good
DIt=harder upon me than when was a
young blade. doing the city with you"
And smiie and tell him 1t is pretty
much the same with all'people, which
believe is true.
The last time ! saw the doctor in a
worldly way, was twenty years ago this
January. evening. when he stood over
there by the mantelplece and I.sat In a
chair toastins my shiqs by the Ore. and
he astonlshed me with the announce
nent that he was going into the coun-
try.
He presented fine figure then, tall
well-made man. with sober, thought
ful face that told story of the student
and the scholar.
remember him on that occasion as
lighting up very suddenly and saying:
Morris old boy. I'm going to leave
the city In few days, and -" and
there he stopped and spun around on
bis heel a couple of times before he I'm
isttd. and want YOU to do me q
favor"
Name IT." Ireplled, good bit sur
prlsed and taken back, yet not SO much
by the words as by his great nervous
ness.
Il don't want you to tell any one
where have gone"
reused up at this and, taking Wig
9rous pull at my cigar, banteringly re.
piled:
which will be quite easy: not know
ing myself"
"of course. mean to tell you he
said. "bht as to others, not word.
Now, II you'M Just pass light for this
cheroOt. IN tell you ali about it,
After he had drawn hard on his cigar
for a few moments he settled himself
comfortably ana began:
Morris, believe every fellow has his
hobby, You have yours-scrlbblins for
the press; and have mtne-chemlFtry
as applied to explosives. We both ride
them numerically, and both with small
enough results, although, come to think
of 1t, do believe that last poem Of
yours In the Half Moon" was bril-
liant success. Now. what Imean to do
Is to give up this miserable practlce,g
away from this endless rattle of carts
and people. and moving things into
some little quiet country spot. put up a
little laboratory and complete certain
experiments / have in hand"
Kicked half burned log back into
the fire. blew three small rings Of smoke
through one large one aud said:
DO you expect your experiments to
be successful"
Certainty. Just as you expect to be
successful With your pen
"May I inquire as 70 the nature Of
This new destroying agent?"
That cannot IS yet tell. It WILL
however. provided have not mlscalcu-
lated things, beseveral hundred thou
sand times more powerful than dyna-
mite. and many thousands OF times
stronger than nltroglycerin. In fact. a
pinch Of II, as much as would lay on the
head of pin. would blow this building
into spllnters az small as straws,"
"whew!"I CIRCULATED. Il hope you
win excuse should decline to visit you
when you get settled. For upon my
word. ] should never rest easy next
door 70 the stuff"
"oh. you needn't fear for the few
times you may visit me. II the place
blows up ninety-nine chances on; Of a
hundred I will be the only ona injured"
There was something pecullas in the
tone OF Nelson's voic IA husky. awe
might callqo. and something odd and
uncnnny about his smile. as he said
this, That struck SILVER through my
blood. half believed that even then
he expected the place to blow up.
About month after the doctor had
gone into the country received BY post
an invitation to visit him in his homIt
abode.
Dear Boris" It said, Il have every
thing ftteI w tip-top, the experiment
IS moving along nicely, and want you
70 come Out md enjoy days res: with
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