The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-10-06
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: ~ GHOST
! J KNOW.
It Haunts the Place Of Its Labors
When It Was Living
) Man.
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On the north bank of the Missouri riv-
or, good 100 miles from it's mouth, there
is a bit of virgin forest land that has lain
these many years untouched and undis-
turbed by the hand Of man. may name
as reasons for this the unhealthfulness of
the place and the fact that in the rainy
season when the river is high the water
backs up into the sloughs and entirely
surrounds it. There is one other reason,
hut of it will tell liter.
But one man to my knowledge, barrin;
myself, has ever set foot upon it. l refer
to DR.. Nelson, my friend. 1 call him
friend for want OF better word to place
upon our relations, for, while 1 haven t
seen him in n fleshly sense these 20
years, he visits me quite often. To be
sure, not so often now as of yore, but he
explains this very well and good with a
phrase like this:
We'll, Norris, old man, I'm getting
old, you know, and travel sets q good bit
harder upon me than when was a
young blade, doing the city with you"
And l smile and tell him it is pretty
much the same with all people, which I
believe is true.
Ac lust llluS saw luG uOClOE Ill u
worldly way was 20 years ago this Janu-
airy evening. when he stood over there by
the mantelpiece and 1 sat in a chair
toasting my shins by the fire, and he as
tonished me with the announcement that
he was going into the country.
He presented a fine figure then; tall,
well made man, with Il sober, thoughtful
face that told 4 story Of the student and
the scholar.
l remember him on that occasion as
lighting up very suddenly and saying:
morris, old boy, I'm going to leave the
city in a few days, and"-and there he
stopped and spun round on his heel a
couple of times before he tinished-"and
want you to do me n favor"
"Name it," l replied, a good bit sur
prised and taken back, yet not so much
by the words as by his great nervous
ness.
81 don't want you to tell any one
where have gone"
reused up at this and, taking vigor-
Gus pull at my cigar. banteringly replied:
(Which will be quite easy, not knowing
myself"
'Of course l meant to tell you," he
said, 'but as TO others, not u word Now,
If you'll just pass light for this cheroot
I'll tell you all about it."
After he had drawn hard on his cigar
for a few moments he settled himself
comfortably and began:
Morris, l believe every fellow has
his hobby. You have yours-scribbling
for the press-and l have mine-chemis-
try as applied to explosives. We both
ride them numerically and both with
small enough results, although, come to
think of it, do believe that last poem
of yours in The Half Moon was bril-
liant success. Now what mean to do Is
to give up this miserable practice, get
away from this endless rattle of carts
and people and, moving things into some
quiet country spot, put up little labora-
tory and complete certain experiments l
have in hand"
l kicked a half burned log back into
the fire, blew three small rings of smoke
through one large one and said:
"Do you expect your experiments to be
successful"
Certainly. Just as you expect to be
successful with your PEN"
MAY inquire as to the nature Of this
new destroying agent"
THAT / cannot as yet tell. It will,
however provided have not miscalcu-
lated things, be several hundred thou
sand times more powerful than dynamite
and many thousands of times stronger
than nitroglycerin. In fact, pinch Of it,
as much as would lay on the head of a
pin, would blow this building into spin.
tiers rs small as straws."
"Whew"' 1 calculated. 81 hope you
will excuse ne should l decline to visit
you when you get settled, for, upon my
word | should never rest easy next door
to the stuff"
"Oh, you needn't fear for the few
times you may visit me. IL the place
blows up, 90 chances out Of 100 l will be
the only one injured"
There was something peculiar in the
tone of Nelson's voice-a husky awe, l
might call it-and something odd and I'M
canny about his smile ae he said this that
struck SILVER through my blood. half
believe that even then he expected the
place to blow up.
About a month after the doctor had
gone into the country l received by post
an invitation to visit him in bis hermit
abode.
Dear Norris" it said, 81 have every
thing fitted up tiptop. The experiment
Is moving along nicely, and want you
to come out and enjoy days rest with
me-"
A few days later as was coming
down town prepared to take the early
train a ragged little newsboy thrust q
paper before me and cried:
"Mornin ex-ter-e! All about the hor.
rible cxploshun an the death of DR.. Mel.
SON.
At the sound of the words q faintina
weakness struck to my heart, and my
hand fumbled for awhile ere l found the
coin for the boy. Poor Nelson! His
words had indeed been prophetic. With
a mind bewildered and sorely besct
contrived to grope through the printed
column, the death notice of my friend
And for the space Of many minutes after
/ had finished the article l stood and
gazed, my eyes blank before me, my
brain awhirl. Then I set out on my
changed journey.
A farmer took me in a stout wagon
ten miles aero g a rough hill country from
the railway Station to Nelson's place
All the way the north wind blew sharI
at our throat and now and then flaw
oi ICY snow struck like hail upon thu