The Opelousas courier., 1899-04-01

n"hiioO III CLo uOItueIu part OF one o
our New England states. The village
a couple of miles distant from tn
nearest railroad, consists of the post
office, smithy and a bakers dozen O
rural dwellings;a pretty and peaceful
place with rustic views that a man &C
customed to the hustle of city life cal
fully appreciate.
While waiting for my horse to be
shod, l learned that a few rods further
on, over the crest of the hill, were the
famous lime kilns. I had heard of the
kilns at Lime Rock since my boyhood,
but [ had never CHANGED to come that
way before, 50, telling the loquacious
blacksmith that I would return for
my horse soon, 1 strolled over the hill
to investigate.
L was met by the kiln-tender, a
strong, robust man about so years of
age, who welcomed me cordially and
volunteered to show me the modus
operandi of the affair, which he did
thoroughly. I can remember that
when he flung the big iron door of his
furnace open with the words, "This
fire burns night and day and never
goes out" although I was ten feet
away from the door, I was glad to
screen my face with my hands from
the terrible heat; and yet, as if the
fire were not hot enough, he COM
menced to throw on great sticks Of
cord wood, which blazed up instantly.
Having finished the inspection of
the place, I was about to thank him
and wishdraw, when I Glanced to
make the remark that in this quiet
little village Of Lime Rock one could
forget all the cares of life, all its ex-
elements and tragedies.
young man." he said, 'for Is
years | have burnt lime in this place,
and although my previous years were
spent In far more exciting places, vet
the nearest approach to a terrible trag-
edy happened to me in this same
quiet, peaceful village"
Seeming an interesting narrative, |
fastened to assure him that I should
feel honored if he would favor me
with the particulars of his adventure.
Offering me a stool and filling and
lighting his pipe, he told me the fol
lowing tale:
ut will be ton years ago the 18th
OF next December that the exciting
incident in which I figured occurred.
As | have already explained to you,
we have a gang Of men here through
the day, but only one mar through the
his duties being to tend the fire
and draw the lime, which latter is done
three times in each "a hours. I was |.
then the night mar and was on dutv
On the 18th Of December of which I
,peak.
ut was a cold, clear moonlight
hight about 10 o'clock. I was alone.
he last lounger having gone home,
md | had just replenished the great
ire, when the latch was lifted, and a ,
stranger walked in. He was a tall, I
muscular, well-built man, I should say
bout 40 years of age, clad in a large
'vercoat and wearing a silk hat; he
lad a fine, intellectual face, with flow :
ng side whiskers and sharp black .
yes: eyes that seemed to have the q
of looking beneath the surface; ,
n fact, they attracted my attention '
lmost before [ observed his other :
e~atures. =,
CHOW I like company in the long c
inter nights, and as I pushed forward =
stool I babe him q cordial good r
vening.' !
Good evening, he returned pleas t
ntly, and throwing off his overcoat
Q seated himself opposite to NE. v
IT do not often have callers at f
I said, but they are always v
'elcome.' !
WE'LL he replied, the fact is I +
walking down to the station to take
midnight train into p. As IL
had plenty of time and saw the re- I
ection of your fire I thought I would o
rop in, get warm and have a chat ii
18th you before finishing my walk a
"Well, he was a good talker, and g
me passed pleasantly, and after we k
I'D conversed some 20 minutes I had
armed that he was a professor Of o
lemlstry in B university in al
and that he was an enthusiast O
his profession. fe
"Suddenly he asked me if I would Of
t him see my fire. I stepped around fe
Id threw open the big furnace door; al
% heat was intense, but although he to
God within three feet of the open
'or, unlike most visitors, he neither W
owed away nor seemed to pay any p1
tention to it, but drew nearer, if any q
ing, with his sharp, black eyes
led intently on the flames. til
Shutting the door I said: ne
You are different from most peo- W,
professor; everyone cannot stand su
9 heat as you did, al
" Il should be able to stand it. he di
piled, it has been the study of my nj
e. y,
HE paced back andforth excitedlv. sh
8 fingers working convulsively. and m,
s eyes still fixed on the furnace iu
or. The sight of that fire had had de
strange effect on him. hi
"The study Of your life? What do
u mean?" III
"'I will tell you,' he replied, calm @
himself with an effort and resum- on
g his seat. AS I have said, I. have tn
chemistry my life study, but I an
studied it with a fixed purpose. On
d that purpose is to invent a com. Wa
und that will render the body of an
. living animal impervious to fire. hi,
ink OF the renown that awaits the an
N that can render the human BODY
eproof! Think Of the sufferings and far
caused by fire that he corld to