Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1899-03-16
The Life of a Man

TIT is a question:" Prof. Kirkhoffer
said, quietly, "between this and
that .-,.s..#s3 ..@E
Saying thus, he looked down at the
two objects between which choice had
to be made. ''This'' was a man, a
brown-slxinned man Of the upper Asian
steppes. He. lay prone upon The desert
sand, his eyes, unseeing eyes, wide
open, motionless save for an occasional
twitching of the limbs as the fever
shiver, shook him; silent, except when
his parched lips moved in the inarticu-
late mutter Of delirium. The profess
sor's gaze did not inger upon this pite-
Gus figure. It Travelled to 'that"-two
loads of clay tablets, evidently of ex-
IRENE antiquity, and closely covered
with strange cuneiform character,
which had just been carefully strapped
by his companion to the backs of two
kneeling camels. t,ss .,.r
Seeing we are now reduced to two
beasts only he went on, his eye Shift
ing for an instant to the body of a
third camel which lay dead some 20
yards off, "seeing also that we are in
a waterless desert, probably "a hours
ride from the nearest well, and that this
man is a dead weight on our hands :" =
"You don't dream of abandoning the
poor chap" Dick Harding broke in.
The professor glanced uneasily over
his smoked spectacles. Harding was
puzzle to him, a man of distinguished
scientific attachments, capable of
strong scientific enthusiasm, yet oc-
casionally betraying a vein Of senti-
mentality altogether out of place in
connection with scientific exploration.
Kirkhoffer had had inconvenient ex-
perience of this popularity more than
once during the year spent with Hard
ing in the remote Businesses of Thibet. :
"You wouldn't leave him here to
die?" the Englishman persisted.
The professor rubbed his forehead
thoughtfully. "He's bound to die soon
in any case.'
II don't see that at all. If we can
keep him alive tillwe get out of this
Impossible, my friend He cannot
walk and these two camels cannot car
ry him in addition to you and me and
the tablets
''Then leave some of the tablets be-
hind"
The professor fairly gasped for
breath. 81 Ii Il
leave leave, behind some Of the
tablets? 2" he stamme cred "sLeave the
records of a civilization to which the
Arcadian is a thing of yesterday-to
be swallowed. up by the next sand.
storm? Give my great discovery, the
greatest of the century, MANNED and
imperfect, to the world? Harding, YOU
must be mad. What's the life of a
Khirgiz Tartar beside these priceless
things?''
Kirkhoffer's short sighted eyes
cleaned angrily behind his glasses; his
voice was thick with passion.
whats Khirgiz Tartar?" he
growled, like a wild animal.
'He's man, anyway" Harding re-
torted. Suppose refuse to leave this
fellow?"
''Then" the professor became all at
once ominously cool ST shall be forced
to remind you that am the head Of
this expedition and you my salaried as
sistant. Also that these animals are
my property. I go and they go with
me. You can join the party or not, as
you please"
Harding grew pale. 'sThat is the
choice you offer me? Then I say you
are a blackguard."
''And I say indifferently, that you
are fool Come, will you mount??''
mol" furiously
The German shrugged his shoulders.
Have it your own way he said. And,