The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-02
Our Daily Short Stories
BY T. H. LANCASTER.
Copyright. 1901. by Authors Syndicate,

The chemist laid aside his retorts and
came out of the unwholesome fumes
he had been generating.
81 said so from the Tristan unsta-
ble compound" he muttered. Then
his expression changed and the light
Of triumph drifted from his eyes.
young couple chatting gayly I'M
der an umbrella were passing his win
dow. The chemist stared at them I'M
I'll they turned in at the park gates.
"That is another unstable. COM
nound." he added, grimly. But wheth-
or he meant the gay young girl, her
clerical looking escort or their green
ond white umbrella failed to material
;ze He turned back savagely into the
haze of sickly yellow vapor and did
not appear again until lecture hour.
That evening he went to see the girl
o,d found her as he would have had
heron the gallery in the moonlight
with neither the escort nor the UNI
brella in evidence.
What have you been working at to-
dav?" she asked, pleasantly, after
greeting had been exchanged.
Morton paused in the act of dragging
a chair into her corner.
unstable compounds" he said.
dryly.
Are they Interestingly" she persist
ed cheerfully.
Extremely So"
But not healthy"
They are not?'
you don't seem to be in a very
wholesome humor."
Morton sat down and stared at a
feck of moonlight on the floor.
NO" he said after a little, sit is
hard on the nerves"
80 l should imagine" she returned,
preparing to forgive his ill-humor.
And smelling, besides"
We'll" he agreed, lat least 1t is
not the odor of sanctity."
Il object to theI odor of sanctity, "
she murmured.
do you?" he questioned, brighten
ing perceptibly. GAS far as that goes,
I was never particularly partial to it
myself"
That is because it is not developed
other little fixings. Do you never in
vite folks into that dreadful shop of
yours ?"
Would you care to come, some Sun
day morning."
Thank you, but I always go to
church,
The chemist resumed his staring at
the spot of moonshine which strangely
enough had assumed the aspect of a
green and white umbrella shielding a
pretty girl and a young man in black
clothes of clerical cut.
II came over with the intention of
asking you to help me investigate an
unsta BILE compound this evening"" he
remarked, grimly.
will it be interestingly" she ques-
toned, coolly.
Extremely So" he assured her. "At
least I have always understood that
the subject afforded ladies a good deal
of amusement"
Well she responded, comfortably,
Il am just an ordinary woman, so
whatever interests my sex in general
will be pretty sure to do the same for
me individually. But you will find it
difficult to make me understand. I'm
afraid. l have forgotten every bit of
the chemistry 1 learned at Sophie New
combs"
The chemist thawed under this sun
ny honesty.
Are you right sure that you studied
chemistry?" he asked, and there was
something in his tone which caused the
girl to realize that it was an exquisite
summer night.
Why. yes" she replied briskly. Il
must have done so because some OF
the technical terms have such ia
miliar look. Valence, for instance. BY
the way, what is valence?"
Why it is a property concerning
the power of atoms. You understand
that when elements combine to form
new substance they may combine
atom for atm, or an atom of one ele"
ment may be able to hold in combina-
ton two atoms OF another-that is, it
is bivalent"
And if it is able to hold three, 1t is
trivalent?"
Yes"
Thank you. Then what you call
the replacing power of an element is
determined by the valence?"
Morton locked at her with smiling
eyes.
Il think you are still tolerably fresh
on your chemistry"