Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-01-28
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
A SCIENTIFIC
DISCOVERY

4
robes and setting themselves for hard
study. Three upper class men We're as
sembled in room of one of the dormi-
tories. among them Il single freshman.
He walked about as if treading ON
eggshells. and if there was one thing
he dreaded it was being made game of.
The senior and the Junior treated him
as unworthy of any especial notice, the
sophomore as an inferior order of ami
NAL.
Talking of surprises" said the jun
ior, Il met with one this summer that
knocked me cold"
Lets have it, said the senior.
You know that l was chosen to rep
resent our class in the university eXpe-
dition TO the Yellowstone park this
summer"
You? Yellowstone park? oh, yes!
Now / remember. l had forgotten that
you took every scientific prize last
term" He removed his pipe from his
mouth and glanced significantly at the
freshman.
Everybody knows the Junior went
OH, ''who knows anything. that the gey-
3ers out there are impregnated With
calcareous and siliceous matter"
"Calcareous and siliceous matter is
good" said the sophomore, with mock
reverence.
Don't interrupt the speaker" inter
posed the senior severely. This eXpe-
ditiOn has brought about some remark
able discoveries, and we want TO hear
about them"
This calcareous and siliceous mat
ter" resumed rhe narrator. INSTANTLY
incrustates whatever il falls upon. We
found any quantity of things from
which. when we knocked off the coat
ing. there was the original article. good
as ever. But we found one thing we
hadn't counted on. one of the fellows.
picking up 4 piece of stone about ten
inches long ana quite slender, began
to hammer il. and after an extra hard
knock the thing broke up. and OFF wrig-
gled live lizard
Il didn't know" said the freshman
in establishment. that life could exist
inside of a stone"
shut up, freshman" said the sophie
more. What do you know about sci
ence:"
Life may exist inside of ice said
the senior by way of explanation.
why not inside of stone as welI:"
cit occurred to me-" the narrator
went on. Ito separate from the rest of
the party and look for other live speci-
mems. so I took my outfit and went on
n still hunt. l spent ten days picking
up different articles without finding
anything better than Il chipmunk and
began to get discouraged. | was stand
ing one day by one OF the biggest gey-
sers. admiring the way il shot up into
the air. and was so intent upon it that
1 didn't notice that I was gradually be-
ing covered with its spray. 1t occurred
to me that if l stood there long enough
1 would become incrusted and turn out
living statue, so l moved farther
away. Just above was another geyser.
spouting for all IL was worth. l went
to it and leaned against stone. Il sort
of pillar about ten feet high, over
which the spray was constantly fall
ing. 1 don't know what put ii into my
head, but l began to chop at the thing
with my AK. The first thing l knew
broke Off Il big chunk and laid bare
piece of gray cloth. Examining it. l
found it to he a mans coattail."
81 can hardly believe that" said the
freshman. with increasing surprise.
Go on" said the senior. with with
ering glance ut the doubter.
81 went round to the opposite side of
the stone and after hammering awhile
exposed n bit of light summer silk
l began to get interested. There was
an eminence-or, rather. one of those
terraces they have in the park-beside
the big stone, and. mounting it, I
swung the AK over my head. just as
throw the hammer at athletic shows.
and, bringing the blade down on the
top of the stone, cleft it in twain
"And found said both upper class
men, with a fine show of interest
81 found said the speaker impress
lively, IA young man and a girl stand
ing side by side, the mans arm around |
the girls waist. They had been there |
since the last party had visited the gey |
sers, a week before. thus furnishing |
admirable data as TO the time pair of |
overs can spend in that enjoyable posi- |
ion. They had stood together 10y the |
yeyser. admiring it and each other and !
we're so intent upon their spoOning that |
hey didn't realize they We're becoming |
ncrusted till it was too late
"YOu don't mean it, cried the fresh
nan. "Pshaw, It's ridiculous!
Freshman" said the>senior sternly,
you are doubling the word of the sci
,ntific prodigy of this college"
what did they do?' asked the soph-
more.
"Do? The girl blushed rosy red at
,eing caught in such n position, and
he fellow marched her of, remarking
hat they must hurry or, their party
would leave the park without them"
The freshman departed more uncom-
ortable than when he entered. He
new the upper class men had been
-uying him. but dared not question the
tory. He was no sooner out Of ear
hot when the senior turned to the jun
Dr with the remark: