The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-12
THE ABBOT OF SAN PIerRo.

son Maurice was the old mans Old-cOun-
try ideas about money. He was already
/ millionaire. but he refused 70 extend
| to Maurice the slightest financial aid or
the least encouragement TO hope for
rich inheritance He made two provisos
without the fulfllment of which his son,
he said. was TO have not a penny of his
| wealth. First. the boy must marry. The
| father didn't care who she was provided
] Maurice married her in the orthodox way,
| but a wife he must get Then he must
| earn. acquire or AT least prove the owner
! ship of at least a thousand dollars in his
| own right before he could expect either
countenance or help from his father.
| These were harsh requirements for
young man OF Maurice Shumate's temper
| a ment. for he was born in New York,
| reared among well-to-do Americans, and
| utterly devoid of those cautious. econom-
| zeal, old-fashioned qualities which made
| his father harsh master in spite of
his natural amiability.
Having degrees from half dozen Euro
pean universities, Herman Shumate was
entitled to the doctor" epithet, though
he had never practiced medicine. An ex-
pert chemist and poison specialist. mas
ter of the materia nledica and inventor
/ of two successful processes of enbalm-
ing. he had achieved his greatest sue
cess and most Of his millions as man
ager and stakeholder OF q rich chem
1
a rake at q and a harum-scarum, pop
ular, utterly irresponsible man-about-
town at 3. Then he was stricken with
| pneumonia and empyema, and his cred
itors began to harry his father. When
he was strong enough to walk Che weigh
ed only 12O pounds) his father gave him
| 800 and said:
You'll get well if You go to a good eli
mate and sleep nine hours day. You
| can come back or not, as you choose
| But l will pay no more of your bills. l
! will feed and house you no longer. II
| you get married and make your first
thousand dollars, all right. l will see"
II was a harsh sentence, and it hurt
Maurice, but he was very weak. and only
smiled wanly as he said:
L don't blame you. dad. But where
would you go?'
Go to the devil, If you like growled
the doctor. who had seen that smile be-
fore. Here's your hundred dollars.
| When Maurice was gone, old DR.. Shu-
mate began 10 fret. He became more
/ active than ever, more interested in sci
entific research. more penurious. and
more solitary in his habits than before.
| When winter came on he decided TO go
| into the southwest TO examine some OF
! the mumnies OF the cliff dWellers, with
an idea of discovering some of the Sc
| crets of their embalnipg processes. He
/
! in Colorado and Mexico. and then became
absorbed in the preservative cerements
( enwrapping the monks buried beneath the
! old Spanish missions OF southern Cali
! fornia, Texas and Mexico. II was at
! San Pietro that he stumbled across bit
1 of information that set his scientific soul
| afre. He had tried in vain to induce
Herr Knauss, the German keeper Of the
/ old mission, to open the long-scaled
/ tombs that lay beneath the altar stones
/ Of the chapel. He had become very
I friendly with the old custodian. who was
/ from Nuremberg, and he had been al
most generous with his fees. But no.
/ the property belonged 10 the Francis
/ cans and he. Knauss. being only a rem
/ ter, was pledged to protect every part
and parcel OF the antique buildings and
/ historic grounds.
But there is another ruin" whispered
Knauss. Il think it is an old burial
vault, in an adjoining farm. II you will
risk few hundred dollars perhaps
/ Try it, try IL. my friend!' exclaimed
! the enthusiast. When can you begin?'
The old German insisted that the mat
! ter must be kept secret. but he would
| let his patron know the result Of the ex-
| cavation. 1t was very much dilapidated
| structure. mostly under ground filled
( with earth, stones and the debris of more
! than two centuries. 1t would take time.
But DR.. Shumate had been in Monterey
| only week when he got a German let
| ter from Herr Knauss. The digger. toll
| ing alone at night and aided only by his
| daughter, had unearthed many bones.
| but-most extraordinary of ALA perfect
ly preserved corpse, probably that of an
! abbot
! Post haste back hurried DR.. Shumate
! to San Pietro, full of his secret and eager
to investigate. hoping against hope that
l ha tcbf of he
mummy. 1t was a seven-mile drive to the
mission home OF Knauss, but the doctor
! was there before o'clock In the morning
after his arrival al the railroad station.
Knauss was from home. His wife thought
he had gone to Laredo. Frauleln Matilda.
the daughter who was very pretty and
( spoke English perfectly, didn't know
The women stared at Or. Shumate. He
decided to keep secret the purpose OF his
visit and was driving off. when Matilda
came furtively through the hedge OF
| mesquite and said:
1T is a secret, DR.. Shumate. Mamma
does not know. Papa said 1 should bring
/ you to it,"
He made room for her beside him and
she directed him into an old trail beyond
the chaparral thicket and they rode 81
lently together for a mile in the quiv-
ering heat of the sun, and in the blazing
dust of the parched fields before she
showed him the ruins OF the old tomb
with the fresh earth of recent excavations
| piled about the sunken entrance
You must only look. doctor" explained
Matilda, when they had tied the horse
and alighted. Papa says you may not
touch the-he calls 1t The Abbot be-
cause there is a gold ring on the finger
| that you may only look at it,
He followed her down into the darl.
hole. stepping among clay-stained bones
and noticing three skulls ranged in row
within. She lighted candle and motion
ed him TO remain by the dim opening
| Then he put on his double-lsnse glasses
and saw the mummy. II was the body
OF Z young or middle-aged Franciscan
almost perfectly preserved. Dust as OF
lime and sand. was sprinkied thinly up
on the scant hair and thin face The
crown OF the head was shaven. the thick
wooden cowi was back, disclosing the
ascetic but life-Hks face OF the Abbot
The bOny hands. ciasped across the
I breast, held 4 rosary and cross Only
the cord. peculiar to the Franciscan order.
showed signs that the remains had been
prepared for burial II was wrapped
about the arms and lower extremities oE
the body.
Papa viii show II to you again" said
Matilda. blowing out the light, before the
excited scientist Rad satisfied a whit Of
mis- curiosity; he may be home now
They drove hack 20 the mission and
Knsuss was there. The doctor stayed for
dinner. and at supper time he was stil
in earnest. eager and whispered consul
tation with the old custodian At last
he seemed satisfied 70 90. He drove back
n town IN 4 hurry and ~ rrsE-r F. r.