The Saint Paul globe., 1902-02-09

Inns TIME II was the Gholera m1crODe.
This time too the odd nnan nearly sue
cumbed to the attack ofifhe terrible raw
ager taken voluntarily into his system.
He was somewhat weakened by his very
| recent attack of typhoid, a fact which he
had not sufficiently considered Royce
found him in a condition of collopse,
from which, however, by applying his
newly learned remedies, he duly brought
| his patient round.
Sir Bruce expressed gratitude. 1.-THE
rascals developed their attack six hours
before L expected it," he explained. But
Tor your SmartneSs / should have sue
cumbed. The anguish was terrible. 1 do not
know when L shall summon resolution to
educate another pupil by personal eX-
pertinent"
Take my advice and let me be your
last" said Royce You have done
enough for science and you can't want
money"
mo, I have sufficient; and I think
have done well enough for science, but
it is mania with me, and [ feel that
1 shall continue to send out pupils until
the end
THE poor old fellow is as mad as a
hare!' was the conclusion at which
Royce arrived; he had thought this from
the first, but was not quite sure of it.
month later, before he had started
for his destination, certain cholera-in-
| fected district in India, Royce was sur
prised by a visit from Sir Bruce's valet.
The man came excitedly into the room
while Rolyce sat at his breakfast. Royce
knew him well and had had many a talk
with him.
For Heavens sake, sir, come quickly
to my master, he cried; the poor fellow
was half frantic with agitation. I'm
afraid he's dyingn'
Good Lord, man, what's up?'' asked
Royce, hurriedly seizing hat and gloves
and preparing to go.
Sir Bruce has never been the same
sir, since having the two attacks one
after the other While you We're there.
He's taken another pupil, now and if
l was asked l should say he wasn't fit
for experimenting again just yet, but
this new gent was in a hurry to study
his subject and 60"
The two men were now i'll cab to-
gether hurrying twoards Harley street
Has he pupil lost his head, then
or why doesn't he apply the remedies he
has been taught?'
:" Eaven only knows, sir; that's what
1 hope you'll find out and save Sir
Bruces life
Royce found the new student in despair
and at his wits end The young man
accompanied him to Sir Bruce's bedside.
The old scientist lay obviously dying.
He hasn't been conscious since it
took him. said the student; she swal-
lowed the diphtheria microbe, and I haze
been applying his own patent remedy as
he taught me- but the treatment has
failed. 1t doesn't look like diptheria to
me. What do you think?''
Royce recognized the symptoms at
once. The old man was in the first stage
Of Typhoid fever. Without a word he
set about applying the remedies which
had succeeded so well but a little while
since. But he was too late
The old man regained consciousness,
however, presently, and even rallied for
a short while. He recognized Royce at
fis bedside ana smiled. The student
was out Of the room. AS Sir Bruce
seemed to desire to speak, Royce bent
his ear to listen.
Il think you were right he whispered
81 have tried too much-typhoid, cholera
and diptheria all within six weeks"
There is no question of diptheria,
Sir Bruce" said Royce; you are suffer-
ing from typhoid
"What?' exclaimed the old man, act
ually raising his weak body into a sitt-
ing position impossible! It was the
next phial in the ease4there could be no
mistake-'
Stop, sir-what of my two phials,-did
you not put them back in the casket?
If so, it would have been easy to forget
that you had done so, and to use the
phial which lay at the top"
The old scientist was silent a moment
or two. 1T is time I died." he said pres
enLly IF I can no longer distinguish he
tween the contents of two of my own
phialsl'
When the student returned to the room
Royce spoke to- him somewhat sternIy.
You should have diagnosed the case
for yourself, he said; ANY man can see
there is no question of diPhtheria here
But one does not expect the ordinary
here. said the youth pertinently. II nat
urally applied the remedies prescribed for
+ himself by our friend. I took it for
granted that he had swallowed the diph-
| iberia bacillus and treated him strict tly
in accordance with the instructions I Lad
received. When I felt doubtful 1 'ent
done more than I have"
Both Royce and the student did all that
was possible to save the old man, but
their efforts were in vain, and he died
| within an hour, victim to his own mi
| crobes.
AS soon as the breath was out of the
| old mans body Royce appropriated the
casket in which We're collected the fateful
! phialS
Il think I'll take these medicines with
| me, and destroy them" said Royce ad-
dressing the faithful valet; you needn't
| say anything about it if inquiries IRE
! made they are dangerous drugs and
! should not be left abouti'
Royce carried the caSket in fear and
trembling What if he Should slip and
! drop it? There were eleven phiaIs each
filed with sufficient deadly organisms to
infect and destroy the entire population
of London: the thought made his head
swim, and he stood q moment to pull
himself together Then he hailed a cab
and drove Ou1 to Barnes common. where
he dispatched it. Selecting a quiet spot.
far from the frequented paths that led
| aC1 oss the common. he collected a ollie
of dry grass and sticks, sufficient to roast
a sheep Withal Over this he emptied
nd wat oh oJ
the flames spit and crackle as they ruth
lessly DESTROYED the deadly fruits of many
years of patient research and inveStiga-
| ton. He allowed the fire to burn itself
out: then he collected the ashes and mix
ed them with new supply of dry fuel
and rekindled this; he dug up and burned
the earth around the fire. and when Ill
was scorched and charred he kindled a
third fire; then he went away.
= fortnight later a tramp passed the
srCt: his pipe would not draw and he
took a small charred twig to clean it
out, Not long afterwards an inmate of
the Casual Ward at Brixton was taken
i'll: il was found to be case of rapid
tuberculosis The tramp died, but for
tEnately-so far as can be knoWn-with-
ort spreading the mischief. A child.
playing at nide-aEd-seek on Barnes com
mons with his companions, several
months after this, dropped a sweet as he
ran; it fell upon the remains of Royce's
bonfire Unwilling to lose the dainty, he
picked it up and popped it into his mouth.
tossing in a riverside fever hospital.
while the vestry authorities in his dis
Il let were deeply concerned to discover
the origin of the attack. The milk and
the drinking water of the district were
suspected and scrutfnized,s but they were
innocent and the mystery remained un-
solved
AS for Royce, he is rapidly making his
fortune. The son of the Rajah of his
district had the ill-1uck to- succumb to the
cholera epidemic ra gipg that season in the
province Royce. whose name was al
ready upon the lipsEof the people as a
doctor of marvellous skilzeAwas sent for,
and within a couple- OfsdaYs the Young