The daily morning Alaskan., 1903-02-04
THE SWORD
 | OF DAM0CLES
IoriEinaLl

Professor, said the emperor, ''it is a misfortune to our royal self as well as to you that you are implicated in this conspiracy"
 q am innocent your majesty"
 But your aecuser says that you are guilty"
 That Is because he would be bene- ated by my death"
 The emperor trowned. He was turn ing the matter over in bis mind. Pres ently be spoke again;
 "Gentlemen, no university in the world holds two such eminent mathe- maticians. You. sehenglar. accuse Guenther of conspiracy against our royal person You. Guenther. accuse Schenglar of bearing false witness in order to get you out of his way, a crime scarcely less atrocious than Urea. son. What proof have you of your charger
 None that can bring forth without Injury to another"
 "Gentlemen," said the emperor, "we have the trial by combat but it Is not Gtted for scholars. shall institute a new test Go to your rooms. which will be carefully locked and guarded Calculate bow fine a wire will be re- Quired to hold ln suspense a sword weighted to a hundred pounds. When you have finished. hand your figures to the grand chamberlain. who will have the wires forged and the swords weighted. Then they win be suspend cd. one by a wire made on Schenglars calculation and one on a wire made on Guenther's calculation. Each mathe- matician shall deliver lecture an hour long under the sword held by his own calculation. IT neither sword falls, the man who stands under the finer wire shall be believed: the other shall die"
 The emperor mOtioned to the captain of the guards, and the prisoners were taken away.
 The professors handed in their cal. culations-Guenther within Q week, Schenglar within a month. Then months were spent in making the wires. which were each run through a mathematical instrument to discover that it answered the calculation; and. lastly. the swords were made ready to be suspended. each by It's proper wire, over a desk In the throneroom Of the emperor's palace. From the first, great interest was manifested throughout the empire in this advance method Of trial The people hailed the departure as a new evidence Of the wisdom of their beloved sovereign.
 It was on a bright spring morning that the emperor. the imperial family. the nobles, the faculty Of the uniyersi ty, the generals of the army and other notables filled the thronerOOm Co over flowing. When the audience was seat cd, the emperor entered. followed by hls suit. In the suit of the empress was a maid of honor whose intense e1' eitement showed plainly in her face and her demeanor. When the prison CTS were led ln. she was observed to cast upon Schenglar a look of hate. upon Guenther a look of Intense solici' tude. When all was ready. lots were drawn as to which professor should lecture first The lot fell to Schenglar.
 With the greatest care a sword was suspended over hls desk. every enort being made that not the least extra strain should be put upon It's wire dur. ing the process. When it was hung, the time was carefully noted, and Schenglar began to speak. During the lecture, especially the last few min utes. there was intense excitement in the audience, and the lecturer, as be finished. while the last sands ran from the glass, fell back exhausted. Then Guenther. after all had been arranged for him. stepped to his desk and deliy- cred bis discourse with as much con adence as if he were simply speaking in his classroom.
 Wonderful" said the audience, awhat confidence that man has in his calculations"
 He. too, finished without the sword falling upon hlm. and the test now lay between the fneness of the two wireA Silence was imposed, and the ehancel Tor of the empire. opening two packets containing the original computations In each case, read:
 'sThe strength of the wires Is repre- sented by the following decimals oi the unit of measure;
 Professor Schenglar, .OoI49
 Professor Guenther. .00l36
 Professor Guenther's wire Is the hn CT by more than six-thousandths of the unit of measure"
 There was a momentary hush which was broken by a sound of one falling on the door. A maid In the empress suit had falnted The emperor looked aside and, seeing what had occurred said: There lies the cause Of the ac cusation. Is lt not 80, Professor Schen- glarT
 'Now that must de. l confess. l love the woman and would have de stroyed my rival"
 "Take hlm away" said the emperor
 Schenglar was led out of the throne room. the emperor and the audience remaining seated. Meanwhile the maid of honor had recovered and was en deavoring to restrain her blushes at