The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-09
Shylock Homes: His Posttlunous
Memoirs. s.s
By John Kendrick Bangs.
Copyright, 1903. by John Kendrick Bangs.

Tohn Kendrick Bangs.
fact that when we parted it was. with the
distinct promise that Shakspere and 81
were to spend the following Sunday at
Noxmere, with Bacon. l was glad, in
deed, of the invitation, for my sus-
picions were become SO great that all the
powers of hades could not now have di
verted me from the mystery l had un-
dertaken to solve. Entirely apart from the
interest 1 was beginning to take in 1T, it
would never do, even from professional
point of view, to give up now or to let
Bacon deceive me-, as he appeared to be
trying to do, and, as I looked back upon
the luncheon and recalled several seem
ingly insignificant little details, I felt
pretty certain that there was something
very strange about Shakspere. He pre-
ferred absinthe to ale, for one thing; he
questioned the use of terms in one OF his
own phrases; had no good stories to tell,
and was very far from being the royster-
ing companion his friends had cracked
him up to be. A day in the country
might reveal the true inwardness of GER
tain things that just now bafhed me, and
accepted with alacrity. Not SO Shaks-
pere, who betrayed considerable reluc-
tance to be one of the party, but, partly
by persuasion, and partly, could see, by
intimidation, he was won over.
The next day called upon my friend,
Henry Jekyll, with whom 1 had been on
intimate terms in London the year he and
I sprang almost simultaneously into. our
enviable nOtOriety. l told him frankly
the position in which I placed, and
what suspected, and adjured him if he
were my friend, to give me the prescrip-
ton by which he transformed himself into
HYDE and then from Hyde, back to JekyIl
again. At first he refused me point
blank. ,<.ss Izlsr. X &sszEis-- ss.-
''You will use it on yourself Homes
and if you do, it will ruin YOU he said.
'I sweai, to you that I will not, JekylI,'
/ I replied. "You know the value Of my
! word" ss.s = 80
| "But-' he persisted.
"Do you want me to be made the laugh
| ing stock of all hades?" I cried. 'As
| surely shall be if I fail in this enterprise
| II know, Homes" said he. But
| 1T is the only favor have ever asked
| of you. Henry Jekyll," said I. And l
| beg to recall to your mind that I knew the
| truth of your double. existence in Lon
! don when Hyde murdered Sir Danvers-
Carew. Did 1 betray you, when your be-
trayal would have made my fortune?'
1T is yours, he cried, as. seizing
prescription blank from the table, he
| wrote down the required formula.
| I had the powder in my pocket the fol-
| lowing Sunday, upon my arrival at Nox-
mere. The day passed pleasantly, and
| Shakspere proved a charming companion
rather too much given to reciting lines
from his ownTworks, perhaps, but full of
geniality and quite like the man I had
expected to find him. Indeed, had his
manner at the luncheon been the same as
that which he displayed at NOXmere,
should have pursued the Jekyll and Hyde
theory no further. But now refused to
cast suspicion aside without the suprein-
est test of trying Jekyll's powders On Ba-
con. All day long avoided allusion TO
and hU MI
both Bacon and Shakspere were SO thor
oughly convinced that they had thrown
ME off the scent that they became frankly
and facetiously jocular. bided my time,
until the nightcap hour came, and then
in order to put my plan into operation
suggested that be allowed to mix COCK
tail for the company.
Il learned the art from an American
| friend'' said, land I assure you, my lord
and you, too, William Shakspere, when
you have swallowed your first Martini
you will say that you've-never had drink
! before"
! s:Wassail to the Martini" cried Bacon
.'All hail the queue de coque," roared
1 Shakspere jovially-a remark which
caused me to start, Bacon to frown, anc
Shakspere to turn pale. What had the
Bard of Avon to do, indeed, with the
e French languageo I said nothing. how.
>
r the mixture, and into Bacon's glass
D slipped the powder Henry Jekyll hac
), given me- And we all drank, and ther
Do you remember DR.. Lanyon's nara
- tive, in Stevenson's stirring account o
JekylIs falE in which he describes wha
happened to Mr.. Hyde when he had swal
!, lowed the potion? His words, as remem
Der them, ran as follows: 4
Ho nut fbo GLASS IN bis Inns and drant
Z at one gulp. A cry followed. He reeled stag
gered, clutched at the table and held on staring
X with injected eyes. gasping with open mouth
| and as looked there came I thought, change
d he seemed to swell-bis face became suddenl!
2 black, and the featuUs seemed to melt ant
k alter, and the next moment had sprung Il
| my feet and leaped against the WALL my arm
}, | raised to shield me from that prodigy, my mint
| submerged in terror.
I 'Oh, Cod 1 screamed, and "oh, God,
: again and again. for there, before my eyes
pale and shaken and half fainting, and crop
ing before him with his hands, like a man re
q stored from death-there stood Henry Jekyu.
The same scene was enacted in th'
= study of Francis Bacon. He. too. lik,
Hyde, drained the contents Of the glas
5 at gu1p. He, tCo, reeled, staggered, ant
e clutched and held on to the table. staring
Is with injected eyes, and gasping with opel
" mouth. And over him, also, came {
t. change in which his face turned suddenl.
Is black, and the features melted and altered
N Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, faded il
if a mist of horror, and out of it emerged
re pale, palsied and shattered. for the mo
Ii ment no less a person than William
d. Shakspere himself, while, seated opposite
s. gaping in Mortified wonderment sat an
d, other Shakspere, who gasped, and choke
s. and gripped and groaned, staring the req
ID in the eye and powerless, for the instant
m to move.E. I stood back in the shadow c
ly the mantel, watching both, when suddenl
t. the spurious Shakspere with shriel
lie sprang;. nladly to his feet and plunge
to toward the door. By a quick move L in
q. tercepted him.
lie 1--WE have solved the old mysterr-no'
as for the new." 1 cried. "Who are you?"
ne Il beg of you" he began. whereupo
y. seized him by the gcatee. which. bein
Ill false, came off in my hand, and with
re the rest of the disguise, wig, mustach
re and all.
ed 1t was NJ. LIE Coz.
ct I'll paid him for this Mr.. Homes!
ke gasped Bacon, or, rather, Shakspere, q
IT he now was. DO not blame M. LIE Co
for this"
ID: He may CO." said I, Il have only I
of deal with YOU
so And LIE Coz shrank from the roo
he and disappeared into the night
at ..Well, Lord Bacon said I, addressir
cit the poor creature before me. Il have di!
We covered the secret of the centuries. 1t
re you who are the author of Shakspere
ry plays"
IS. "In a sense-as Shakspere l. wroi