The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-20

went down the high street OF Stirring,
keeping close to the wall as was his Gus
tom when about to pay a visit to ms
friend the cobbler.
AS he was about to turn out of the man
street he ran suddenly into the arms OF
a man coming from the shop OF a clothier,
who made costumes for the court.
"Ha, Davie!" cried the King, its sure
" late in the day to choose the colors
Tor new jacket.
Indeed, Your Majesty is in the right,
replied Sir David, but was not selecting
cloth: I was merely enacting the part of
an honest man, and llquidating reckon
ing of long standing.
What poet with money! exclaimed
the King. WHO ever heard of such a
thing? Man Davie, you might share the
knowledge of your treasure house with a
friend. Kings are always in want OF
money. Is your gold mine rich enough for
two?"
The King spoke jocularly, placing no
particular meaning upon his words, and
il Sir David had answered in kind James
would doubtless have thought no more
about the matter, but the poet stammered
and showed such evident confusion that
His Majestys quick suspicious were at
cnce aroused.
'Davie,'' cried James, you make a very
poor conspirator."
Indeed, Your Majesty" replied the
poet, earnestly, mo one Is less of con-
/. spirator than l."
.aa'
at last he answered:
r IN
crecy"
Kings command" replied James sternly.
Speak out; speak fully. and speak
quickly"
well, there came some time since to
Stirling an italian chemist, who took UP
his abode and set up his shop In the
abandoned refectory of the old monastery.
He is the author of many wonderful in
ventions. but none interests the court SO
much as the compounding OF pure gold in
crucible from the ordinary earth of
the fields
I can well believe that" cried the
King II have some stout fighters in
nv court who fear neither man nor devil
IN battle, yet who would stand with
mouth agape before Il juggler's tent. But
SuitIyy lJdNlC, yOtt, WIN utNt bSNh ~ ~"
colleges, and have read much from learn
ed books, are not such fool as to be de-
luded by that ancient fallacy, the trans
mutation of any other metals into gold?
Sir David laughed uneasily.
II did not say / believed it, Your Ma
jesty, still man must place some Gre
dence in what his eye sees done, as well
as in what he reads from books; and after
all the proof of the cudgel is the rap on
the head have beheld the contest, be
ginning with an empty pot and ending
with a bar of gold.''
DOUBTLESS. 1 have seen juggler swal-
low hot iron, but have never believed it
went down his throttle, although it APP
pearcd to have done SO. Did you get any
share of the transmitted gold? That's
the practical test. my Davie.
THAT is exactly the test your harons
applied. 1 doubt if their nobilites would
take much interest in scientific expert
ment were there no profit at the end OF
It, Each man entering the laboratory
pays what he pleases to the money taker
at the table, but 1t must not be less than
one gold bonnet-piece. When all have en-
tered the doors are closed and locked.
The amount of money collected is weighed
against small bars of gold which the
alchemist places in the opposite scale un-
til the two are equally balanced. This
bar of gold he then throws into the cru
chile"
'Oh, he puts gold into the crucible. does
he? Where, then, is the profit? [ thought
these necromancers made gold from iron.
"Signor Farini's method is different.
Your Majesty. He asserts that like at
tracts like and that gold in the cruclbla
will take to itself the minute unseen par
ticles which he believes exists in all soils,
the intense heat burning away the dross
and leaving the refined gold"
''I see; and how ends this experiment.?
1.-THE residue is cooled and weighed.
Sometimes it is double the amount OF
gold put in. sometimes treble; and have
known him upon occasion take from the
crucible quadruple the gold of the bar,
but never have l known melting fall be-
low double the amount collected by the
man at the table. At the final act each
noble has returned to him double or treble
the gold he relinquished on entering"
where, then, arises the profit to your
Italian? I never knew of these foreigners
to work for nothing"
He says he does it for love of Scotland
and hatred of England; an ancient enemy.
Were but the Scottish nation rich, he
thinks they could the better withstand
incursions from the South"
well, Davie, that seems to me most
unsuhstantial reason. Scotlands protec-
ton has been her poverty in all except
hard knocks. Were she as wealthy as
France 1t would be the greater tempta-
ticn for Englishers to overrun the coun-
try. My grandfather, James the Third,
had black chest full of gold and jewels,
yet he was murdered, flying from defeat
in battle When does this golden wizard
fire bis caldron. Davie?"
Tonight, Your Majesty. That is the
reason the mobiles of your. court were max
ing sly haste to his domicile."
'.Ah. and Sir David LINDSAY was hurry
ing to the same spot so blindly that he
nearly overran his monarch"
at is even so, Your Majesty"
"Then am / hindering you from much
proft. and you must even blame yourself
for being so long in the telling However,
il is never too late to turn one bonnet
l. IL -