Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-02-15
An Experiment
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By ALISON MUNDAY
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m the night of Prof. Warwick's
- death, two high school boys, Billy
Williams and Eben Hyde, We're taking
short cut across the campus, when
they noticed peculiar light shining
through the cracks of the labora-
tory blinds. In telling of it aft
erwards, Williams said:
when l first peeped in, the light al
most blinded me- The whole room was
as red as blood, and when I looked over
my shoulder to see if any one was com.
ing, saw green moons everywhere.
After a while got used to the glare,
and it seemed to grow paler and paler,
until it was so white it dazzled me.
The air was full of silvery-looking
waves (this was first mentioned in
the third or fourth repetition Of the
tale) land when Prof. Warwick bent
over the crucible, his face glowed as if
there were lamp inside of his head
Just then the blind squeaked and, as
he looked toward us, his eyes shore
like a cats at night. Then Eben
started to run and I ran after him."
Hyde, who had less vivid magma
ton, said he didn't notice how the
professor looked, but he saw he was
cooking something, and that he held
some kind of jar in his hand and
smoke was coming out in white rings.
Just then" he said, BILLY started to
run and I thought the janitcr was aft
er us, so ran too, and just as we
turned the corner of the medical build
ing. there was noise like thunder,
and we both fell down."
At the sound of the explosion, the
students who were exercising in the
gymnasium nearby had come running
to the scene. The door was locked,
but, finding the blinds ajar, they
crowded through the window,
scratched matches, and surveyed the
ruin. Hurled in every direction were
broken glass, fallen plaster, and shat
tered instruments, but there was no
trace Of Prof. Warwick-no blood, no
clothing, nothing to show what had
become Of him. Soon the professors
came hurrying from every direction.
then the townspeople, and, in few
moments, the campus was filled with
an excited crowd. There was babel
Of conjectures, and the two boys, SWELL
ing with Importance, told their story
over and over. Mayor West, return
ing from a drive with his family,
stopped to make inquiry. Learning
the shocking news, he gave the lill. IS
to his daughter, and Joined the crowd
in the campus. Harry Amber, a
senior, begged permission to take Mr.
Vests place in the carriage, and, while
driving homeward, gave highly-col-
ored version of the boys story. The
warm moonlight, f1ltering through the
over-arching branches, scattered silver
fakes upon 1sabel's brown hair. She
dropped forward so that her delicate
face was in shadow, but her round
white 5neck cleaned like ivory, and
as he talked, the young mans eyes
fingered over the details of her beauty
Possibly he was not wholly sorry that
his most dangerous rival had gone Out
In blaze of glory.
Meanwhile the crowd surged in and
out OF the laboratory, discussing the
situation from every possible point
and finally began moving of in groups
of excited takers. The faculty, after
appointing a meeting for the following
morning, withdrew to their homes
the townspeople scattered to theirs;
the students, with whom the young
professor had been extremely popular
went quietly to the dormitories, ant
gloom and silence settled upon thu
town.
= Yet, all this time, Warwick's bod,
&. was lying as it had fallen, in the mid
die Of the floor, face upwards, the fea
lures sharp and thin in their pa11or
the dark brows drawn into the anxious
frown they had wcrn in that last mo
ment of consciousness Coating tn
entire body and spreading like film
on the floor, was something undef1n
able; was 1t liquid, or vapor, or flame
gliding, family glowing, smearinl
like oil, shimmering in the darkness
with iridescent tints. T.,
Early the following morning, Scott
the janitor, came in. The young pro
lessor had always been kind to him
and the old man went sadly to work
clearing up the wreckage.: Reused b.
the sound, Warwick spoke: "Hell
rue up, Scott" he whispered family
but the old man continued his worl
without, apparently, noticing him.
''scott, he gasped again. The jan
itor stopped and looked about hin
with face as white as death. " !,
<s"' ooh, Scott" Warwick repeated II
an agonized whisper, don't you Sc
,ne?'% With an awful cry, the oil
man leaped through the window an,
ran for his life. =. !. j.$ 5 &. . RIB. AT.
One Or two students on theiriway I,