St. Tammany farmer., 1905-03-11
AnExperinent
TFFTTT
BY ALISON MUNDAY.
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IN the night of Prof. Warwick's
- death, two high school boys, Billy
Williams and Eben Hyde, We're taking
a short cut across the campus, when
;hey noticed a peculiar light shining
through the cracks of the labora-
tory blinds. In telling of it aft
erwards, Williams said:
When first peeped in, the light al
most blinded me. The whole room was
as red as blood, and when looked over
my shoulder to see if any one was COM
ing, saw green moons everywhere.
After 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) "and 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 ran after him.
Hyde, who had less vivid imagina-
tiOn, 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 thought the janitcr was aft
er us. so ran too, and just as we
turned the corner of the medical build
Ing, there was a 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 babe!
of conjectures, and the two boys, SWELL
ing with Importance, told their story
over and over. Mayor West, return
ing from drive with his family,
stopped to make inquiry. Learning
the shocking news, he gave the lines
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 a highly-col-
ored version of the boys story. The
warm moonlight. flltering through the
over-arching branches, scattered silver
fakes upon IsabeTs brown hair. She
dropped forward so that her delicate
face was in shadow. but her round
white neck 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 a blaze of glory.
Meanwhile the crowd surged in and
,ut of the laboratory, discussing the
situation from every possible point,
md finally began moving off in groups
# excited takers. The faculty, after
meeting for the following
morning, withdrew to their homes;
he townspeople scattered to theirs;
,x-;AL hn |
professor had been extremely popular,
vent quietly to the dormitories, and
loom and silence settled upon the
own.
Yet, all this time, Warwick's body |
vas lying as it had fallen, in the mid
lie of the floor, face upwards, the fea-
ures sharp and thin in their pallor, Z
he dark brows drawn into the anxious {
rown they had wcrn in that last mo-
lent of consciousness. Coating the
ntire body and spreading like film !
n the floor, was something undefin- {
BILE; was it liquid, or vapor, or flame?
gliding, family glowing, smearing
Ike oil, shimmering in the darkness {
18th iridescent tints.
Early the following morning, Scott, c
he janitor, came in. The young pro-
,ssor had always been kind to him, t
nd the old man went sadly to work, t
caring up the wreckage Reused by t
le sound, Warwick spoke: Help
e up, Scott" he whispered family, C
ut the old man continued his work v
ithout, apparently. noticing him.
Scott" he gasped again. The jan t
or stopped and looked about him
it'll a face as white as death. V
"Oh, Scott!" Warwick repeated in t
, agonized whisper. don't you see Il
e?" With an awful cry, the old
an leaped through the window and K
n for his life. tt
One or two students on their way to 81
j.