The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1905-02-18
An Experiment
- ~. = = y
By ALISON MUNDAF.

I'm the night If Prof. Warwick =
~ death, two high school boys, Billy
Williams and Eben Hyde, We're taking
a short cut across the campus, VIII en-
shey noticed a peculiar light shining
through the cracks of the labora-
cory 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 ig any one was COM
ing, I saw green moons everywhere.
After while I 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 siIyery-looking
waves" (this was first mentioned in
the third or fourth repetition of the
tale) land when Prof Warwick bent
over the erucfble, his face glowed as if
there We're a lamp inside of his head.
Just then the blind squeaked and, as
he looked toward us, his eyes shona
like cats at night Then Eben
started to run and ] ran after him.
Hyde. who had Tess vivid magma
fion, 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 ianitor was aft
aY~ yrc cn r 4on or,1 &c
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, she
students who were exercising in the
gymnasium nearby had come running
but, finding the blinds ajar, they
crowded through the window
scratched matches, and surveyed the
ruin. Hurled III 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 a few
moments, the campus was filled with
an excited crowd. There was babel
Of conSectures. 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.
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, filtering through che
over-arching branches, scattered silver
flakes upon Isabel's 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 4 blaze of glory.
Meanwhile the crowd surged in and
out of the laboratory, discussing the
situation from every possible point,
and finally began moving off 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 dorInitories, and
gloom and silence settled upon che
town.
Yet, all this time, Warwicl1's body
was lying as it had fallen, in the mid
die Of the floor. face upwards, the fea-
lures sharp and thin in their pallor,
the dark broWs drawn into the anxious
frown they hadowern in that last mo-
ment OF consciousness. Coating the
entire body and spreading like a film
On the floor. was something undefin-
able; was it liquid, or yapor, or fiame2
family glowing smearing
like oil, sfimmering in Che darkness
with irfdeseent tints.
Early the following morning, Scott.
the janitor, came in. The young pro
fessor had always been kind to him.
aud the old man went sadly to work, |
up the wreckage. Reused by
the sound, Warwick spoke: Help
me no, Scott, H. whispered family.
but the old man continued his work
without, apparently, noticing him.,
Scott, " he gasped again. The jan
tor stopped and looked about him
with q face as white as death
Oh, Scott Warwick repeated IN
IN agonized @hisper, don't you see
ne2.' With an awful CRY. the old T
nan leaped through the window and
an for his life.
one o. two students o. their way tol