The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-03
The Death s-Head Moth.
ByH. u. WELLS.
tAu+nor ., "rhe Martans" 'The the Etc)

| Author Of "The Martlans,
Copyright. 1905, by Joseph p. , Bow .,reot
| feud between Tiapley, the eh'o'no'oe :.
ut II began gni years and years ago With q
revision OF the microlepidopteteral WHEN ,yhic
ever these may be) BY pa aStas crnntsd ih by
! Hnniev. Harley who was always quar-
relsomc, replied by nfstinglng impeach-
| incnt of the entire classification OF raw
klns. ~.
Ii was long struggle, vicious from !, the
beginning, and growing at last TO pltllcss
In In 1sai Pawkins. whose health had been.
bad for some time; published some I, !. w9 3,
upon the 'mesoblast" Of he,aDeatn ans
Head Moth. But the work was far below y
opening he had coveted for. years.
k!ns to tatters,, and Pawkins made re-
There fTpS was Si no mstakng his viii to wound
Hapley,. nor his incapacity to do It; nv, Bu.
Hapley had got his opponent, down, and
meant to finish him. He followed with
she e FORM p Of paper rrN upon the develop
,ment Of moths in general. Thc rejolnder
Of Pawkins was to catch the iniduenza,
not forgive Pawkins FOR dying. 1t left
ap g mind With Sdh queer re sap sn 81 y.
times far into the night and seven days
a week, with microscope. scalpel, collect
| ing-nct and pen. and almost entirely with
reference to Pawkins. It had killed Paw,
! of gear SO to speak, and his doctor adj
vised him to give, up work for time
t1 Village in Kent, and thought day
| and night Of Pawklns and Of good things
| IT was now impossible to say. about him:
! rs At last Hapey began TO realize IN what
| direction the preoccupat!on tended. he
/ determined to make tight Tor It. and>
| started by trying to read novels. But he
could not get his mind off pawsns wnte
1 1t was on the third day afterwards mat
Hapley became aware OF novel addii1on
The local ana He was on GrkE a'e
the room was the brilliant little lamp
| with the special form OF green shade.
| One eye was over the instrument; Win
the other eye Hapley saw, as II were,
| without seeing.
Suddenly his attention dYfted from one
to the 9ner The aseeS boz
and rather brightly colored The pat.
tern was in gold. with a small amount
| of crimson and pale blue upon grayish
| ground. At one point the pattern seemed
| displaced, and there was n vibrating
movement Of the colors at this point.
Haplcy suddenly, moved his he, head back b.
v
fell open with astonishment.
Ii was a large moth. or butterfly, Its
wings spread in butterfly fashion!
1t was strange It should be in the room
| at ALL for the windows were closed:
| Strange that 1t should not have attracted
his attention when fluttering TO its pres
| cnt position. Strange that It should match
1.-THE tnblecloth. Stranger far that to him.,
Hapley: the great eniomologist, i was
l.altogcther unknown; There was no de-
! illusion. It was crawling slowly toward the
I foot of the lamp. a5ti fatlgs ~
Looking around him, for some means
Of capturing the mesh he rose use slowly slowly
| rose, struck the edge OF the lampshade-
1Iapiey heard the ''ping"-and vanished
into the shadow:
( the shade. so that tho whole room was
! Illuminated: The thing, had disappeared.
4 but soon his practiced eye detected 1t
4 upon the wallpaper near the door. He
] went toward It, posing the lampshade
i for capture. Before he was within strik..
ing distance, however 1t had risen and
/ was nuttcring round the room.
i fTho third time he overturned the lamp,
4 which. very luckily. went out Hapley
was left IN the dark; with start ne
4 face.
!. Tt was maddening. He had no lights
If he opened the door Of the room tho
thing would get away In the darkness
no saw pawkins quite distinctly. laugh
! ing at him. Pawkins had ever an oily
laugh. He swore furiously and stamped
IL Ha u Very suddenly decided to give
UP the moth and go to bed. But he was
Then he found the moth crawling over
his counterpane. He sat on the edge OF
The bed in his shirt; agG reas9}n rs
4 for his sanity with the same energy he
had formerly displayed against Pawkins.
! So persistent Is mental habit. that he
! felt as II IT were still a struggle with
4 Pawklns. He was well versed in, Esy-
4 chology. He knew that such visual illu;
sons do come as n result of mental
4 only see the moth. he had heard It when
1t touched the edge, OF lamp shade. fand
afterward when It hit against the wall.
/ and he had felt IL strike his face IN the
4 lit was a dim, gray light; an almost nn n
broken sheet OF watery cloud Wass ,y 20 !
4 trees in front of the house We're black
Hapley;s landlady, h bearing ,n ST. strangs
saw Tapley. like ghost In his shirt
and white trousers, running to nnd, fro
in the road and beating The air. ar. Now
rapdly at Something Invisible, now he
woS1a uen ska wh H Tfsnesy s eans
| down the staircase next morning, -
'You may we'll ask thatp' said Mrs.
! .Co]vllle.
There Is nothing to be alarmed about,
really. I am sorry, ] made such an
ass OF myself ! will go over to Shore
ham, and set, some stun to make me
sleep soundly.''
Halfway over the down, BY the chalk
pits, the moth came upon IIapley again
lie went on. trying to keep his mind
upon chess ,probeem,s .S mbpt, i ~ vas J. nc
and he struck atsit viii, his hat in self
defense, Then rage, the old rage-the
rage he had SO often felt Against Paw,
kins--came upon him again.. lIo went
on, leaping and striking at the eddyinp
insect, Suddenly he trod on nothing anG
fell headlong,
There was q gap in his sensations. ant
liapley found himself sitting on tile heal
OF stones in front OF the opening Of tht
him.
Late that night, after his broken lie,
was set; he was feyersh. He was lyint
fiat on his bed, and he began to run hi
eyes around the room TO see, II III,
& do this. hui II Mna no good I, IL eco,