Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1905-02-03
An Experiment
rTTTFr
BY ALISON MUNDAY.

IN the night of Prof. Warwick's
- death, two high school boys. Billy
Williams and Ebcn Hyde, were taking
a short cut across the campus, when
they noticed a peculiar light shining
through the cracks of the labora-
tory blinds. In telling of 1t 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 II any n was COM
Ing, ] saw green moons everywhere.
After n while | got used to the glare,
1and it seemed to grow paler and paler,
until it was so white 1t dazzled me.
The air was full of silvery-looking
waves (this was first mentioned in
= the third or fourth repetition of the
ftale) land when Prof. Warwick bent
over Tho crucible, his face glOwed as If
= there were a lamp inside OF his head.
Just then the blind squeaked and, as
he looked toward us, his eyes shone
like a cats at night. Then Eben
started to run and ! ran after him"
Hyde, who had a less vivid magma
ton. said he didn't notice how the
professor looked, but he saw he was
cooking something, and that he held
smoke was coming out in white rings.
"Just then" he said, BILLY started to
run n | thought the %janitor was aft
erf MS. SO ! ran too, and Just as we
turned the corner of the medical build
ing. there was a noise like thunder,
bnd we both fell down"
= At the sound of the explosion, the
gymnasium nearby had come running
10 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 a few
moments, the campus was filled with
n excited crowd. There was a babel
OF cOnjcctures, and the two boys, SWELL
ing with importance, told their story
over and over. Mayor West, return
Eng from a 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-
cred version of the boys story. The
warm moonlight, altering through the
over-arching branches, scattered silver
flakes upon Isabel's brown hair. She
Hrooped 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
out OF the laboratory, discussing the
situation from every possible point,
and finally began moving on In groups
Of excited takers. The faculty, after
appointing a meeting for the following
morning, withdrew to their homes;
the townspeople scattered to theirs:
che students, with whom the young
professor had been extremely popular,
: went quietly TO the dormitorles. and