The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-09-13

facedly; a suspicion of the truth
flashed upon her--he read 1t in her
eyes-and flune the magnifier from
him with gesture of despair.
"All-dis--proved," he said, fall
tering from syllable to syllable, and
sank back in the chair, u withered,
decrepit, old, old man.
Nonsense! Not the theory"
she retorted, struggling with over
whelming conviction of the truth and
the utter futility of fighting against
1t.
A knock came at the outer door.
1t galvanized the poor, broken old
man into active misery.
"a laughing stock! A doddering
old idiot. Good Godl" he said.
Miss Dickson answered the knock
instantaneously, stepped into the
passage and closed the door behind
her.
THE Professor is busy, extremely
busy; for goodness sake leave him In
peace" she said with irritation to
the intruder. "Oh, it's you, Mr.. Till
man; l beg your pardon-will you
come back presently mean to-mor-
row? Professor Borthwick promised
an article for the next number of
The Scientific Journal and we must
get it off to-day, somehow"
Tillman departed, after a chatting
reference to the business methods of
academic cranks. In his wake fol-
lowed the janitor with another mes
sage.
Look here, Symes," said Miss
Dickson declsively, tell every one
who wants the professor-in or out
of the building-that he's too busy
to be interrupted to-day--on any ac-
count. I'm sick of repeating the
same thing"
The janitor shufTled away; Miss
Dickson re-entered the study and
paused for moments reflection.
Before returning to the Professor she
slipped on her hat and coat.
He sighed with relief at her entry;
his misery became a shade less acute
in her presence; she seemed, tempor-
arily, to stand between him and ex-
posure. Then he noted with deeper
despair that she had donned walking
attire.
She came to the table and scrutin-
ized the specimens lying before him.
Next she turned to q cabinet filled
with rock sections labelled "Borth-
wick River Serles," and picked out
several fragments from miscella-
neous heap, resembling in shape and
size those that lay on the table.
The Professor watched her with
apathetic curiosity; she came beside
him and picked up the tell-tale lime
stone near the magnifier, and dropped
the pieces one by one into the capa-
cious pockets of her coat.
"The river" she said quietly, and
| arranged the specimens from the cabi-
net in the space beside the glass.
mo, MOI" he exclaimed.
She drew on her gloves with de-
termination.
They will never be missed" she
said.
He remembered with terrible JOY
that she had always had her OWL
way. She was having it now, and he
sat there-unprotestin
Nov, I'm going to lock you in fol
a few minutes, Professor" she re
sumed. you've overdone things to-
day, and you're too busy to see peo'
ple.'
The door handle clicked, and the
key turned on the outside. Inevi-
! table reaction succeeded the tension
of the last few moments; a shiveI
ran through the distraught old man
his head swan, tightness at his
throat and chest turned him sick and
clammy, his head dropped Imply on
his hands.
I'm dying for luncheon and a
mouthful of fresh air." said Miss
Dickson to the janitor, in passing
81 won't be gone long, but don't for
get my instructions about the Pro-
| fessor."
She took the air from the bridge
spanning the river, pitching stones
into midstream with vigorous accur-
acy.
Thus the Borthwlck Theory re-
mained unrefuted for a season, at all
| events, and possibly for an indefln-
able period. But she saw in per-
spectiye a vista of weary days-she
and the Professor enacting the pre-
tence of the Theory; she could do it,
but he, with his abstruse intellect
| and elemental simplicity, was like a
child-there was childish, helpless
abandonment in his grief, but where
the child's misery is short lived, his
would endure-tlll the sods in the
Northwest had been opened to re
ceive Professor Borthwick, as pro
vided for in his will.
| He was old, and it was a terrible
shock. Miss Dickson found herself
wondering, conscience-stricken, how
long 1t would be.
She fastened back to the Survey
and the Professor. He had moi
stirred from his seat. and made nc
sign when she laid her hand on the
arm of the chair.
| "Professor!" she said, softly.
He did not reply; she scarcely ex
pected that he would, and stood fol
moment irresolute, reluctant to
rouse him His watch lying on the
table licked out the seconds; she
counted them mechanically. No Other
sound broke the stiffness, not even
the Professors breathing-she held
| her own IN listen