The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1907-09-10
:'::':: he Abbot of
: San Pietro
eees BY JOHN n. RAFTERY.

between old DR.. Herman Shumate
and his son, Maurice, was the old
mans old-country idea5 about money.
lie was already q millionaire, but he
refused to extend to Maurice the
slightest financial aid or the least en-
couragement to hope for q rich in
neritence. He made two provisos.
without the fulfillment of which his
son, he said, was to have not a penny
OF his wealth. First, the boy must
marry. The father didn't care who
she was provided Maurice married
her In the orthodox way, but a wife
he must get. Then he must earn. ac-
quire or at least prove the ownership
OF at least a thousand dollars In his
own right before he could expect
either countenance or help from his
father.
These were harsh requirements
Tor young man of Maurice Shu-
mates temperament, for he was born
In New York, reared among well-to-
do young Americans, and utterly de-
void OF those cautious, economical,
old-fashioned qualities which made
his father harsh master In spite of
us natural amlaDiltty.
Having degrees from half q dozen
european universities, Herman Shu
mate was entitled to the doctor
epithet, though he had never prac-
tlced medicine. An expert chemist
and poison specialist, master of the
materia medica and inventor of two
successful processes of emblaming.
he had achieved his greatest success
and most of his millions as manager
and stakeholder of q rich chemical
mandatory. The boy, Maurice, was
rake at twenty-one and a harum-
scarum, popular. utterly irresponsible
man-about-town at twenty-five. Then
he was stricken with pneumonia and
empyema, and his creditors began TO
larry his father. When he was
trong enough to walk Che weighed
lnly 100 pounds) his father gave him
100 and said:
You'll get we'll IL you go to a
GOOD climate and sleep nine hours n
lay. You can come back or not as
lou choose. But / will pay no more
OF your bills. will feed and house
fou'no longer. If you get married
and make your first thousand dollars,
all right. will see."
1t was a harsh sentence, end It
hurt Maurice, but he was very weak.
and only smiled wanly as he said:
Il don't blame you, dad. But
where would you go?"
Go to the devil, II you lIkel"
growled the doctor, who had seen
that smile before. Here's your hun
dred dollars
When Maurice was gone, old DIR.
Shumate began to fret. He became
more active than over, more interest
ed In scientific research, more penu-
rlous, and more solitary in his habits
than before. When winter came on
he decided to go into the Southwest
to examine some of the mummies of
the eli N dwellers. with an idea of dis
covering some Of the secrets of their
embalming processes. He explored
Mancos and other remote canons I'm
Colorado and Mexico, and then be-
cane absorbed I'm the preseryative
cerements enwrapping the monks
buried beneath the old Spanish mis-
sions OF southern California, Texas
and Mexico. 1t was at San Pietro
that he stumbled across a bit OF in
formation that set his scientific souI
ahre. He had tried in vain to induce
herr KnaLss, the German keeper OF
the old mission, TO open the long
ealed tombs that lay beneath the al
car stones Of the chapel lie had be-
ZONE very friendly with the old Gus
todian, who was from Nuremberg
and he had been almost generous
with HIS fees. But no, the propertv
belonged to the Frahciscans and he,
knauss, being only renter. was
pledged to protect every part and
parcel OF the antique buildings and
historic grounds.
But there Is another ruin" wbls-
pered Knauss. 81 think It is an Old
burial vault. In an adjoining farm.
IL you will risk a few hundred dol
lars perhaps"
Try IL. try It, my friendl1 ex-
claimed the enthusiast. when can
you begin?"
The old German insisted that the
matter must be kept secret, but he
would let his patron know the result
OF the excavation. 10 was n very
much delapidated structure, mostly
under ground, filled with earth.
stones and the debris OF more than
two centuries. IL would take time.
But DR.. Shumate had been in Mont
Grey only I week when he got n Ger
man letter from Herr Knauss. The
digger, toiling alone at night and
aided by HIS daughter had unearthed
many bones, but most extraordl-
nary Of ALA perfectly preserved
corpse, probably that Of an nhhnf