The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-05-16
The Elixir Of Life.
[Original.l

met my old college chum Disbrow. We
hadn't met since We left college, twen-
ty-five years before, and would not
have known each other had We not
been introduced. Disbrow was known
to me by reputation, for he had become
eminent in physics. also followed
science and have achieved some repu-
tation in bacteriology. When the bride
and groom entered the drawing room
for the ceremony, Disbrow and l fol-
lowed.
What a perfect picture Of youthful
beauty l whispered to Disbrow, re-
ferring to the bride.
How old would you take her to be?'
he asked.
TWENTY-FIVE or twenty-three."
A singular expression passed over
his face.
'"Do you think her older than that?'
Suppose 1 should tell you she Is
over forty"
81 would doubt your sanity"
At this point the marriage service
commenced, and our remarks ceased.
When it was over and we had offered
our congratulations, Disbrow and l
went to the supper room to partake OF
the delicacies displayed there. Help
ing ourselves, we found cozy corner
and sat down to chat and eat.
"Estwick," said Disbrow to me, "1'm
going to celebrate our meeting after so
many years by letting you into Sc
cret. We are brother scientists; there
fore don't consider what. 1 am about
to tell you a breach Of confidence, or,
rather, I consider the professional con-
fidence superior to the individual obll-
CATION. Do you understand" -
Perfectly"
"Well, the girl We have just seen
married is forty-two years DID,
gave gasp Of astonishment.
"But I must 60 back to the begin
ming. You know when I left college
something was expected Of me-"
you were considered prodigy"
interrupted. .
1T wasn't the prodigy; It was luck,
just as it was with Roentgen, only my
luck came long before his. I made a
similar discovery years ago. I have
applied 1t as no one else has applied
it. Now, you know that from the mo-
ment we begin to live we are attacked
by microbes. Cancel the microbe, and
you cancel old age. From experiments
on insects found that by exposing the
larvae to a ray since called radium /
arrested decay. But at the same time
arrested growth. From insects ex-
perimented on frogs, kittens, dogs and
other animals. I have pet collie fif.
teen years old as lively as puppy"
"Disbrow. has your learning made
| you madY'
"No; am as sane as you. But
knew that if I offered any such ideas
to the world I'd be put in limbo, and
as l dread lunatic asylums and value
my freedom I have kept my mouth
shut"
"For heavens sake, go on"
'This is no place to give you any
thing more than preface to what
have proposed to tell you about the
bride. I did make my discoveries
known to one man, old Vollmar, our
professor Of chemistry at college. That
was just as had made up my mind to
try to arrest decay in human beings
Not long after that Vollmar came to
me and told me that two multimillion'
aires desired to join their vast for
tunes by the marriage Of SOD Of the
one to a daughter Of the other, but the
boy was but two years Of age, while
the girl was twenty-four. If they wait
ed till the boy became Of age, the
girl would be too old to produce an
heir. At least such an event would
not be likely. Besides, the difference OF
age would be a great obstacle to their
marriage. The old man asked me If
would make an effort to arrest decay
on the part of the girl"
"Come, come. Disbrow,. what non
sense Is this?'
"Your incredulity demonstrates the
necessity Of keeping nay secret. II you
tell it, sooner or later they'll have me
,hind closed doors. You haven't the
scientific head old Vollmar had. he
;nmbled to the idea at once"
Go on with your yarn"
I'm not going to try amid this clat'
ter of dishes and voices to tell you my
process. / will only say that the STUN
bling block in my way was the fact that
the electrons discharged from radium
are obstructed in their passage through
air. 1 was therefore obliged to put the
subject in a receiver and exhaust the
air."
(Which means DEATH"
"Ah! There's where the wonderful
power Of radium comes in. It is suf-
fcient to keep life in the subject for
an indefinite period"
"But where did you get your appa"
ratus? Sufficient radium for the pur-
pose would cost fortune"
1.-The girls father opened his bank