Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-10
TX.
The Achievement.

4AC oSAACSCIASAI.
For some moments Darrow sat gazing
ixedly at the table before him. His cigar
cite tip glowed and failed. Some one sug-
gested drinks The captain asked barrow
what he would have. but the question went
unnoted
How I passed the next six months
could hardly tell you" he began again.
quite abruptly. 'At times 1 was bored
fearfully bored Yet the element of mys-
terry. of uncertainty, of underlying peril.
gave a certain zest to the affair. In the
periods of dullness I found some amuse
ment In visiting the lower camp and batting
| the Niger. Slade will have told you about
him; he possessed quite fund Of bastard
| Voodooism: he possessed more before l got
through with him. Yes; If he had lived to
return to his country. I fancy he would
have added considerably to Afro-American
| witch-lore. You remember the vampire
bats. Slade? And the devil-fires? Natural
| ly I didn't mention to you that the devil
| fire business wasn't altogether clear to
me as pretended. 1t wasn't. though. But
at the time 1t served very well as an amuse
ment. All the while realized that my self
| entertainment was not without Its element
| of danger. too: / remember glances not al
| together friendly but always little doubt
full. little awed. Even Handy Solomon.
practical he was had a scruple or two
| or superstition IN MS makeup, on WHICH
| one might work. Only Eagen-Slade, I
mean-was beyond me there. You puzzled
me not little in those days, Slade..
Well
| by the doctors attitude? Yes; it seemed
| that he might have given a little more
| of his confidence; but one can't judge such
| a man as he was Among the ordinary af
| fairs of life he had relied on me for every
detail. Now he was independent of me. In
| dependent! l doubt if he remembered my
existence at times. Even in his blacklist
moods of depression he sufficient unto
himself. 1t was strange. How he
did rage the day the chemicals from Wash
| ngton went wrong! l washing my
| shirt in the hot water spring when he came
boiling out of the laboratory and keeled
me over. I came out pretty indignant.
Apologize? Not at all. He just sputtered.
His nearest approach to conference seemed
| to Indicate desire that I should go back
| to Washington at once and destroy a per-
fectly reputable firm of chemists. Finally
| he Gained down and took it out in enter
| ing 1t in his daily record. He was quite
proud of that daily record and remembered
| to write in 1t on an average of once week.
| Then the chest went wrong. Whether
| 1t had rusted a bit. or whether the chem
| icals had got in their work on the hinges. I
| don't know; but one day the professor of
| his own initiative. recognized my existence
! by Juggling his box out in the open and ask
| ing to fix it. Previously he had emp
| tied it. 1t was rather complicated thing.
/
| a hollow cover, opening along rim.
| That, 1 conjectured was designed to hold
| some chemical compound or salt. There
| were many minor openings. too. each guard
| ed by a similar hollow door My business
| was with the heavy top cover.
cit should shut and open softly, gently
! explained the professor. so. Not with-a-
| grating sound to-be-accompanied. he add
| ed, With his curious effect of linked phrase
| ology
"Half days work fixed it. The lid
would stand open of itself until tipped at a
considerab bic angle when it would fall and
| lock Only the outer shell there a
| lock; that one was good bit of craftsman
ship.
go Percy my boy said the doctor
| kindly. That will with-sufflcient-s safety
guard our treasure. When we obtain 1t,
Percy. When it entirely finished andcom-
pleted shall be-
land when will that be?' 1 asked
| "'God knows he said cheerfully 1T
progresses
| whenever I went strolling at night, he
would produce his curious lights. Some
| times they were fairly startling. One fact
| I made out by accident looking down from
| a high place. They did not project from
| the laboratory. He always worked in the
| open when the light was to be produced.
| Once the experiment took serious turn.
| The lights had fiickered and gone. DR..
| Schermerhorn had returned to his labora
! tory. 1 came up the arroyo as he flung the
| door open and rushed out He was a gro
tesque figure, clad in undershirt and
worn pair of trousers fastened with an old
bit of tarred rope in lieu of his suspenders,
which had been nj tep pa ing. About his
| which extngulshed as he flung himself
headforemost into the cold spring. I hauled
him out. He seemed dazed. To my ques-
tions he replied only by mumblingS, the bur-
den Of which was:
| ~ do not understand. 1t is a MOTTO be-
comprehended accident 1t appears that he
didn't quite know why he had taken to the
| Or ho6 ho i6n'f mt 70 oil
| Next day he was as good as new. Just
as silent before. but it was a smiling
| satisfied silence. So 1t went for weeks, for
months with the accesses of depression and
noon when. returning from stalk after
| sheep l heard strange and shocking noises
from the laboratory. Strict as was the en-
| barge which kept me outside the door,
| burst in, only to be seized in a suffocating
grip. OF sudden realized that was be-
| Ing embraced. The doctor iourished a
hand above my head and jigged with pom
derous steps. The dismal noises continued
! to emanate from his mouth. He was sing
| ing I wish I could give you notion Of
the amazement. the paralyzing wonder with
DR.. Schermerhorn: you would not UNDER
| stand -
1--WE polkaed into the open. There he
cast me loose. He stopped singing and
| burst into a rhapsody Of disjointed words.
| Mostly German. 1t was-a wondrous jum-
BILE of the scientific and poetic. Eureka
| occurred at intervals. Then he would leap
in the air. 1t was weird. it was distress
ing Crazy? Oh, quite. For the time, you
understand. If any Of us should suddenly
| become the most potent individual In the
| world. wouldn't he be apt to lose balance
| temporarily? One must make allowances.
There was excuse for the doctor. He had
| reached the goal.
| "'Percy, you shall be rewarded. he said.
| You haf lke-a-trump-car stuck by me.
| You shall hat riches, gold. what you will.
You are young; your blood runs red. With
| such riches nothing is beyond you. You
could the ancient-tombs- of-Egypt explore.
1t Is open to you such collections-as- have
| never been ga thered to make. What shall
It be? Scarabs? Missals? Prehistoric i'm
Elements? Amuse yourself. mein kind. We
| shall be able the-bills- interest
to pay. What will you haf?
81 said I'd like a vacation, if convenient.
Presently he replied. There yet re-
mains the guardianship to be perfected.
Then to-a-world- shed-and-respectful
we return. Tonight we celebrate. 1 play
you a rubber Of pinochle
1--WE played. With the greatest secret Of
science resting at our elbows, we played.
The doctor won: my mind was not strictly
on the game. In the morning the doctor
sang once more. shall never hear