The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-05-15
By JOHN H. RAFTERY.

between old DR.. Herman Shumate
and his son, Maurice, was the old
mans old-country ideas about money.
He was already a millionaire, but he
refused to extend to Maurice the
slightest financial aid or the least en-
couragement to hope for rich in
heritence. 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 thousand dollars in his
own right before he could expect
either countenance or help from his
father.
Z These were harsh requirements
for 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
his natural amiability.
Having degrees from half dozen
European universities, Herman Shu-
mate was entitled to the "doctor"
epithet, though he had never prac-
ticed 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 stockholder of rich chemical
mandatory. The boy, Maurice, was
a 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
Harry his father. When he was
frong enough to walk Che weighed
snly 120 pounds) his father gave him
J100 and said:
@You'll get we'll If you go to q
good climate and sleep nine hours a
Jay. You can come back or not as
YOU choose. But l will pay no more
Of your bills. l will feed and house
You no longer. II you get married
and make your first thousand dollars,
all right. will see."
It was harsh sentence, End II
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 like!'
growled the doctor, who had seer
that smile before. Here's your hun.
dred dollars
When Maurice was gone, old Dr.
Shumate began to fret. He became
more active than ever, more interest.
ed In scientific research, more penu.
rious, and more solitary in his habits
than before. When winter came or
he decided to go into the Southwest
to examine some of the mummies oi
the cliff dwellers, with an idea of dis
covering some of the secrets of theil
embalming processes. He explored
Mancos and other remote canons II
Colorado and Mexico, and then be
came absorbed in the preservativt
cerements enwrapping the monks
buried beneath the old Spanish mis-
sions of southern California, Texal
and Mexico. 1t was at San Pietrt
that he stumbled across a bit of in
formation that set his scientific sou
af1re. He had tried in vain to induc,
Herr Knauss, the German keeper O
lhe old mission, to open the long
ealed tombs that lay beneath the al
lar stones of the chapel He had be
home very friendly with the old Gus
0odian, who was from Nuremburg
and he had been almost generou
with his fees. But no, the propert
belonged to the Franciscars and he
Knauss. being only a renter, wa
pledged to protect every part an
parcel of the antique buildings an
historic grounds.
But there is another ruin," whis
pered Knauss. II think it is an oil
burial vault, in an adjoining farm
If you will risk few hundred dol
Jars perhaps"
"Try 1t, try it, my friend!" ez
claimed the enthusiast. when ca
you begin?"
The old German insisted that tn
matter must be kept secret, but
would let his patron know the resul
OF the excavation. 1t was a yer
much delapidated structure, mostl
under ground, filled with eartl
stones and the debris of more tina
two centuries. 1t would take tim,
But DR.. Shumate had been in Mon
Grey only week when he got Gel
man letter from Herr Knauss. Th
digger, toiling alone at night an
aided by his daughter, had unearthe
many bones, but-most extraord
nary Of ala perfectly preserve
corpse, probably that Of an abbot.