The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-05-11
Me
MYSTERY
By Stewart Edward White
And Samuel Hopkins Adams
Copyright 1907. by Mcclure, Phillips q Co.


I'VE chased volcanoes. There was
q theory under II all. He believed
that volcanic emanations are caused
by a mighty and uncomprehended ener
gy, something that achieves results
ascribable neither to explosions mol
heat, some eternal. inner source. Ra
dium. II you choose. only he didn't call
II that Radium, as known to our
modern scientists, he regarded as the
harmless plaything of people with time
hanging heavy on their hands. He
wasn't after force in pin point quaint.
tes-he wanted results. Yet l believe
that, after all. what he sought was a
sort of higher power of radium. The
phenomena We're related. And he had
some Of that concentrated essence OF
pitchblende in the chest when we start
ed. oh, not much, say about 100000
worth: Maybe thirty. For use? No,
Rather for comparison. judge.
"Yes. we chased volcanoes. be-
came used 10 camping between sam
pie hells of all known varieties. got
so that the fumes of n sulphur match
seemed like draft of pure. fresh
air. Wherever any of the earths PIN
pies showed signs Of coming 10 n head
there We're we. taking part in the
trouble. BY and by the doctor got so
thoroughly poisoned that he had to
lay off. Back to Philadelphia we came.
There an aged seafaring person. tenn
porarily stranded. mulcted the profess
or Of u dollar-an undertaking that re
quircd- no art-and in the course of his
recital touched upon yonder little cess
pool of Internal iniquities. An un-
charted volcanic island-one that he
could have all for his own. You may
guess whether DIR. Schermerhorn was
interested.
THAT iss for which we haf so long
in vain sought. Percy he said TO me
in his quaint. link chain style of
speech. a leedle prifate volcano labo
ratory to ourselves to have. Totally
unknown. undescribed. not on the
chart to be found. Tomorrow we start.
make a list of the things TO get
lie began his list. as | remember.
"a
OF pennyroyal for insect bites. n box OF
assorted fishhooks. thirty pounds of
tea and case OF carpet tacks. When
hadn't anything else 10 worry over.
used to lie awake at night and specu-
late on the purpose OF those carpet
lacks. He had something In mind. IL
there was anything on which lie prid-
ed himself. 1t was his practical bent.
But the list never got any further. II
ceased short of one page In the ledger.
as you may have noticed. | QUILTED
by telegraph on the way across the
continent.
The doctor didn't ask me whether
Id go. He took it for granted. That's
probably why | didn't back out. Nor
did tell him that the three life insur-
ance companies which had foolishly
and trustingly accepted me as a risk
merely on the strength of good con
stitutlon were making frantic efforts
felt hurt. those companies. My
healthy condition had ceased to ap-
peal to them. What's a good constitu-
ton between earthquakes No, there
was no use telling the doctor. Ii
would only have worried him. Be
sides. didn't believe that the island
was there. thought IL was a myth of
that stranded ancient mariners imag-
nation. When II rose to sight at the
proper spot. none We're more astound-
I'd than the bad risk who now address
rs you.
yet | must say for'the island that
II came handsomely up TO specifica-
lions. Down where you were, Slade.
You didn't get a real insight into its
disposition. But In back of us there
was any kind Of action for your mon
ey-geysers, hell spouts, tuning fis-
sures. cunning little craterlets with
half portions of molten lava ready to
serve hot. more gases than you could
create In all the worlds chemical labo-
ratories-in fact. everything to make
the place a paradise for Old Nick and
DIR. Schermerhorn. He brought along
In his precious chest bes ides the ra-
dunn some sort of raw material; also
as near as | could make out a sort OF
cage or guardianship scheme for his
concentrated essence of cussedness
when he should get it out Of the vol
cano.
I'm the first seven months he put
tered around the little tuners, with an
occasional excursion up to the main
crater. 1t was my duty to follow Oh
and drag him away when he fell I'M
conscious. Sometimes | would try to
get him before he was quite gone.
Then he would become Indignant and
fight me. Perhaps that helped to lose
me his confidence More and more he
withdrew into himself. There We're
days when he spoke no word to me. Ii
was lonely. Do you know why used
to visit you at the beach, Slade? /
suppose you thought | was keeping
watch on you. 1t wasn't that: 1t was
loneliness. In way 1t hurt me, too,
for one couldn't help but be fond Of
the old boy. and at times it seemed
as II he weren't quite himself. Par
don me IL | may trouble you for the
matches. Thanks.
IL