The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1911-04-07

0OIne, COIte, tulS ludlteT uuSl NC
attended to or it may fail. 1 do not
fear the police, the courts, the govern
ment in any form, but l do fear this
young mans money. Should he find
chance to use it,
HE would secure your arrest?'
colonel, you are fool. Who dares
arrest the owner of three quarters Of
the wealth of the United States? He
might buy an opposition, in what form
know not. He could oppose me and
that would make a muddle. l don't
want muddle; It would take up my
time"
Mr. Van Rockagan cut the end of a
$1,000 cigar and added:
"Go back to the swamp, make
another attempt to discover the leak
and report"
The colonel withdrew. His superior
smoked and thought.
II wonder" he said musingly, 'if
these internal scientists with their new
inventions are going to block my
game"
Two more weeks passed without a
report from Colonel Whistleton, then
he appeared one morning In his en-
| ployer's office and said:
watching the prisoner through a
keyhole, your commercial highness. l
saw him take tablet from his vest
pocket and put 1t in his mouth"
"a tablet?"
"Yes. n tablet. At any rate 1t was
so small that he held 1t between his
thumb and finger and swallowed 1t
whole"
aha! Now we shall get at the
secret Has he lost flesh?'
Not pound"
"And he is living on tablets?"
81 am sure he has nothing else"
"How many day."
zone. have had him under sur
veillance for several weeks, and he
takes but one tablet each twenty-four
hours"
"Take them away from him. But
hold! The secret would die with him.
1t may be useful to me. Should l
have 1t his death might not be neces-
sary to me. 1t costs, say, dollar IA
day to feed man. If n million men
can be fed 800 days on IA cent day
there is saving of $299o00,000. If
can do that can find way to under
mine him. Secure one of the tablets
and bring It to me at once"
Another week passed. The colonel
made another report. The prisoner
carried no supply of tablets on his
person Moreover, he was not seen to
swallow any more tablets.
"Bunglerr' cried Mr.. Van Rockagan,
"You have made him suspicious. He
has found means of supply that you
are not aware of and takes his daily
meal when you are not observing him.
| Does he still retain his fiesh?"
"He does. If he receives tablets
from without 1t must be during the
night, and he must eat them then"
go back and watch all night, with
out and within"
The next report was that during the
night huge bird lit on chimney lead
ing down to the prisoners apartments
remained there moment and flew
away.
Bird be hangedr exclaimed Mr.
Van Rockagan contemptuously III
was one OF these newfangled aero
planes with man or perhaps n small
boy In II. Catch or shoot one of them
before he can drop n tablet down the
chimney and you'll get what you're
| after
A bird was captured just before it
reached the chimney. Its wing was
! broken by shot, and 1t was caught
in net. 1t proved TO be ten-year-
old boy. On his person was one of
the mysterious tablets.
When Colonel Whistleton brought the
tablet to his chief the latter ordered Mr.
Harrihill to be supplied with food till
further orders Then he sent out at
once for DR.. Beckendorf, the scientist
in charge of his department of chemis-
try. When the gentleman arrived Mr..
Van Rockagan said to him.
"Analyze that" and he handed the
doctor the tablet.
DR.. Beckendorf withdrew and the
next morning reappeared with his re-
port.
"That tablet, your commercial high
ness" he said, was suggested thirty
years ago by a French scientist named
Berthelow. 1t is composed Of carbon
derived from carbonic acid, hydrogen
taken from water, with oZate and oxy-
gen borrowed from the atmosphere.
DIR. Berthelow declared that such Il
fpbIat Uoutd sunnlV a man with nil tho
nourlshment he needed. But | have
never heard of one being manufac-
tured. Doubtless process of doing so
has been recently hit upon"
Can you manufacture it?"
II think | can"
do So But never mind You may
CO."
A few days later Mr. Rockagan's
financial chief appeared before Mr.
Harrihill and said:
"Mr. Rockagan possesses your secret,
and It will enable him to feed man
on cent day or less. He will at
once begin a competing road with
every one you own, to cost a small
percentage Of what yours cost, or he
will buy your roads at the market
price"
One morning 1t was announced that
all Mr.. Harrihill's railroad securities
had been transferred to Mr.. Rockagan.
snow" said that gentleman, 1--WE
may assume the title Of president, en-
peror or whatever we like"