The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-06-15

bile countenance but wildly interested
eyes the progress of the duel.
Granting for the moment your ma.
jor hypothesis" Eldridge stated at last
Il follow your other essential state.
ments. The man is unbalanced be-
cause he chooses such method OF &C
complishing simple end"
Quite So"
His power is limited because it has
been applied to but one manifestation
of etheric vibration at a time; and
each manifestation has had defined
duration"
barrow bowed. ''You are the only
original think-tank," he quoted Halo
wells earlier remark.
You are most kind to place me in
possession of these additional facts,
said Eldridge, resuming his glasses
"for naturally my conclusions, based
on incomplete premises, could hardly
be considered more than tentative. The
happy accident of an acquaintance with
the existence of these wireless messages
and this personal enmity gave you a
manifest but artificial advantage in the
construction OF your hypothesis"
Did | not see you in the corridor
of the Atlas Building the day of the
first electrical failure?' asked barrow,
Certainly"
Then you had just as much to go
on as | did" drawled barrow. halt
closing his eyes. The long dark lashes
fell across his cheek, investing him in
his most harmless and effeminate look.
| Il fail to
"Yes, you fail, all right" interrupt
ed Darrow you had all the strings
in your hands, but you were a mile
behind me in the solution of this mys-
terry I'll tell you why: it was for
the same reason that you're going TO
| fail a second time, now that once again
I've put all the strings in your hands"
| Il must confess | fail to gather your
meaning" said Prof. Eldridge coldly.
1T was for the same reason that al
ways until his death you were inferior
to dear old DR.. Schermerhorn as a
scientist. You are an almost perfect
thinking machine"
Darrow quite deliberately lighted a
cigarette, tipped the match into the
CRATE, and leaned back luxuriously.
| Prof. Eldridge sat bolt upright, watt
ing. Helen Warford watched them
both.
You have no humanity; you have
| no imagination" stated barrow at last.
You follow the dictates of rigid SCI
ence. and of logic"
Most certainly" Eldridge agreed to
this, as to compliment
1T takes you far" continued OAR
row, but not far enough. You observe
only facts; | also observe men. You
will follow only where your facts lead !;
am willing to take a leap in the
dark. I'll have all this matter hunted
out while you are proving your first
steps"
That, I understand it. is a chal-
lenge?" demanded Eldridge, touched
in his pride of the scientific diagnos-
tician.
That" said Percy Darrow blandly,
us statement of fact"
I'VE shall see"
"Surew agreed Darrow. "Now. the
thing to do is to find Monsieur X l
don't know whether your curiously
scutellate mind has arrived at the
point where it is willing to admit the
existence of Monsieur Y or not; but
it will. The man who finds Monsieur
X wins. Now, you know or can read
in the morning paper every fact /
have Go to it,"
Eldridge bowed formally.
There's one other thing" went on
barrow in a more serious tone of
voice. You have, of course. consid-
cred the logical result of this power
carried to its ultimate possibility"
Certainly" replied Eldridge, coldly.
THE question is superfluous."
1T is a conclusion which many sci
entihc minds will come to, but which
will escape the Be-, general public unless
the surmise is published. For the
present | suggest that we use our in
fluence to keep it out of the prints"
Eldridge reflected. You are quite
right" said he; and rose to go.
After his departure Helen turned on
Darrow.
you are positively insulting!" she
cried. and in my house! How could
your"
Helen said Dsrrow, facing her
squarely, Il maintained rigidly all the
outer forms of politeness. That is as
far as | will go anywhere with that
man. My statement to him is quite
just: he has no humanity"
What do you mean? Why are you
so bitter?" asked Helen, a little sub
dued in her anger by the young mans
evident earnestness.
You never knew Doctor Schermer-
horn, did you, Helen?" he asked.
THE funny little old German? In
deed, | did! He was a dearp
He was one of the greatest scien-
fists living-and he was a dear! That
goes far to explain hin-a gentle.
wise, childlike, old man-with imagi-
nation and demonstrating soul. He
picked me up as boy, and was a
father to me. l was his scientific as
sistant until he was killed, murdered
by the foulest band of pirates. Life
passes; and that is long ago"
He fell silent a moment; and the
girl looked on this unprecedented be-
trayal of feeling with eyes at once
startled and sympathetic.
DR.. Schermerhorn," went on OAR
row in his usual family tired, family
cynical tone, worked off and on for
five years on a certain purely scientific
discovery, the nature of which you
would not understand. In CONVERSE.
ton he told its essentials to this Ed
ridge. Doctor Schermerhorn fell sick
of passing illness. When he had
recovered, the discovery had been COM
pleted and given to the scientific |
world"
"OhP' cried Helen. "What a trickl"
SO think. The discovery was
purely theoretic and brought no par
tictIlar fame or money m Etdr;eoddo.