Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-05-22

IGE NO companion
Doctor Knox and Professor Eldridge
arrived shortly. After time Darrow
reappered. sauntering quite calmly
from the pail OF darkness, as though
emerging from behind q velvet curtain.
CHAPTER XII.
49,. The Unknown.
It will now become necessary to
glance in passing at the personal char
acteristics of Professor Eldridee. This
man was In about his fortieth year,
tall. spare. keenly intellectual In
countenance. cold. possessed OF an ab-
| solute reliance on the powers OF
science. beyond which his mental pro
cesses did not stray. His manner was
distinguished by stiff. unbending
Formally; his expression by a glacial
GOODNESS Of steelgray eyes and -
| straightline compression Of thin lips;
his dress by a precise and unvarying
Journalism, and his speech by curious
polysyllabic stiffness.
This latter idioeyncrasy would, In
| another, have seemed either priggish
or faoetiously intended. With Professor
Eldridge It was merely a natural
method Of speech. Thus, arriving once
at the stroke of the dinner hour, he re-
piled to compliments on his punctu.
atty, by remarking:
IT have always considered punctu-
! ality virtue when one is invited to
partake of gratuitous nourishment."
Withal, his scientific attachments
were not only undoubted, but 80 con-
| siderable as to have won for him
against many odds the reputation OF q
great scientist. His specially, II such
| 1t might be called, was scientific
diagnosis. The exactness OF scientific
laws was 30 admirably duplicated by
the exactitudes Of his mind that he
| seemed able, by bloodless and me-
! chanjcal sympathy, to penetrate to the
most obscure causes of the strangest
events. It might be added that prac-
tically his only social ties were those
! with the Warfords, and that the only
| woman with whom he ever entered
into conversation was Helen.
At sight OF him Percy Darrow's
lounging gait became accumulated to
exaggeration.
Hello, Prof" he drawled. ION the
job, see. Good morning, Doctor" he
greeted Knox. What do you make OF
| it?"
II make of it that the Atlas build.
ing will shortly be without tenants"
replied the doctor; me. for one"
Eldridge surveyed barrow coldly
| through the Offering toric lenses Of
his glasses.
"The cause Of these extraordinary
phenomena is self-evident," he
stated,
".You mean their nature, not their
cause" replied Darrow. I'm nature,
they refer back to the interference
| with etheric and molecular vibrations.
That" he added, lis fact that every
boy in the grammar school physics
class has figured out for himself The
cause is a different matter"
Il stand corrected said Eldridge.
"Such lapses In accuracy Of statement
are not usual with me, but may ~
considered 40 concomitant with IN.
usual circumstances" VA ;
"Right-o." agreed Darrow cheer
fully. Well, what about the cause0.'
That win determine whom, IN
satisfied that all the elements Of the
problem are In my hands.
| ''Right-o!" repeated Darrow. well,
| Til bet you new hat I'll land the
cause, before you do. Be . sport ~
Il never indulge in wagers." replied
Eldridge.
well" said Darrow to Jack and
| Hallowell, come on!'
! Without waiting to rec II he WAS FOL
lowed. the young man again plunged
into the black and clinging darkness.
Get hold Of my coat" HIS voice
| came to the others. We're going 70
| climb"
Accordingly they climbed. in silence.
up many flights Of stairs, through the
cloying darkness. At last barrow
halted, turned sharp to the left.
fumbled for door, and entered .
ROOM
| "Simmons?" he said.
! "Here!" came q voice. ts.
II thought you'd be on the Job,
said barrow, with satisfaction. "How's
your instrument? Going, eh? We are
in the wireless offices, he told the
others. sit down, II you can find
chairs. Well wait until the sun ,is
shining brightly, love, before we really
try to get down to business. In th1
meantime"
I'm the meantime" repeated both
Jack and Hallowell, in a breath. Go
on, my son." conceded the latter. ~
bet we have the same idea."
well, I was going to say that I'm
not in the grammar school physics
class, and l want to know what you
meant by your remark to Eldridge,"
said Jack. .s'is
That's my trouble" said Hallowell.I
"It's simple enough, began Darrov.
1--WE have had, first. failure Of all
electricity; second, failure Of 81
sound; third, failure Of all light, The
logical mind would therefore examine
these things to see what they have In
common. The answer simply jumps at
you: Vibration. Electricity and light
are vibrations in ether; sound is vihra-I
ton in air or some solid. Therefore.
whatever could absolutely stop vibra-
ton would necessarily stop electricity.
light and sounn.'
But" objected Jack, ~ vibration
l q p