The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1913-04-25
hIeague With
the Devil
b F. 4. .MITu1E1.

MI b r. A. IMllC11 Ill
Some. fonrs or aves huudred years ago
Z student in the University Of Bonn
had the misfortune. to lose an eye. He
was devoted to alchemy. an obsolete
branch and ~forerunner Of the science.
We now call chemistry. While bend
ing over a crucible containing a COM
pound It exploded and. striking him
in the left eye, burned 1t 90 badly that
he was obliged to have It removed.
His face and his other eye were saved
from injury. being protected by an iron
mask. for he was working upon a mix
ture to produce gunpowder and pro-
tected himself against an explosion all
except n eve.
The name of this young man was
Berthold Schwartz. The loss Of. his
eye was the greater misfortune to him
because he was in love, with Gretchen
Becker. whose father. already preju-
diced against him. had now the o
cause to refuse him his daughter.
That was an age before glass eyes
were made. 80 Berthold Schwartz in
selecting a substance for an artificial
eye chose gold. Gretchen did not de-
sert him on this account. Indeed. she
was all the more drawn to him on ac-
count Of his misfortune. But she said
nothing about the loss Of his eye to.
her father. shrinking from giving him
this additional lever against her lover.
One day old Becker met Schwartz on
the street and noticed bis golden eye.
what means this. Berthold?" be
said, astonished. Are you turning to
gold7 I have been aware Of your "9ex:
periments In alchemy and fancied that
you, like the rest Of your craft. were
hunting fora process for producing the
precious metals. but I did not suppose
you would work upon your own per-
SON."
THAT was accidental" replied
Schwartz. N
Accidental! Have you really discov-
cred a process by which you can turn
flesh into gold?"
my inventions r. a secret" an
swered the chemist. wishing to evade
a direct reply, and to avoid being fur
Their questioned he passed on.
When Becker went home he said ex-
citedly to his wife and daughter: "Gott
In himmel. Berthold Schwartz has dis
covered the secret Of turning objects
into the precious metals. But he has
been unlucky. for accidentally he turn
ed one Of his eyes into gold" q
"How was that?" asked his wife.
throwing. up her hands In astonish-
ment.
IT don't know. l suppose that any,
object expssed to bis process Is turned
to gold. and | don't understand it."
That evening Gretchen heard her
father and mother discussing whether.
since Berthold had discovered this Sc
cret that so many at that period were
hunting for. they had not better give
him their daughter after all. The re-
suit Of their conference was that they
would wait and see IL he really had
made such a discovery. The next day
the girl went. to her lover and reported
what had occurred. Berthold laughed.
but. clasping Gretchen in his arms.
said to her:
You may 60 back and tell your par.
ents. and that. with truth. that I have
discovered a method BY which / can
turn base materials into gold. for I can
produce a mixture that will explode
with great force and am experimenting
how to 8 It" /.
Gretchen told her mother that 1t was
indeed true that Berthoid h~aAsdiscover-
ed the artsof turning objects into gold.
and there was neutrality-suspicious. be-
tween Becker and his swife, after
which Gretchen was told that II Der.
thold would turn some ordinary object
into gold before them they would give
her to him to wife. When Gretchen
bore the message to her lover he babe
her say that his secret was his own
and he would not give It to any mi
else. But he suggested that she say
to her parents that IL he chose he could
turn their eyes into gold as he had
done his own.
When Gretchen spoke Of this to her
parents they turned pale. Suppose
Schwartz should turn the eyes Of ei-
ther one or both Of them into gold:
they would be stone blind. They did
not believe that any one could do 90
wonderful a thing without the aid Of
the devil. and they shrank from giving
their daughter to such a person. So
they concluded to charge Berthold with
witchcraft.
Unfortunately for this plan. Gretchen
overheard II and won't at once with II
to Berthold. who told her that he had
conceived the idea OF putting his mix
ture into an iron tube closed at one
end and q lump Of metal against the
mixture. BY heating the closed end he
could send the lump withss such force ~
TO kill q man. Tho inventor was 60
ing to show this Implement 70 the king
and asked Gretchen to marry him and
60 with him. She consented. and the
two departed without Z soodby 70 old
Becker and his wife.
a year later the couple returned TO-
- eanSn n~k~