The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-04-25
InLeague With
the Devil
By F. A. Mitchell

Some -four or FIVE hundred years ago
q student in the University Of Bonn
had the misfortune to lose IN 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 it so 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 g%unpowder and pro-
tected himself against an explosion all
except one eye.
The name Of this young man was
Berthold Schwartz. The loss Of his
eye was the greater misfortune to him
because ne was in love with Gretchen
Becker, whose father. already preju-
diced against him, had now the more
cause to refuse him his daughter.
That was an & before glass eyes
were made. 50 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 his golden eye.
"Wha means this. BertholdY" he
said, astonished. Are you turning to
gold? | have been aware Of your ex-
periments in alchemy and fancied that
you, like the rest Of your craft. were
hunting for a process for producing the
precious metals. but l did not suppose
you would work upon your own per-
SON."
THAT was accidental" replied
Schwartz.
"Accidental: Have you really discov-
cred a process by which you a turn
flesh into gold?"
MY inventions are 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: Got
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"
"How was that?" asked his wife.
throwing up her hands In astonish-
ment.
II don't know. I suppose that any
object exposed to his 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 discovery. The next day
the girl wen to her lover and reported
what had occurred. Berthold laughed.
but. clasping Gretchen in his arms,
said to her:
you may go back and tell your par
ents. and that with truth. that | have
discovered a method by which l can
turn base materials into gold. for l car
produce a mixture that will explode
with great force and am experimenting
how to 9 It."
Gretchen told her mother that 1t was
indeed true that Berthold had discover
ed the art Of turning objects into gold.
and there was another conference be-
tween Becker and his wife. after
which Gretchen was told that II Ber-
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 be bade
her say that his secret was his own
and be would not give It to any one
else. But he suggested that she say
to her parents that II he chose he could
turn their eyes into gold as be had
lone bis own.
When Gretchen spoke Of this to her
parents they turned pale. Suppose
Schwartz should turn the eyes Of ei-
Their one or both Of them into gold:
they would he stone blind. They did
not believe that any one could do %
wonderful a thing without the aid of
the devil. and they shrank from giving
their daughter to such q person. So
they concluded to charge Berthold with
witchcraft.
Unfortunately for this plan. Gretchen
overheard It and went at once with it
to Berthold. who told her that be had
conceived the idea of putting bis mix
ture into an iron tube closed at enc
end and a lump Of metal against the
mixture. BY heating the closed end be
could send the lump with such force as
to kill q man. The inventor was 60
ing to show this implement to the king
and asked Gretchen to marry him and
60 with him. She consented, and the
two departed without Z goodby to old
Becker and his wife.
A year later the couple returned to
0retchen's home clad In rich garments
and with every appearance of wealth.
81 A. --- -