The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1915-03-13
BARTON'S EXPERIMENT
by FRANK FILsoN.

had taken T0OL anu AOuI1SACuS ~ eANN
not even the new interest in his lie
could prevent their development.
The idea possessed him, body and
soul Since boyhood the temptation
had come to him at idle moments
when he was vaguely dissatisfied with
life. But he had always fought 1t
down and conquered with sheer viii
power.
He knew. however, that the law
could never touch him. He knew that
he could carry out this design with
fmpunity. holding the narrowing
knowledge of it in his own soul until
the day of discovery.
Love comes Unexpectedly enough
and Barton's soul was torn in twain
after Lucy had promised to be his
wife. Yet, fight as he might, he could
not Withstand the prompting of that
impulse within. He had given rein
to It too long.
He had a months vacation every |
summer. That would be ample time
| in which to set his purpose, though |
his plan would not come to full frul-
ton for two or three months longer.
| However. it was only necessary 10
/ start, and, automatically, the train
that he had fired would smolder until,
without intervention upon his part,
the ripe fruits of his enterprise be-
came manifest.
Barton had rented little furnished
cottage in a remote region of the
Adirondacks, where his only neigh
bors were a few woodmen.
He made some miserable excuse TO
Lucy to cover his absence for so long
a period, and disappeared from the
haunts of his friends. And, the even
ing after his departure from the Grand
Central station found him in the little
. cottage. alone, staring out moodily
across the lake.
The clay-colored chemical which
was SO essential a feature of his de-
sign stood on the little bare table
I'm the room which he had selected for
his operations.
NJ He had the formula calculated TO a
nicely. All that was necessary was
p time for the chemical combinations to
become permanent and to produce
their rich crop Of results. The expert
ment had been performed many times
since man emerged from barbarlsm
but less and less often as he became
enlightened, and of recent years Sc
seldom that its very infrequency was
John Barton's greatest asset of safety
It was on the fifth morning after hi
arrival that he received letter from
Lucy.
"My dearest john" she wrote, 9
] am becoming very uneasy about you
going up to that out-of-the-way plac
in the Adirondacks, where you ar
all by yourself Mother wants you t
come back at once and spend the res
of the month with us at Atlanti
Beach.
ST am greatly concerned about yo'
dear, and unless you write me ths
you are coming on the next train,
shall begin to think you do not loV
me-"
The sight of Lucy's delicate han
writing brought back to him with
rush all the memory Of their Low
How fond they had been of each OF
err! How the knowledge that 81
loved him had temporarily driven Il
thought of his purpose out Of b
mind. And how miserably he HI
striven to avoid that insistent tempt
ton that came knocking at his hear
But the experiment was under We
and, more, it was succeeding. The
was no doubt Of that. Science was
- fallible, and her laws absolute. A
-- he had used only a tenth part of
- clay-colored chemical, with it's fai
.w aromatic smell, so subtle an age
Ill in his great task, and yet apparen
Ill so innocuous.
Hi John answered Lucy's letter, exc
I'LL ing himself on the ground that
Hill needed perfect rest, and remained
Hill his cottage.
I'LL Then the day of decision dawn
Hi There was a letter from Lucy. il
Hill could hardly steady his fingers
I'LL tear it open.
Hill my dear John,' it began, since
I'LL ceiving your last letter I have
llfi very much hurt at your refusal
TIL spend your holiday with us. / no
ll1 that you would write again, an
II have waited every day to hear Fl
you / was too proud TO answer /!
Ill "But now, dear John, have CT
II to the conclusion that you could
II nave Treated me Illus QAACSS SO
thing serious were the matter.
SO mother and / are coming uI
Cranberry Lake to see you. We S
start tomorrow, and the day after
receive this, we shall be at your
ton. hope you will meet us tn
John, and remove my suspense
- mothers"
.@ And now the die was cast, and
mans struggle between love and
- dreadful task to which he had set
self WIS. renewed more acutely
ever None can know what a me
struggle he endured during the
OF that day. For, if he destroyed
results OF his experiment he /
that he could not nerve himself tt
gin anew.
But the thought of Lucy conqul
AS the gray dawn came stealing
his room, after a sleepless night,
emptied the clay-colored fluid OF
the window. Then, taking I
N from the bottom of his bag, de
sAN a4aIv wildly ba shaved off his