The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1915-01-04
BARTOA'S EXPERIMENT
BY FRANK FILsoN.

John Barton had fallen in love with
Lucy Dean after the first germs Of
his deadly purpose had sowed them
selves in his mind. Once there, they
had taken root and hourished, so that
not even the new interest in his life
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 it
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
impunity. holding the narrowing
knowledge of it in mis- 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 frus-
ton for two or three months longer
However, 1t was only necessary to
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 a 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
| in the room which he had selected for
| his operations.
He had the formula calculated to a
nicely All that was necessary was
/ 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 barbarisn,
but less and less often as he became
enlightened and of recent years so
seldom that its. very infrequency was
John Barton's greatest asset of safety
It was on the 9TH morning after his
arrival that he received letter from
Lucy.
my dearest john. she wrote, II
am becoming very uneasy about your
going up TO that out-of-the-way place
in the Adirondacks, where you are
all by yourself Mother wants you to
come back at once and spend the rest
Of the month with us at Atlantic
Peach.
Il am greatly concerned about sou.
dear. and unless you write me that
you are coming on the next train,
: shall begin to think you do not love
me-"
The sight Of Lucy's delicate hand
writing brought back to him with a
|. rush all the memory OF their love.
! How fond they had been of each 9th
|: er! How the knowledge that she
loved him had temporarily driven the
!. thought of his purpose. out Of his
: mind. And how miserably he had
& striven to avoid that insistent tempta
ton that came knocking at his heartl
3 But the experiment was under way
) and, more, it was succeeding. There
! was no doubt of that Science was In
fallible, and her laws absolute. And
he had used only tenth part Of the
clay-colored chemical. with its faint
aromatic smell, so subtle an agen
in his great task. and yet APPARENT,
? so innocuous.
John answered Lucy's letter, excus
ing himself on the ground that h'
needed perfect rest, and remained il
: his cottage.
: Then the day Of decision dawned
There was letter from Lucy. JohI
could hardly steady his fingers t
s tear it open.
MY dear John" it began, since re
ceiving your last letter ! have fei
very much hurt at your refusal t.
spend your holiday with US. I hopes
that you would write again, and
Z have waited every day to hear from
& you. / was too proud TO answer you
q But now, dear John, / have CONS
II to the conclusion that you could no
O. have treated me thus unless some
e thing serious we're the matter. Ans
n so mother and are coming up Z
q Cranberry Lake to see you. We shal
d start tomorrow, and the day after yol
receive this, We shall be at your sta
ton. 1 hope you viii meet Us there
John, and remove my suspense-an
sr mothers"
It. And now the die was cast, and tn
er mans struggle between love and tn
lg dreadful task 20 which he had set hin
re self was renewed more acuteIy tina