Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-09
Tn e D ally
Short Story
4 SWEET THAT TURNED BITTER
BY James Brainard.

United States that prodigy had been
launched who would astonish the
world. Bur greatly TO the disappoint.
ment Of his classmates years passed
and he was not heard from. More
over ne had disappeared.
Hedrick inherited a fortune and ~
was supposed that this was qujta
enough to spoil any genius, for even
a phenomenon requires the spar q.
necessity. But Iiedrick's fortune did
not account for his disappearance.
The truth is that soon after gradua.
/ ton Hedrick was impressed win
statement OF scientific inyestigatior
that a live body had in it the elements
iof perpetual youth. But unfortnnate.
I " there is a mierobe that enters int
| the material part Of the being which
/ causes what we call old age; Just az
worm viii cause tree to wither ami
die
Hedrick resolved to devote his anil.
litles to finding a way to eliminate this
| lIicrobe without injuring the subiec,
on which it was feeding. He Dur.
chased a huge estate and in its center
built a laboratory which ne furnished
with every article used in scientific
research. His citadel Of science he
! protected by a pack of dogs OF a fierce
breed, scattering them all over his
domain.
Hedrick investigated for several
years on animals, beginning with the
lower grades and ascending till he
reached the anthropoid ape. The age
producing microbe was not affected bv
Eany of HedTick's antitoxins until he
experimental on this animal next be-
low man. Here after many trials he
found an antitoxin that killed tbe
microhe without injury to the ape.
The very day that he made this dis
covery he was walking back and forth
on the porch OF his laboratory think
ing Of the,next step in his experiment
an attempt to eliminate decay in
human beings when he saw ap-
preaching marvel Of beauty. A gifl
about is wears old was passing among
his dogs, who fawned before her. then
fell in behind and followed her. When
she reached Hedriek she stopped and
said
, u understand that you are able TO
: hi EotI We 9BHiH.
Who told you that?9 said Hedrick.
"a little bird
"As good reply as might be ex-
pected from a woman. What can I
: do for your
Keep me always rs am"
4 desire seized upon Hedrick 10 pra-
serve this remarkable beauty. and 10
appropriate her to himself. He began
, to apply his antitoyin and by the and
= Of a microscope q the end of a veal
felt assured that not the faintesi
change had occurred in the girls fan
skin, not the slightest mark Of age
I had fastened itself upon her.
e Meanwhile he wooed and won her
~ Hedrick was 80 years old when h
+ married the girl, whose name wa
= constance, an age when a man NOS
e admires beauty. Ten years passed ant
7 he began to pine for a companion
6 Constance was still the girl she wa.
e at II, both in mind and body, entire
e iy Untitled to entsrtain him.
g After having rendered her immun,
l. TO decay he concluded to observe thi
e effect upon her before pracdcing
e upon anyone else 1t required bu
l. little time to discover that he was no
e Ieonferring blessing. All the rest o
d the world was growing old while Con
V stance remained young.
II When she had lived 20 years wff
: her husband they separated by mu
e tual consent and Constance marrie
e another man a few years he. senior
d but since he was growing older Will
: she was still a child, he finally tire
e OF her and divorced her.
is While ConstanCe's nature had no
s changed from youth to age. as til
years passed the mold Of experienc
settled upon her She was like an Oh
sr woman who continued to wear th
& same apparel as when she was youn
e girl. People who met her remarked
1t What a queer person. She acts Iis
Of 2 girl, but il it were not for her maj
4 yelous beauty would sometimes thin
p her an old woman
n. All This had its effect upon Cor
D. stance. Over her beautiful face ther
81 slowly gathered a melancholy. The
IS she shut herself up in her home. Bg
n there still remained in her the 81,
in ment Of youth
or She met ( man Of 10. He was q
We ehanted with her beauty. hut whe
RI. she responded to his proffered To-,
r there was something in the respon;
nd that repealed him Ii was Ike a pos
m made up of buds and withered fioY
ers.
He fled from her. Slowly and
4 tears she returned TO her home 81
~, wished that she could find Hedrick al
~ induce him 10 take away her immm
II ity from age. She made inquiries f
~ him, but received no response. The
- she Went to the laboratory where ]
:, had made her immune from age al
r. found it desolage. On a tombst0l
=, nearby she saw his name and foul
he that he had died aged 102. He Id
as died centeHarian while she was sd
so in her teens.
% The next morning when she did Il
IN appear at breakfast her maid went
Sc her room and found her dead.
an Those who had supposed when He
ar rick had graduated that he wou
an achieve some great scientific triuml
IN never knew what a marvel as well
- failure he had made.
= BERLIN PROFESSOR DEAD.
Amsterdam, Nov g. - DR.. Adolf
Wagner, former professor of jurispr
sn dence and political economy al d