The herald., 1920-12-16

80 VIZ Jon Oh Hight saw
his soul. The pride and greed we're
there, only dominated for the present
by the influence of his mood if he
gave rein to them again ne would be
lost irretrievably. Ard the mood
must pass because he could not find
the letter. Tomorrow. he knew. his
work would absorb him again. his
heart would harden, az old men S
hearts do. The gates of Paradise
stood open wide Tor him-and he had
lost the key.
He walked slowly across the room.
His mind was made up; he would de
stroy all the fruits of his experiments.
batter down that idol which he had
set up to wean him from his own.
He raised his arm to sweep every
thing to the floOr-test tubes, bottles,
papers. He hesitated. Could he let
the fruits of all those years OF expert
ment go? He might at least save the
formulate. Or was that sacrifice neces-
sary if he was to save his soul from
hell
Suddenly his rowing eyes rested
upon the test tube which he had left
on the table.
He shouted aloud with ioy. The
mood had passed; the idol had reared
itself again. Ida was forgotten.
Something had happened during his
absence that he had never managed 20
bring about before. The liquid in the
tube had passed from gold to brown
and from brown to a streaky. faky
mass of creamy, jelly-like fluid. 1t
was almost artificial rubber.
He was upon the track at last His
composition, in cooling. had coagulat-
ed as rubber coagulates. This was
not rubber. but it was not far from
it. Ii was a compound which con-
tanned all the elements of rubber
But somewhere, in the building OF il.
two or three molecules had gone
astray. or fastened themselves to the
wrong elements. just as one may put
a picture puzzle together and not
quite fit the pattern. He was very
close now; he must try the next form
ula. and the next, and the next; il
might be only a matter of a few days
before success crowned his efforts.
He sought feverishly for the paper
with the microscopic handwriting. the
result of years Of research work and
endless experimentation. It was not
in its accustomed place. and he began
turning his notes over, hunting for it.
II must be on the other table, then
yes, there lay folded sheet under the
blOtting sheet. He reached for it and
picked up-his daughters letter
Mayo stared at it without under
standing. How had this paper, which
he had torn up and thrown into the
furnace, come back to Kim? At last
the staggering truth burst in upon
him. He had destroyed the formula
in place of the letter, and all the work
of years had gone for nothing. He
could never begin all over again
Even if he had the enterprise. there
was no time. for others were hard
upon the scent.
He sank back into his chair. All
his life was ruined now and the last
Illusion had come topping down. He
sprang to his feet ana rushed INTO his
bedroom. From its case he extracted
his razor He would end everything
with one swift, merCiful sweep.
AS he stood before the mirror with
the open razor in his hand he heard
soft tapping at his door. He
frowned impatiently. Why could not
the fools leave him at this juncture?
He stode across the room and turned
the key. Outside Sere was a within,
pering-a child's whimEering. Impa-
tiently he turned the key again.
opened the door, and found himself
looking down at a little child of four
or five years, with flaxen curls, and
the look of Ida upon his face.
The child screwed its grimy fists
into its eyes and the tears flowed
freely.
Who are you?" demanded Herr
Mayo with sudden tenderness.
Use julius" sobbed the child. 81
want my grandpa"
Who is your grandpa" asked the
old man, STOPPING and raising the boy
in his arms.
MY grandpa lives here an you're
my grandpa. Mamma saw you in
church an II followed YOU, but you