Evening star., 1921-06-05
THE DARK SECRET
By Lucien Cary
A Novel "Mystery" Story, and 1t
Gives Us the Answer.
Illustrated by Robert E. Johnson
illustrated bv Robert E. Johnson.

netts mind. professors of Latin and
professors of comparative literature
and professors of medieval history
were playing tennis on the faculty
courts while Trumbull Gannett sat III
his work-table in the loft between
two piles of blue books. the final ex-
amipation papers of his class in Gas
l." no his right were the few books
he had yet to read. to his left were
him was a sheet containing the
names, in alphabetical order. OF the
students in the course.
He took one of the books at his
right. opened 1t with the same mo-
tion, read it in two minutes and nfty-
his left. poised his pencil for three
seconds. jotted down an A. or B.
or a c. or D opposite the rlSht
name on the list, and reached for an.
other book-all with regularity or
impulse that has been achieved only
recently in gasoline engines-a regu-
larity that is possible to a man only
when the task he performs is sum-
ciently dull
Trumbull Gannett's mind was as
little occupied by the process as II
he had been shelling peas: he could
have marked his students just as well
if he had dropped their examination
papers in the wastebasket without
reading them; bust as long as the UNI
versity required final examinations he
would read the examination papers
He was a conscientious man, Gannett.
But his conscience could not prevent
a stream of alien perceptions from
flowing through his mind.
He was conscious Of SOUNDS IN the
kitchen below-the scrape of chair.
quick steps. the momentary rush OF
water at the tap above the sink,
voices-sounds that meant that DOR
othy and her sister, Ernesta. were
getting dinner. Ernesta had stopped
days earlier and had inyited Dorothy
and the twins to go to cape Cod with
her for the summer. >(Summer is a
period when professors get no sal
ary)
He was pleasantly aware that when
he finished marking the examination
books he could take half an hour IN
which to reread the reports on Jor-
genson's heavy-oil engine Jorsehsoh
was believed to have solved the PROB
lem of designing lightweight hign-
speed engine that would drive car
as far on six cents worth OF crude
oil as the present models VIII go
on thirty cents worth Of gasoline.
tJorgenson would undoubtedly be
millionaire)
after dinner he would have to get INTO
the dress clothes he had worn for the
last eight years and 60 to the annual
reception at the presidents mouse;
and he wasn't at all sure that he had
a clean white tie. and il he didn't
Dorothy would have to wash and iron
one for him. and he was absolutely
sure that Dorothy would have to wear
the dress. made over from one in her
trousseau. that she had worn to the
last five faculty receptions.
ERNESTA and Dorothy were daugh-
IL ters Of a family that had, as they
put it, comfortable income. That
meant they had two maids and be-
lonGed to the country club and went
to Maine for July and August. but
that. as matter OF course. they
didn't have chauffeur. Marriage
had meant to Ernesta that, as 4 mat
ter OF course, she did have a chauf-
feur. 1t was the ironical fact that
SHIN from a gasket. had three cars.
and Dorothy's husband. who had once
built an automobile engine from his
own designs in the engineering
laboratories. had no car.
Prof. Gannett did not perceive that
all these memories and associations
had a common starting point-that,
indeed, they all revolved around one
question, the question OF how to pay
ones bills though a college professor.
when his hand. having laid down the
last of the blue books. reached for g
slip of paper, and that, instead OF
opening the report on Jorgenson's en-
gine, he began to do simple sums In
arithmetic.
He did sums for fifteen minutes.
and, being an engineer. he could do
sum in a jiffy. 1t took him about
three minutes of adding and sub
tracting to discover that when he had
collected his last salary check OF the
year and bought Dorothy's ticket and
berth to Cape Cod. he would be $500
behind. BY the merest chance. he
had that day received an invitation to
teach in the six weeks summer ses-
sion If he accepted, he would be
paid $500. But he would be very
lucky and very economical indeed, II
the 5000 left anythin over after he
had paid his summer expenses and
three months house rent at $40 a
month and sent Dorothy enough
minutes Prof. Gannett had discovered
that he would be just about $500 be-
hind if he taught in the summer ses-
sion. The fact is. he had known it
all the time.
The legislature had passed q bill at
it's last session, appropriating con-
siderable sum of money for the in
crease of professional salaries. 1t
was generally understood that the
board of regents had decided to set 4
minimum for assistant professors of
$2,40O year Gannett was getting
$4,000. But supposing he could live
as cheaply as he had been living (and
there was no prospect that he could),
it would take two years and half OF
this promised increase to make. up
the $500 he was already in debt.
Trumbull Gannett rejected on econ
omy. 1t couldn't be the grocery and
meat bills-Dorothy very well ap-
preciated the difference between soup
meat and porterhouse steak. and the
fact that soup meat could be chopped
fine and nodded into croquettes. 1t
family must wear clothes. The mini
mum requirements vary between Cali
fornia and Massachusetts,. But at
Monroe. which is one OF the larger
state universities in the middle west,
professor must have a dress suit
30 tight that he has to use button
hook to get into the waistcoat: but it
must have been originally a dress
suit.
A professors wife must have an
evening gown; it need not be fash
ionable: indeed. it must not be really
low; but'it must have been designed
for wear after s o'clock. The Can
netts did not dare spend any less
money for clothes.
1t couldn't be books. Prof Gan
nett had bought nothing in the last
, two years but the necessary text
books his CLASSES were using, and he
had long since given up all but one
Of the technical journals devoted to
his subject.
It couldn't be service-Dorothy was
doing practically everything. even the