PROF. PONDER'S DISCOVERY.

Bush Advocate, Volume V, Issue 330, 21 June 1890, Page 6

PROF. PONDER'S DISCOVERY.

; . Bi' ( X'-Mteii^L S^tTDßNi.: ■ ; ( . . •■' The marriajM of Prpfeßßpi^ fonder had always : been a ; great' grief Ib, his 'friends, as well ; as a ; matter, of amazement; It had been, thought ithat he 1 ' Would' never marry. He was 'very ; mush immers«| in science; .And h.e had passed i the, age when t men geheraily ihhik of Jwives. iNbvertheiesß/'-'with a. Buddeowe'ss that took ; away the breath of hia friends, Professor Ponder went befpre and was: married, i Very Uttle; \V#g known about .the 'jwpinaii, he imarriedj b'tit wfi'afe was known was appalling ienough. She had. had tbree husbands, before iahe corralled PilbfeisorjPonder. Oncjachof these [three occasibns.'.ai} fix cbiild be found out, she had .married metx. .well on in years. ' Each of" her three husbands had. died rather suddenly, and the retatives'of the last man fyad |cause49ouielittl^,tcouble by an investigation iwhichwas.heldas'tb^theinanner ; .pf his death.! ..■However, in this instance, the widow had. come off victorious/ and it'^ad been shown conclusively that the old man* came to his death .through natural ca'usosj something, apparently, <very much like the cholera. It was supposed by his friends that Professor Ponder had suddenly begun to feel the need' of a home and 'some one to take care of him, and that ,this had led him ihto a .rnali and ill - adviaed': jnaiiiage,' for all hia ,I'tieuds were uuaminous in feeling that the marriage was illiidvised and rash. Perhaps this may have been caused by thefact that thef'. professor, although he had been a singularly 'unworlcUy. hud inanagodto accumulate considerable property. Tliis MCcttinulation'wus caused ratue,i\ by his neglect of bushiest affaira .thau his a.ttcutioii to.them. The university paid him a libc'ruL salary, aud he luul at .different times bought property wtiicu'h'6'had afterwards, forgotten, all about, and kept until' it "had becpiue very, vuluable. Tlien he was astonished by the amount on'ored for it. He generally accepted theso oft'ors,- although, a# a matter oi fncfc, they were usually under' £ho; inurket value of tlie property at .the time tho bfter ,was made. Yet, nevertheless, tlio prpfeasor coiitinueU to .prosper iii,spitp,of hioifjeif, ruitd maintained' a large bank account. He lived in siich 'a simple and .inexpenHiva infiimor'thlfc eyeiLOuJiis salary ho could iiarjdly haYeJielped getting rich. So, perhaps, the fact, tbav tlie professor had some mpney to leave,, and that he was r iiofc naturally a. very stijoug rain, having neglected exercise, and spent .his 1 whole, sparo time in scientific, researches, contrilnitecfto' make his, friends deplore the fact thiitha had tgJcen unto himself a ; widow who hud been mames tlivee times before, s Mrs. ProfessorPouder speedily let the relatives: know.thatshowas'inistress of the professor 'a . househpldy Slip made it so decidedly unpleasant for theni bye the professor's friends dropped! pit,,Dut r 'tlie professor did not appear to notice tli4t he wa? practically^ a deported man, for he was mude very comfortable in his home, a«fJ Jmt^HovrJiw w/iote time to give tmmotested to scientliUc, reso'avclies. , ..■ , ' ; It'.waH abo,ut-a year after the professor's, marriage' that'lie was taken suddenly, ill. Hia wiie lit Once called in a, physician, wjio pre'BcriWi for the, old mail but did not think his illness was serious. Tho professor's yvifo told the doctor that he had been eugaged lately in his , laboratory uhtil all hours of fho iught,.au J (lfilie'wis afraid that, worry over. ht3 work. Into lioiii-a, and ovei -exertion h:ul been the cause of the pi^aent collapse. In . this the professor ltjm!self'.a^i|eed, but the doctor thought tlait vyith'irasit aiid tlie taking of the medicine he Had lo.iD.fp'r him, the old . iniin would' come out 1 all. rights As ! 'it" wag, Pi-ofessor ' Ponder seemed 'to be Very little troubled by his illness. He know tliat he was a very much moire ailing man ; tlia'n '' either his wife- or the pljyslcitiu seetned tb thi'ii'k. But there had coma upon hiin a 6eitain jjeacoful resignation which -was a puzzle to ,his jwife, and which helped to deceive tho phVriiciatf. , ■ i. ■'..'. ; Ou'ti'io ,neit , .visit that tlie pbysiciaij made to . the professor he was alarmed to n'nd him dying. Tihere 'was no quostiPu about it. -He hurriedly cilled two other doctors iu couaulfcatiou, and, thoy all' agreed what had been done for the 'ok! niau'nil'd 'been 'perfectly correct, but it seemed that, lie had not liad, enough reserve pou-^r i\th\ good health previously to withstanuV this, simple attack. Ono ot the physibians): hefwever, a younger man than the other two-, who wn's hims'eif a keen student, and had bberiVft pupil of : 'ilie professoi'V, - took more pifiua tliaii the others in endeavouring- to dis cover the caiia.e of tho 'sudden collapse. As ■ tlie' pv^f essor in it we.'ik voice" described how .th'e'atfabk had' begun, niul detailed Jiw feelings afterward,' the ,youug doctor knit hia liroyv and looked piix;;le(L „-'.. '<! ByJove'," T 4\e mntieretl, .partly'to himself, for he WiU 'thiiikmg deeply and quite obUviou'sjto the 'fact that iuiyoody was very near him, "this' looks remarkably like pyrpploxin pQiaoninj.'"' '• , ' .'* '. ' " '•..-' •At the -mention of the word l>atl\ tlve" pro T . fessor and hio wi'f'eV' looked startled. If tho young doctor li'jk! b-jeu nl«rt in his oli.3erva.tion ho would 'liayb uoiiivil tint Ihu montioii iul' Iho . word"' pyrpp^oxiu hud n utruuge and dilTercnt effect oti, ; b'^l;l'i .tl.ift prof os^-or uud his wit'o. .Sho tui'iusl 'cleadty pulo, while the prof csaorljofi mod Oiit f«t. iho vninvyf iiwu with :v wnvily o:i hi:> .t'ueo. ''l\yi - ofisxin,'' caid one of the ot'icr physiCKini.' 44 tJil'.'t is a very subtle poutoir, .but even if it were tlie oaae.'wo' could do nothing-, for it leaves ini trace on 'the inti'ruul organs. A poolinut'l:',;} wmilil hot reveal that pyronloxin had been iwoil.' ■* '. . It 'may fitwm strriuue that tho phvßieiaus would riuivqise thus befoi'o their palieut, but it.niuit be reinembered that thw ps-ot'essor was p^riotic.'illy uiip of them, tisul !io so \s-r;ipped up in; Jiis sciontjtic pnivsnilrf, that he would jiust us dnpn di-oiiß3 his ,})oa!-.>;>ortc:>> with tho piiysi--I'inns aw tho ' /sHtt-iiiw inn of anybndy nldo. The pmEoy-tor'.H wife liaci numiwhiio stolen from the s?iou:i, nnd now stood in a shady corner. >i" Ilw vowin 'with parted lij,.s that were Wi:i.,h whit*?, and with glittering oyes that rteciuud totaktiiu every movement of tint group. The old professor smiled aa he said in hia weak voice : '• Gentlemen, that .cannot be saul any longer. My researches of t)ie la-t two years have been entirely directed towimia the nndiixj; of a teat fov pyroploxin, .and I h»i ve loimd- it." ♦•.Good gracious," cried tho young doctor, <• what Us it V'" " A.h, that. I cuniot tell you hore," he s,ud, wuile .the pvoi'e.oiu I '^ wiie in tlie roinf>r»ava a n-aai) of relief. "I have written it ail out and sent it to the, editor of the ' t.-nvvcr.-ity Bulletin.' It will be published in the noxt nuriibf!', and I think will create a sensation J iu the inßdicul . world. I dou't think that the poison, however, is very much used, because it is ar> vory littli: known." ' "It iaa> easy to naake it :" saiilUio young doctor; •' if you have discovered n. to.^t for it, professor, yon have done the world a great surviee." Thoproi'osfiorsmileil, ami oven the numge of .loath that cauie over his feiitiuos nt thiit iao!neutdi.ln;>t«i\iiteob;ilerato the .smile fro:n tho old mid worn f.'U'P. " Ho in de:nl." 3M.M tlie young ]>l)vsii;iiiu pontly to tho widow.a widow tiow inv the fourth iiine," :is bs paisn^l ' ont of th» voom. \Xv hud iiiOi; her iu tht! hall i:'»mi!ij; tow-n-,1 tliyir room. Sh'.« Ktr.ik iu :i ohnir and wa» so nvet-cnnio with p'i^f that tho physiuian t-liouylit, wil.h a ]);nig, iliat ho had bofm cruelly abrupt, : Uuthis mind j Wiison what tho professor had said and what the i proliesyof's symptoms had beflii. . % ■ T-lowojik directly to the office of th« clit-ir of tiio f>ih\rsii!i 'fiul!-.-(hi. : ' Professor Ponder,"

■IMpW} TB6 ! ffib«ffMMStraia, l 'lrlie i f 'Way He/H^ifoSK'S^fttllife." iLetiihe see, doesw ■i«^»iy«Bffl^!';; lVi :'. : .-'.- - ; • "' ■"•/" ; !.S : ■i- |«Qtf»'i! J ,?WttH#;-'. ! .Bte t "t«jiß married about a •■^r7«b^«wt?kfib^i J . Poor thing; eho 'fe#& 1 quite cut-Up atftftft iti' 'I was coining! but;of ' .the room and .thinking of -what the professor had I broke Hie r nsra, to ■fcrf'r^wwrffflkl*.^ see, until tp-iiight ,it W^^Jl6n|jju th^t. feis condition waj^'at &U ■ ?.At J thiß-'ino^uent the. servant; said to the editor': I ! "lrVpu'tileasej/sir, a lady tfishes to see ". "'; / -1 ; ";JuWaMp;ui l to'the next room, doctor, will you,foi r i' mpbje&t;'/ • £.ek her <o come iu." . . ' A lady 'deeply yelled caine into the room and, eajd:^ "Xpu are the' editor of the University BullfetinVarejroftnbt?" . 11 "•'.'."•' .'■■:■. «♦ 1 am the : wife of Professor .Ponder. He sent, me for „ some MS./that he left with you, which he ( desires jtldtcorrect " , < ■ • " ; Wha't?7 cried the editor, in astonishment.; '";Se ; wishes me/to get the MS. that" he left with ypnj'Jand which was to be published inj the ilejct issue;', of the, Bviletin. Ido not know; rtrhat he wants 'with 'it, but I imagine it is to; mak'eVßon|e-,c.brr6otiohSi.; He said it-was -very: inib^rtant'. ' Tou »rie r to' give me the MS.' ' "ArtVou the i wife of Professor Ponder ,?"'■ : "yjfts, sir/', 'replied' the lady, in a calm,j s ; w^t . voice... '.':' ' :'-'.■"• '■; ■ . i# Good heavens !V,,siud.th'e>ditor. "Doctor," he said,t;hG next minute, calling into the room, . "oomfe ( here;a moment, if ; you please. I think there must have been; some mistake." "'As' the doctor, entered the room, the lady gave a shriek and stepped backwards. ♦'This lady,'-' continued the editor, "says she is the wife of Professor Ponder, and she has come forthe. MS. that he left here, as he ■vyishes. to. make some corrections in it. That doe^.^oVfipincide w>th what you told me a inbmentigp.',' . ' " Madame^" said the doctor, severely, "you . know the prof easor is dead." "^fhew,^ she; shrieked, hysterically, "then it is you dootbrs who have killed him." "No, madame,'' said the doctor, slowly, "we have not killed him ; but I assure you we will find out who has," . : > She turned to go out, but the doctor stood in the door-way. " Brown," he said to the other, " ju»t telephone to the police to send an officer . here." . ; "Don't do anything xash, doctor," aaid • Brown,. ••• ■ 1 .».« I will take the responsibility of what I do," : And ho did. Professor Ponder's great discovery was first tested on himself, and that is the reason that the widow of four husbands is now No. 270 iu the 'State.Priaon.— 2Mroii Free Tress.