Mr. Schiebele's Adventure.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1216, 23 January 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

Mr. Schiebele's Adventure.

11 Lt I keep to one sort I can drink comfortably from five to six bottles," Mr. Sohiebele always said, " but if I mix different kinds I am steady by the fourth bottle." He and his friend, Ruhlmich, went homeward one night, singing jolly songs, and arm-in-arm, for Mr. Schiebele had evidently mixed drinks. Perhaps the policeman who met them was not a musician, for he told them to stop their noise. They were indignant. Ruhlmich was rude, the policeman ruder, and Sohiebele rudest. The policeman seized Sohiebele's arm.

" What !" cried Ruhlmich. " You old nighfcowl. Touch my friend !" and he grabbed the policeman. But he gave Ruhlmich a shove that made him lose his doubtful balance, and fall against a shop window. Crash I went the glass. " You are arrested I" cried the policeman.

Ruhlmioh's muddled brain had yet sense enough to make no resistance. When Schiebele saw his friend so ignominiously led off he became desperate. By a powerful exertion he stooped, seized a large stone, drew the policeman's attention by a wild cry, and hurled it through a street lantern. The enraged policeman dropped his first victim, and rushed upon Sohiebele. Bat he had collected his last wits and strength, and staggered round the corner. The third house was his. If the door stood open rescue was possible. To wait to unlock it would be ruin. Tae door was open ;, baker or milkman had been there. Sohiebele'reeted in and tried to hurry up two flights of stairs. If the policeman did not get round the corner till ha got inside— then he was hidden. But Sohiebele had not looked round. By gigantic efforts he got up all the stairs. If he had only got his door unlocked ! If be knew in which pocket the key was 1 He heard movements; he thrilled with joy. The servantgirl was in the passage. He knocked softly. His slumbering wife need not know when he oame home. The girl opened the door: " — 'd mornin'."

11 Good morning. What do yon desire !" "U- desire is very good. R- rest is what J d-desire, and lots of it."

" Who are you ? What do yon want ?" ' "Who am I? That isn't bad, e-eitherl Lot-ty, you're a little light-headed this morn ing." " Who is your Lotty?" Mr Sohiebele looked more olosely at her. It waa not bis Lottv."

" Another new servant already !" he cried 11 Unluoky girl ! how came you in thn dragon's hole ? What is your name ?" "Raohel; but who are you ?" " I am the master— when my wife isn't -a* home." "What! The mistress married ? She told me she was a widow." " I know rather better than that, Lotty." "Rachel!" 11 Then you oame last evening, Rachel ;" " Yes ; but there has not seemed to be ao; master here." " Quite right, Raohel. You inspire conn dence, Lotty. You" see, my girl, I will con fide in you. That is, I got a little tight las night— a little too much so. My wife— hum now — you will find her out. My wife doesn' need to know it.* You understand." " I understand." 11 That is nice of you, Rachel. Can yoi keep silence, Lotty ?" " You seem to be liberal, sir, and if ita deal ing with an unpleasant Madam I am n spoil sport. She went to bed at twelve. I you came home at half-past twelve how woulr that ?" "Good, very good, dear Lotsj» But if m} wife is not asleep ju3t now ?" " You have such a terrible toothache, and oame out here not to disturb Madam." " Lotty Raohel, you are a genius.'.' " Give me your handkerchief. I will bim^ it over your ears, bo you will lopk more lik«the toothaohe. There." Mr. Sahiebele, in an easy chair, with hi head bandaged, waa soon asleep. It wr 1 eight when he awoke. The intoxication wa gone ; he felt utterly wretched, as if he had i« nest of caterpillars in his head. His glaneroved round the room. He leaped from hi chair. Was this his sitting-room?- He re membered that hi 3 room was carpeted wit: grey ; this carpet was red ;he had never seer this furniture— that old portrait represented some one unknown. He started to leave. Rachel entered. " There's a man here to speak to you," she said, looking sharply at him. The smashed street-lantern flashed before our hero. A man had asked to speak with Mrs. Kniebel. R ichel had replied that her mistress was yet asleep, but he could see the master. The man was amazed. "What l What is this? Your master! Who is it ?" "What is the matter with you? My master is the husband of my Madam." "Ah! And you coolly say that? How long have you lived here ?" " Since last evening." " Oh, yon don't know. I am here to pay Mrs. Kniebel her widow's pension. She has drawn it for two years, and is married. TMb is fraud."

"Gracious! That was why Bhe told me she was a widow, and why the master goea out only at night." " Does she always call herself Mrs. Kniebel?" "Yes, Mrs. Kniebel." "Then Kniebel isn't dead? Take me to him at once." Confronted with Scbiebele, he asked, harshly : " Are you Mr. Kniebel ?" Now, Schiebele knew where he was". In the right house, but on the wrong floor. His wife had told him a family named Kniebel had lately moved into the flat below them. If he should let Mr. Kniebel temporarily pass for the disturber of the peace ? " My name is Kniebel." " You will come with me, if you please. I am a detective." "Go with you ? For such a trifle. I will oieaent myself. ' "O, yes, you call that a trifle? I call it t fraud. Oh I pnll that cloth over your face -*8 muoh as you like. I shall know you again, v second time I shall let you off. You are -rrested !" Mr. Sahiebele saw no escape. He begged n be allowed to wash and dress, and left the 'ooin with Raohel, hoping, with her aid, to %et away. Bat the stranger would not allow he room-door to be closed. Mrs. Kaiebel came out oE her bed-room. She had heard loud talk. When she saw the ■nan she said : " You come very early this Lime." " I come too early for you, Mrs. Kniebel. We've got him, Madam. Widow! Undertand?" " How ? Who ? What do you mean ?" 11 Why, who else but your dear husband ?" " How dare you. Let my husband rest." " Yes, well let him rest beside bread and ■> ater. Are you married again ? Or is it a mmbug about your first husband being dead? laswer, if you please." " You are insolent." "What! what! Call a person of authority insolent? You have been drawing your widow's pension under false pretences." " How can you dare " " That's all right. Call your servant ; she will prove it." With a voice trembling from excitement nnd indignation, Mrs. Kniebel summoned her s?irl. "Rachel, am I married? Is there a man here?" " Yob, Madam, there's a man here. Really, I don't know if you are regularly married." " This is infamous 1 Have you seen my husband ?" 11 Certainly, Madam." "Where?" " Here. Bring him in," ordered the - detective. "He is brushing his hair in the bedroom, Madam." " I am the victim of an unheard-of mystification," cried Mrs. Kniebel. "Ran, Rachel, hurry ; bring the neighbour that know 3 me."

Rachel went, leaving the door of the main hall ajar. Mr. Sebiebele wa3 in a corner of the corridor, eagerly waiting a chance to flee, tfe now edged circumspectly toward that <loor. Two more short Bteps ho would be on the landing, then a spring and he would beat iis own door. He was hastening along when —he bounced against some one hurrying in as fast, and fell back with a suppressed oath. "Mr. Scbitbele," the new-comer sharply oried.

" Lena !" he faintly responded. It was his wife, summoned by Eachel! The detective darted out like a wild Indian, aollared him, and dragged him back. " I'll punish you for running away," he cried, shaking him to and fro.

Mrs. Sehiebele stood aghast, rigid and speechless. Mrs. Kniebel rushed to her.

"Ah, Mrs. Sohiebsle! Help me! I told you last night my whole life. Am I not a widow?" " 0," sneered the detective. '•' What does hat amount to? This man is here over '.ight, and calls himself Kuiebel. That's j nough." Fury rose in Mrs. Schiebele's eyes. For a aoment she seemed doubtful whether to fall .pon her hußband or her neighbour. Then he poured abuse on the poor woman. P/eßntly she turned her wrath upon her husband. Let him alone," said the detective. "I lave arrested him." "Arrested him ! What can my husband nave done ?" " Your husband 1" cried the detective, scornfully. " That man is the husband of his woman here, of the so called widow. I mve arrested him because he has drawn a tension for two years for his widow, although c isn't dead." Sehiebele actually leaped in the air. He puttered at the detective, and his wife at im, and the deteotive at both, while Mrs. Kniebel and Riohel disputed in the background. Amid the general din the bell rung, and the Schiebele's servant eirl came to say a ioliceman wanted Mr. Sehiebele. Freeh lorror and amazement. Mrs. Scbiebele irought the policeman. He scarcely beheld our hero before he grabbed him. •• Mr. Sohiebele," he said, •• you are recog-

nised. You wilfully broke a stree? lantern last night, and eluded the police." " That man ia Kniebel, and I have already' arrested him," said the detective, also seizing Sehiebele. " That man is Sehiebele. I know him, said the policeman. Meanwhile Mrs. Sohiebele had clutched h«r husband's caat- tails, determined he should not leave her sight. "Come with me," said the policeman, dragging at Sobiebele's right arm. "He belongs to me," said the deteotive, tnpging at his left arm. Sohiebele was furious. With one superhuman effort he shook them off. "Whoever touches me I'll break his bones 1 Miserable wretches! Here" — to the polioeman — "ia money to pay for the street-lamp. And as for you"— to the detective— " my name is Sobiebele, and I live up-staira. Now get oat of here."

The men .departed. He had quited them. Bat his wife t—l I Translated from the Germanhy E. F.Bmmon.

It may bo asked, what suggested the idea that the sun may be blue rather than any other oolor? My own attention was first directed this way many years ago when measuring the heat and light from different parts of the sun's disc. Ifeis known that thfl sun has an atmosphere of its own, which tempers its- heat, and by cutting off certain radiations and not others produces the spectral lines we are all familiar with. These lines we customarily study in connection with the absorbing vapors of sodium, iron, etc., which produce them ; but my own attention was particularly given to the regions of absorption, or to the color caused: and I found that the sun's body must be deeply bluish, and that it would shed blus light except for thi3 apparently colorless solar atmosphere, which really plays the part of a reddi3h veil, letting a little of the blue appear on the centre of the sun's disc where it is thinnest, and staining the edge red, so that to delicate tests, the centre of th 9 sun is a pale aquamarine, and its edge is a garnet. The effect I found to bs so important that, if this all but invisible solar atmosphere were diminished by but a third part the temperature of the British Islands, it would rise above that of the torrid zone ; and this directed my attention to the groat practical importance of studying the action of our own terrestrialatmosphere on the sun, and the antecedent probability that oar own air was also and independently making the really blue sun into an apparently white one.— Pro/. Langley, in Science. &