Show THE KISS OF DEATH A colleda Pro fenor invents a really plot for a story there is nothing BO impossible blat a novelist cant lead a story up to it eaid professor boyesen of columbia college as be eat in a at the authors club so fhaid edgar saltus but ive found that the best schemes for odd fiction are prostrated by the necessary death of the principals without disclosing the material for a climax 1 I know what you said editor gilder of the century and I 1 wonder why some of you gentlemen dont extend a romance beyond deal say by means of a spiritualistic ni cation from the actors now you professor smith youre a scientist why dont you doit the gentleman thus addressed pays the cincinnati was professor brainard garner smith of Gornell university and I 1 have the start of it in mind now professor smith replied once when I 1 was in journalism I 1 bad occasion to go over a pile of old liverpool newspapers and thus came upon a remarkable paragraph in the saip news translated out of the language of commerce it was to the effect that the good ship impress just arrived from australia reported that while rounding rou the cape of good hope she had been driven southward far out of her course by a storm and that away down in the southern atlantic bad sighted a drifting aimlessly aim lesly about the first mate boarded her and returning reported that the derelict der elect was the ship albatross that SHE iian BEEN ABANDONED was plain for all the boats were gone and BO were the log and the ships instruments on the deck close by the companion hatch lay two bodies or rather skeletons clad in water rotted garments that showed them to have been man and woman these bodies were headless but the heads were nowhere to be found on the cabin table an open book with writing on its pages A pen lay on a table and a small inkstand in which the ink had evidently lone since dried the book was evidently a journal or diary eo the mate reported and he put it in his pocket meaning to carry it aboard the empress but when he was getting down into his small boat the book slipped from his pocket dropped into the water and sank Alba stross was badly waterlogged water logged and he thought could not have floated much longer to this report the editor of the raper added a note saying that the readers would all doubtless remember that the albatross had sailed from liver pool several years before bound for australia and it was thought to have gone down with all on board as no news of her has since been re J hat was the substance of the remarkable paragraph what was most remarkable to me a newspaper man was that the liverpool paper had evidently made no effort to learn the owners name of the Alb atroM the name other captain and crew or whether she carried anny passengers I 1 carefully searched the files to see if there was any further reference to the case there was none after the manner of his kind the editor of the paper had so it seemed taken it for granted that bis intelligent readers would remember all the particulars that they wanted to know A few weeks after that I 1 went into northern vermont to report the benton murder trial which was attracting much more than local attention I 1 wag pleased to find that the prosecuting attorney was an old classmate of mine but not pleased to find be had become a spiritualist Bpi I 1 mentioned the headless bodies to him and as a joke asked him to conjure up the two spirits in a so as to solve the mystery well we tried to and failed of course interposed edgar faucett A QUIZZICAL expression came into professor smiths face and he eaid 0 no we got the whole story through a medium the bodies were those of arthur hartley and helen rankins and he looked defiantly around the circle for a contra dictation it was hartley whose communication we got through the vermont medium and this is what he said helen and I 1 were passengers aboard the albatross my uncle john promised me a fortune he was confident that an explosive of his invention would work such wonders in australian mines that within lea years we could go back to england rich beyond the dreams of avarice one day ancla john got into a hot discussion with cap tain raymond about the efficacy of the wonderful explosive compound the captain seemed doubtful uncle john was for the instant angry ill chow you then he eaid and he rushed into the cabin where his boxes were stored and came out shortly with two tin cans each holding something less than a pint he unscrewed the ing a brownish brow nith powder take care said the captain who seemed needlessly cautious and almost fearful why I 1 thought you said it was useless eaid uncle john with a laugh and yet you are afraid of it look here he lighted a match and held it close to the powder A dark smoke arose that instantly extinguished the little flame and floated oft leaving a queer smell behind that was all perfectly harmless captain continued uncle who had now recovered his usual goodnature good nature perfectly harmless unless you wet it then look the cook made a sort of damp ling for dinner and a great jot of it remained uncle john took a faasa of this dough for it was little else squeezed it until it was quite dry aej molded it into a ball come with me he eaid and ar thair bring a plate of that dough with you lie took tie cans and we followed him to the deck there ho carefully covered the ball of dough with the powder and going to the rail threw it aa far as he could out over the placid sea As the ball struck the water there was a loud explosion and the spray was thrown high into the air the crew who had been hanging over the port rail forward turned and rushed OVER TO WHAT WAS UP uncle john made another ball and threw it with like result oh conly tor peters growled one of the men and they turned back to their places uncle john now evidently anxious to give us thorough proof of the value of his compound was for throwing more ball when the boatswain rolling aft touched his hat and said to the captain please sur theres a big shark as has showed his fin hoff the port bow and if so be that the doctor ll wait a bit with hia tor peters well show im some fun a balchin cal chin ot it all right bogun eaid the captain and we all went over to the port rail there he is said the captain pointing to a sharp black thing that rising just above the water was cutting quietly through it that is his fin and theres a big chark under it or im much mis bakan the men fell back and looked eagerly the cook handed up a big chunk of meat wipe it as dry as you can said uncle and tie it firmly to the rope when this was done he sprinkled the pow der from the can carefully over the bleat then be carried it cautiously to the rail the shark was cruising back and forth uncle lowered the meat slowly into the water right in front of the conater mo nater he saw the bate and started for it and then there was a tremendous report and the spray flew into our faces as we leaned over the rail the next moment we saw the big fish floating motionless on the water C eased if e aint is ead clean hoalt said the boatswain it was so that terrible corn pound of uncle johns had needed only the impact of the sharks teeth to explode it with beadily effect oh its only a feih story edgar faucett interrupted when professor smith who is an expert elocutionist bad spoken thus far in the assumed CHARACTER OF THE MAN its a love story professor Pro feasor smith went on lapsed from his impersonation of the solemnly speak ing spirit of hartley our vessel was plundered and abandoned by a mutinous crew only helen whom 1 madly loved but who had never yet confessed she loved me was left alone on board with me daya of famishing and fever ensued one afternoon helen was lying motionless in the shadow of the companion comp aion hatch I 1 threw myself down by her side she put out her baud and grasped mine and a flush crossed her face I 1 was too week to speak and thus band in band we lay for I 1 dont know how long gradually I 1 lost consciousness perhaps in sleep at all events my spirit was not free the frail body still had strength enough to retain it I 1 was aroused by something dropping on face As consciousness came back I 1 saw that the sky had become overcast that a cool breeze was blowing and that a gentle rain was falling helen was sitting erect and with parted lips drinking in the grateful rain la en air I 1 tried to rise but could not she was much stronger than I 1 and at my direction went ow and brought blankets and clothes which she spread on the deck that they might catch the falling drops she seemed quite vigorous and already I 1 felt my own strength coming beck soon she was able to water from a blanket into a small can which stood by the mast we were in too great agony of thirst to think of small matters of neatness she offered the can to me drank yourself helen I 1 said no she answered with a smile no you need it most and kneeling by my side she slipped her arm under my head and with her other band held the water to my lips 1 I drank eagerly the draught was life to me never had water such strength giving power I 1 hardly noticed that it had left such a queer taste upon my lips I 1 sat erect helen with her arm still around my neck drank what remained in the can then she looked me full in the face there was a new expression in the lovely eyes A deel FLUSH was on her brow aa aha spoke arthur ahe said and there was a tremor in the rich deep voice arthur I 1 love you oh 1 love youl my darling my noble faithful darlinge dar lingl oh arthur arthurl she threw herself upon my breast with burning face ana streaming eyes the blood leaped through my veins she raised her sweet face and our lips met for the first time there was an awful crash and our freed spirits took their happy flight together we had drank from the can that had contained uncle johns explosive A little of the powder had clung to the can floated on the water and adhered lips when we drank the impact of that ecstatic kiss had exploded the compound and our beads were blown our shoulders all and professor smith smiled M one does when one ia thoroughly BAtig Sed |