The Argosy, Vol. XXIV, No. 3 — page 77: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE GOLD DELUGE. 461 With a great effort she preserved her outward calm demeanor, and leading him to a sofa, prevailed upon him to lie down. She had mastered her first fright, and now attributed his condition to a feverish attack, brought on by the mental strain in connection with his excitable temperament. She knew that the first requirement was rest and quiet. She placed a chair near where her husband lay and sat down beside him. His pulse throbbed feverishly, hischeeks burned with the internal fire, and he was very restless. Did he really believe that he had made the almost impossible discovery? It certainly was impossible, notwithstanding what he had said. It could not be, and he had not been the first who had suffered by bitter experience. How often had the alchemists of old imagined that they had discovered the true solution? I fonly Erik had profited by their experi- e1ice before it was too late; how hopeless it was to pursue the unattainable ! She resolved to show him nothing but loving kindness and to give him her most devoted care, thus endeavoring to soften the bitterness of disappoint- _ ment by all the means in her power when he again became conscious and realized what had happened. Erik’s eyes were closed and his lips unconsciously muttered over the great discovery that gave his brain no rest. To quiet him she apparently entered upon all that he said very readily and gently smoothed his burning forehead. ‘‘Oh, that I was so fortunate as to be the one!’’ he whispered, and taking her hand, continued: ‘‘I cannot comprehend it all. Children in schools over the entire world will learn my name—the name of the Danish chemist who made the wonderful discovery. In many countries they will find it difficult to pronounce—but no matter—they will know who it was. Darling, we will begin our travels at once—we both longed so to see the world. But with it all we have been so happy in our small rooms with their low ceilingsand narrow limits, and we will often wander back here in thought and to the woods and the moor and beautiful summer evenings, when we were on the heights and watched the glorious sunsets ; and to the laboratory in which I made the great discovery. Perhaps we will return to this place again to see it once more. Then you will witness the director receiving us with a floor sweeping bow, and the workmen will surround us to stare. Is not that grand?’’ ‘‘Ves, dear husband,’’ she answered softly, ‘‘ but you are so fatigued, you must rest; please try to sleep ; it will do you so much good.’’ “Ves, I will try, but it is so hard to sleep when the thoughts surge wildly through my brain—all chemists of the middle ages tried to reach this goal, but they wereon the wrong path; it could never have been done as they tried todo it. ‘whe discoveries and researches of many centuries must of necessity precede the discovery. A pillow! thanks; it does me good to rest my head—-so—oh, to think that I was the fortunate discoverer ! I can- not forget it—I !—I !—my darling wife !’’ Thus he lay and spoke for a long time, but gradually came the reaction after the intense mental strain; his voice grew weaker, his respiration slower and more regular, and at last he sank into adeep, heavy slumber, not disturbed by the slightest movement. GOMIIGDOOKSEEO