The Argosy, Volume XLIV — page 193: what you’re looking at

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

THE ELIXIR OF LIFE. several puffs with every appearance of relish, seated himself opposite his vic- tim. “T would offer you one as a seda- tive,” he said, flicking off the ash, “ but you might find it inconvenient, seeing that your hands are imprisoned. Just one word of advice: Don’t call out. In the first place it would necessitate my gagging you, which would deprive me of the pleasure of your conversation, and in the second place no one would pay the slightest attention to a cry, even if it were heard. I have given out that my man is subject to fits, and it would simply be attributed to one of his out- bursts.” A sickening sense of his helplessness overcame Allan. “What is the meaning of this?” he asked faintly. “ What are you going to do with me?” “Tam going to let you into a secret,” was the reply. “ The most remarkable scientific discovery of the day. I will not exact any pledge that you will not betray my confidence, because—well, because you will be the tenth man to learn it, and not one of the other nine has so far spoken of it. To use a con- ventional phrase, their lips have been sealed.” The significance of the smile which accompanied these words was unmis- takable. “You mean that you are going to murder me?” “That is a very brutal way of putting it. Let us rather say that you will be- come a martyr to science.” ae | should be glad if you would ex- plain.” Allan did his best to speak coolly, but his voice trembled. “IT am about to do so.’ The doctor rose, stepped over to the mantel-shelf, and, sliding back a panel, exposed the ‘door of a small steel safe. This he unlocked, and from it took a morocco-bound album, and a tiny glass vial half filled with a liquid of pale amber color in which strange lights seemed to play. “Let us examine this little book first,” he said. “ It is customary, I be- lieve, in certain circles, to entertain guests by allowing them to look over the family album.” 189 He laughed at the conceit. “ This,” he added, “is more interest- ing than most. Possibly you may recog- nize some acquaintance.” He turned the leaves slowly, and Al- lan shuddered as he looked. Every photograph represented the fatal chair, with an occupant appar- ently dead or plunged in a deep slum- ber. The faces which appeared above the steel shutter were all different and wore an expression of peace. As the last page was turned Allan uttered a loud exclamation. “Ah!” said the doctor. “ You rec- ognize my last subject, I see. A Mr. Allerlee, I believe. I understand that his disappearance created a good deal of comment. Well—so much for my little portrait gallery. <A foolish and _ per- haps a dangerous fad, but I confess to a weakness for interesting souvenirs.” He replaced the album in the safe, and, picking up the vial, reseated him- self, listening with a pleasant smile as Allan poured out a flood of invective, threat, and remonstrance. “A waste of breath and energy,” he said at last. “ If only my subjects were less intractable, my results might be better. Now listen to me for a few minutes, and you will, I am sure, find what I have to say interesting. ‘Some years ago, in the course of a series of scientific experiments, I was fortunate enough to establish the exist- er.ce of a form of ether which, for lack of a better term, I will call ‘ Vitic Force.” This exists to a greater or lesser degree in every form of animal life, the human, however, differentiating in several essentials from that in the brute creation. Into the latter form we need not enter. “To be brief, I discovered, that every human being has from birth a varying amount of this vitic force, and that the greater the original quantity, which decreases at a fixed rate, the longer the term of the natural life. So much for the unpractical side of my discovery.” | “To a scientist,” Allan interrupted, “all this may be very interesting, but I fail to see how it can affect me.” “A moment’s patience an.. vou shall learn. Having arrived at this point in (COL LOOOLK COL