THE WEST SHORE.
267
PAUL VAR0A8A MY8TERY.
Y STORY ooncernB n man whom I saw but thrioo
in my lifetime; or I should rather any, mw dur
ing three brief periods of uiy lifoliuio. We
wore medical BtudonU toeothor. Ilia name I
do not change it -was Taul Vargas.
He was a tall, dark-haired, palo-faoed yovmg man,
strikingly handsome after his own ixwuliar stylo. His
nose was aquiline and woll-forniod; the broad forohoad
betokened great intolloctual power, and the month, chin,
and strong, square jaw all spoke of strength of will and
resolution. But had all those features boon irregular
and unpleasing, the eyes alone would have redeemed
the face from plainness. Moro luminous, eloquont, ex
pressive eyes I have nevor soon. Their dark beauty
was enhanced by a distention of the pupil, seldom met
with whon the sight is perfect, as was Vargas'. They
possessed in a remarkable degroo the power of rollout
ing the owner's emotions. llright as thoy always wore,
they sparklod with his mirth, glittered with his scorn,
and whon he seomod trying to road tho soul of tho man
he lookod at, their concentrated gazo wits such as few
could bear with porfoct oase.
1 can not sny ho was my friend. Indeed, I bolicvo
he had no friomls, and I think I may add, no enemies.
He was too polite and obliging to make foes, although
there was usually a calm air of superiority alsmt all he
said and did, which at times rather nettled such an un
linked lot of cubs as most of us were in those days.
Yet, if we were not bosom friends, for some mouths
I saw a great deal of Paul Vargas. He was an indefat
igable student, and as if the proscrilwd course of study
was not enough for him, was engaged during his leisuro
hours on some original and delicate cxeriiiienta, con
ducted simply for his own pleasure. Wanting some one
to assist him, he was good enough to choose mo. Why,
I never knew. I Hatter myself it was lecause he thought
me cleverer than my follows; but it may have boon ho
thought mo duller and less likely to anticipate or fore
stall his discoveries.
All our fraternity lookod ujmhi l'aul Vargas as al
normally clever, and whon tho closer intercourse liegan
between us, I found at first no reawm to dilTcr from the
general opinion. Ho seemed to havo all the works of
medical and surgical authorities at his finger-ends. He
was an accomplished linguist Let the book or pamph
let be English, French or flerman, he road it with equal
ease, ami moreover, had the valuable knack of extract
ing the gist of tho matter, while throwing aside any
worthless IuiiiIht which surrounded it. From my aver
age intellectual station I could but admire ami envy his
rauid and brilliant flight.
He had resolved to become a sjecialist He Miurod
out the vihIh of his scorn on the ordinary practitioner
the marvelous Ix'ing who, with equal confidence, is ready
to KrBI,I,' w'"' f"rnr' 8""'' 0o,""lml)t'OB blindness,
deafness, broken bones, and all other ills and accidents
which slllict niHtikind.
" It is alwurd!" he said. " As well expect the man
who made tho lenses for that microscope to make the
brass work also as well ask tho Author of this treatise
to print and bind it I toll you ouo organ, one bit of
tho microcosm called man, demands a life's study lo
fore tho cleverest dare to say ho understands it"
Certainly tho organ selected by Vargas for his
HKHiid study was tho most complex and unsatisfactory of
all- the brain. Any work, now or olwoloto, which treat
ed uiou it - anything which seemed to demonstrate; tho
connection between mind and body, ho examined with
intonso eagerness. The writings and speculations of
tho veriest old charlatans were not beneath his notico.
Tho series of exorlmout we wore conducting were to
tho samo end. I need not desorilM them, but something
of their nature may le guessed, whon I say it was long
before tho time when certain orsou endeavored to per
suade tho world that scientists were fiends in human
shape, who in Hinted unheard-of tortures on tho lower
orders of animals, solely to gratify a lust for cruelty.
One night I found him iu a strange, preoccupied
mood, Ho did his work mechanically, and I could see
that his thoughts kept straying away. We fiuisho
earlier than usual, and for awhile he sat opposito to mo
in silence. Then he raised his eyes and asked me a
question.
What the question was I have never been ablo to
rcmomW. I havo racked my brain again and again,
but havo never recalled the purjtort of it All I know
is, it was, from a scientific oiiit of view, so supremely
ridiculous that I burst into a peal of laughter.
For a moment l'aul Vargas' eyes (tositively limned.
Feeling that our relations were not friendly enough to
excuse tho indiscretion on my part, I hastened to aniIo
gixo. Ho was himself again directly, and with his calm,
superior smile on his li, he assured mo I had done
nothing which demanded an apology. He then changed
the conversation, and during tho remainder of my stiy
talked as rationally and instructively as the most meth
odical old lecturer iu the schools.
Ho bads mo g'l night with his usual olitenoss,
ami sent mo away glad that my ill limed mirth had not
offended him. Yet tho next morning 1 received a note
saying he hail decided to discontinue that wrticutar
series of researches in which I had given him such in
valuable assistance.
I was somewhat nettled at this summary dismissal.
Vargas asked mo to his rooms no more, and he was not
the man to rail npoii uninvited. Ho, except iu the
scIkmiIs and in the streets, I saw nothing more of him.
It was predicted by those who should know best that
l'aul Vargas would Is the scholar of the year. I alone
dared to doubt it In spiUt of his great talents and ca
lamity for work, I fancied there was that iu his nature
which would defeat these high Iiojm. There was some,
thing wrong something eccentric almut him. In plain
English, I believed if not mad then, he would end his
days in a madhouse.
M