THE SUNDAY FICTION MAGAZINE, MARCH 26, 1916.
PAtJI
A
MYSTERY
Part I. '
tjRING.the coun o
my professional career
I bare met with many
t range things. The
strangest, .- the most
1 n comprehensible o f
all. I am about to
ON TWO FARTS)
Illustrated Ig R. Ton&ter.
crossed the country -one of those period
leal' waves which, whether called mes
merism, clairvoyance, electro-biology,
spiritualism or thought-reading:, rise, cul
minate and fall In precisely the same
manner.
Paul "Vargas, although ridiculing the
new craze, read everything that touched
upon it, even down to the penny-a-liner's
deed. 1 believe he had no friends, and I least expressed his opinions on tue woria
think I may add, no enemies. He was too in general openly and freely.
polite and obliging to make foes: although He had resolved to become a specialist.
narrate. Its effect there, was usually a calm air of superiority He poured out the vial oi ms scorn on g ct mysterious occurrences.
upon me was such that, without pausing about an he said and did, which at times the ordinary general practitioner-tine
for Investigation or Inquiry, I turned -and
fled from the town even from the country
in which I witnessed it. It was only when
X was some thousands of miles away that
I recovered from my terror sufficiently to
think calmly over what had happened.
Then" I 'vowed a self-imposed tow that for
many, many years I would mention the
- matter to no one. My reasons for secrecy
- were these:
- in the first place I was. as I am now, a
doctor. NowJI am fairly well to do, and
have little anxiety about the future. Then
I was struggling hard to make a living.
Such being the case, I argued that the
toiling of an incredible, monstrous tale
the troth of which, however, I should be'
bound to wphold in spite of everything
and everybody would do little toward
enhancing my reputatiori 'for common
sense, or improving my professional pros-
pecta
In the second place, I determined to
wait, in the hope that, some time or 'an
other, matters might be explained to my
satisfaction.
So it is that for twenty years I have
kept roy own counsel. My first reason for
silence no longer exists; while as to the
second, I have now given up hoping for
an elucidation. The one person who might
make things clear I have never seen since.
Although nearly a third of a man's al
lotted years has "passed, there need be no
fear of my magnifying or mystifying any
thing. The circumstances are still fresh
La my mind; moreover, in the fear that
memory should play me false, I wrote
down at the- time all that happened
In Next Week's Issue
BLUE PETE'S ESCAPE. By George Randolph Chester. An
other corking stojy by this popular vrriter, in which his great
character of Detective Burton appears. There are no better
detective stories written today than these stories of Detective
Burton by the author of "Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford." ,
THE TAMING OF PAPRIKA. By Izola Forrester. The old, old
. story of the breaking up of a long friendship over the love of
a woman. But another appears on the scene and finds a way
out of the tangle to the satisfaction of all concerned.
PAUL VARGAS ; A MYSTERY. By Hugtf Conway. The second
half of this marvelous mystery story. Can you solve the mys
tery of this man's wonderful power over his and others lives?
A story that will give you much food for thought.
THE ETERNAL LOVER. By Edgar Rice Burroughs. Another in
stallment of that great fantastic tale of a prehistoric love that
ran on and on through the ages. It is not too late to start.
Stories by the world's most famous writers each week in the
Sunday
Fiction
TlfT
Mag
azme
"The truth may be found anywhere,
he said; "if there is a diamond In the
ground, the most ignorant boor may, un
wittmgtr. dig It out." -'
One night I found him In a strange,
preoccupied mood. He did his work me
chanically, and I could: see that' his
thoughts kept straying away. We fin
ished earlier than usual, and for a while
he" sat opposite to me In alienee. Then hV
raised his eyes and asked me a question.
' -
What that question was I have never
been able to remember. I have racked my
brain again and again, but have never re-
called 'the purport of it. All I know la, it
was,.; from a scfentiflc peurf ef view, so
supremely ridiculaas that I . bunt into a
peal of laughter. ' , ;
' - For a moment Paul Vargas eyes pos
itively, flamed.' Feeling that oar relations
were not friendly enough to excuse the
indiscretion on my part, I hastened 'm
apologize He was himself again directly,
and, with his calm, superior smile oahfti
lips, assured me I had done nothing which
.demanded an apology. He then changed
he conversation, and during the remain
der of the day talked as rationally and
Instructively' as the most methodical old
lecturer In he schools.
... He bade me good night with bis usual
politeness, . and-sent me away glad that
my In-timed mirth had not offended hist,
Yet the next morning I received a note
saying; he had decided to discontinue that
more of him.
It was predicted by those who should
-scholar of the yearo I alone dared to
doubt it In spit of his great talents and
capacity for work. I fancied there was
that in his nature which would defeat
these high hopes. There was somethms:,.
wrong something: eccentric . about bin.
In plain English. I believed, if not mod
v - oi
luminous, eloquent, expressive eyes I have
never aeen.Their dark beauty was en
hanced by a distension of the pupil, sel
dom met with when the sight is perfect.
as was' Vargas. Tbeyjjossessed in a re-
rather nettled such an unlicked lot of marvelous being' who, with equal eonfl-
cubs as most of us were In those days, dence, Is ready to grapple with fever, gout, "particular; series of researches in which I
' Yet, if we were not bosom friends, for consumption, blindness, , deafness, broken had given him such invaluable assistance,
some months I saw a great deal of Paul bones, and all the other ills and accidents I "was .somewhat nettled at this suns
Vargas. He was an Indefatigable student, which afflict mankind: ; ? X: w mary dismissal.', Vargas asked me to hhi
wrote it with a minuteness and technical and. as if the prescribed course of study "It is absurd!" b sakU "As well ex' rooms no more, and be was not the man
detail which would be out of my place was not enough for him, was engaged pect the man who made the lenses for to can" upon uninvited. So, except in the
. . - during his leisure hours on some original that microscope to make the brass work school and in the street. I saw nothing
. m."J,An, t ..-and delicate experiments, conducted aim- also as weU ask the author of this
but thrice In my lifetime: or. I should Py for his own pleasure. Wanting .acme treatise to print and bind ; ft! I ten you
-av during tferea brief mrioda one to assist him, he was good enough to one organ, one bit of, the mlcroscosm know best that Paul Vargas would be the
of ray lifetime. We were' medical stu- choose me. Why. X never knew. I flat- called man, demands a life's study before,
dents together. His name-I do not change tered myself it was because he thought the cleverest 'are to say he under,
it was Paul Vargas. " me cleverer thaii my fellows; but it may stands It."
' He was a taU, dark-haired, pale-faced that thought dune and :
young man; strikingly handsome in his lees .likely to "anticipate or forestall his Certainly the organ selected by Vargas
own peculiar style. His nose was aquiline discoveries. - j. for bis special study was "the most com-
and well formed: the broad forehead be- ... Under this arrangement I found myself piex and unsatisfactory of all the brain.
tokened great Intellectual power, and the two or three nights In every week at his Any work, new or obsolete, which treated now. -Vargas would end his days In a maa-
raouth. chin, and strong, square Jawall n"1 "om fiU! iavisn expenouure i upon it anything; which seemed to dent- " . . . . ,BO
spoke of strength of will and resolution, rarniiure ana scienunc apparaiuo was onstrate the connection between mind i never went up lor us lasts
Bat had an these features been Irregular ':-denr that1 Vargas had means of his ova. and body, he examined with totensa eager- Jnttott- He had a surprise in store
and anpleaaing. the eye alone would have Hia surroundings were very different from neea, , ' The writing and speculation of the forua Jnst before athe final trial in which
redeemed the face from' plainness. Mora those with -which the ordinary medical riest old cliarUtans were not beneath ne was to reap such laurels, he vanished.
student must be contented. . r nls TOtlce. . The series of experiments we. H went without a word .of warnings
All, our 'fraternity looked upon Paul. wer conducting were to the same end. I t,ta and baggage. ,Heleft no debts.
Vargas as abnormally clever; and when need not 'ttescrlbe them, fct sooaetM him, .He defrauded no one. He
the closer Intercourse began between us I their nature may be guessed at when I atmply, without givingr a reason for his
found at first no reason to differ from the, y ft m o"g W" tin rr. departure, went away and left no trace
markable degree the power of reflecting genera opinion. . n vscmeu w ' tarn persons enaeavorea to persuaae tne n was
the owner's emotions. Bright as they sJ- tha works: of medical and surgical i an- wcd that scientisU were fiends ta human "P11 th4 he had come Into a large
way were, they sparkled with hia mirth, thorities at his finger ends. H acquired .hape, who Inflicted unheard of tortures fortune. This explanation of his condaet
they glittered with his scorn, and when ha : fr0 knowledge without effort. He was a the lower orders of animals solely to w . piaasible onev and was generally,
seemed trying to read the very soul of the ' accbmpUahed linguist. Xet the book or gratify a lust for cruelty. accepted as correct
mn i lnnked at, their concentrated gase pamphlet be English, French or; German After the nino days'' wonder had died
was such as few could bear witk perfect : nead It with equal ease. and. moreover, for some : weeks-yargas : researches, I away nke others, ceased to think about
nma mv w auwu snouia cau inezn, as oy mis ume my con- uiw iuuans man. ioe years went by; I
j lg a description of P aimed at had come passed ray yxamtna tk creditably. .- and ;
I remember him when we first met. I woruuesa iumw wmcn jorromiwM to w enl I tw una or groping- la tne was very proua ana nopetul wbea daly
Tnny tM tt eg two ywri my It From my . average Intellectual station darky and was mating up my mind to tell authorized to place M J. after ray name.,
senior; In intellect, a hundred. ' . I could . but admire and envy his rapid nan Biust enlighten me or "seek other . . I have narrated how 1 first, met Paul
Of Vargas family and antecedents sj brUUat fflts. - . assistsnce. Besides. I began lo think that, -Vargaa - I had no expectation, f again-
reOowjatadents knew" nothuigJ That h v - v aitff..mr.llrst estimate ol.lua-aMljtjr, geeine; him, nor smrJ'tTeat wlsVte do- asv'
was" of foreign extraction was clearly . He made my visits to him pleasant was not. quite correct. J . - But we met a second tldselt was in tats
shown by Usmvaw and general appear- one. Our work over" for the evening. It He certainly talked at, time- In ffao wisej - . - , ,
a nee. It was auppoeed that Jewish blood was his custom to keep me for an hour, or strangest and. most erratic way. Some of , When I took my medical desfee I was
ran m his veins, but this was pure eon-' two smoking and ehattlng;,but cw talk mn specnte
Jeeture; for the youa? man was as retl- way not the confidences between ; two If true, to npeet att the recognised caaoas ajn. Having a little money of my. own, I
cent concerning his religious opinions as friends, Indeed, it was little more than of science.; So wfld, mdeed, thai atlaies resolved to see s
he was about everything else connected scientific goeaip, and the occasional airing : I wondered U. like many othera. his genius ? before-. I settled down. I was .notrlch
with his private history. " "" -'; - ' ' of certain theories; for Vargaa, If silent was allied to madnesa, V--':' . , enough to be quite . idle, m I beg-an by
- I" cannot say he was my friend. In about hlmseif and his private aifairs, At this tinw a wave of or, two voyages "as" doctor to