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American Sunday Monthly Magazine Section
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HtTIX and his scheme would
afford an unparalleled study in
AA fA<? scientific knavery. He is the
| ‘aT J Tj v Edison of Crooks. Coniine; across
him the other day in the corner
ei, j£ : ‘rc a ca ^ e > I perceived that he was
"earing a black patch over his
right eye and stopped to inquire
if it betokened anything serious. In a weary and
painful manner he related what had befallen him.
“Some three weeks ago I met an old classmate,
‘Pony ’ Schoenberg,” began Jortin. “Pony won his
nom de guerre in school. The boys fancied that
he looked like a broncho. He has a peculiarly
horsey conformation of the nose, and when he grins
he shows a row of tombstones that are enough to
make you look around for a bunch of grass.
“He is an oculist, and inveigled me into his labora
tory to inspect an invention that he claimed would
usher in a new era for man. At his request i seated
myself in a physician’s chair with an adjustable back.
He then prefaced his remarks by the statement
that while pursuing his optical studies at the Uni
versity of Prague he conceived an unfathomable
contempt for the defective mechanism of the human
eye and became fired with the ambition of inventing
the perfect organ of vision, the absolute eye.
“His hope was given fresh impetus by the dis
covery that one of his professors had entertained
the same design for a number of years, but found an
insuperable difficulty in the problem of connecting
any artificial mechanism with the optic nerve.
Several years later he received word that the old pro
fessor had died and bequeathed to him the fruits of
his researches. To Pony’s amazement, he found that
the Bohemian scientist had solved the supreme puzzle.
“ Pony believed that he had in his possession the
greatest secret in the history of the world. All
that he now needed was a subject. He accordingly
advertised. Several applicants presented them
selves, but no sooner.did they learn the exact nature
of the experiment than their zeal for the advancement
of science was dissipated. Arrived at this impasse,
Pony had decided to appeal to a friend. The sug
gestion of his innuendo was includible. I had never
pretended to any zeal for the cause of science, and
it was with a smile of gentle irony that I disposed
myself to arise.
“ ‘Yes,’ cried Pony, beaming on me benignantly,
‘ I stand ready to endow you with sovereign powers,
to make you a king in the kingdom of the blind.
Nay, do not stir. You are chosen. It is not for
you to dissent.’
"Irritated at this asinine presumption I started
to get up. At the first pressure that I set against
the footrest there was a metallic clang and I found
myself encircled by hoops of steel, that shot out of
the chair and passed around me. Schoenberg
stooped suddenly and turned a crank at the side of
the chair. As he did so I felt the pressure of the
hoops close on my trunk, arms, legs, holding me
securely pinioned.
“My first impulse was to burst my bonds. I
found at once that I was powerless. The only
movements I could make were to roll my head and
flap my hands. Schoenberg’s intentness made my
blood run cold. He stood regarding me with a specu
lative air, his head on one side, like a pathologist
observing the convulsions of a guinea pig that he
has inoculated.
“ 1 cursed and wheedled him by turns. Nothing
affected him. I tried to recall if I had ever heard of
any instructions for blarneying madmen, for although
science is constantly achieving new marvels I was
satisfied that nothing could be madder than his
scheme. When he turned from me and began to
select various instruments from a cabinet I was seized
with a violent shudder.
oil
n
A P
ierce
4,
Still I stared. With an agonized screech he pitched
forward and fell full length on the ground
“‘Shucks,’ he said, 'the experiment demands ar
optic nerve that has not been impaired.’
“Thedrunken landlord sustained him vociferously.
Schoenberg approached me grimly with an ether
“When I came out of the ether, with the first
glimmerings of consciousness. I was oppressed with
anxiety for my sight and with a swimming head
strove to focus the objects about me. Instantly I
was aware of a
sparkling bril
liancy. The room
was filled with an
intense light in
which I saw with
incredible distinct
ness. I could have
counted the eleven
million pores of my
skin. Schoenberg
could not keep his
delight within
bounds and poured
out a torrent of
incoherent words.
Without heeding
him I swept this
intoxicating glance
everywhere, greedy
to possess with my
new power.
“Every claim of
the inventor’s was
fulfilled. Upon
looking out of the
window at distant
buildings I could
scarcely believe
“ ‘Pony!’ I cried, ‘for Heaven’s sake, let me up ! ’
“ ‘Listen to me,’ he said. ‘Be moved by the
thought of illuminating the world if not by your own
profit. By means of the absolute eye you may see
as clearly and at as great a distance as with a power
ful telescope. At close range it has the focus of a
microscope. The dark can hide nothing from you,
nor opaque walls, for tne x-ray is at your command
to reveal the chyle in its channels in the body or the
hidden treasures of earth.’
“ I recalled the fate of Polyphemus shudderingly,
and of Samson in the hands of the Philistines.
“ ‘A beautiful deep orange would make a striking
iris,’ he said reflectively, ‘or would you fancy some
thing in the line of apple green?”
“ ‘You’re mad,’ 1 yelled, ‘let me out of this.’
“He turned away and began to busy himself
with deliberate preparations. Although my fate
seemed thus to be sealed my hopes were suddenly
revived. Faintly, but distinctly enough for me to
be certain, 1 heard the front door close. Someone
must have entered the house. Now my cries for
help should be heard. Pony was opening a can of
ether when the door opened and a heavy, course-look
ing man with a red face and a profuse black beam
came into the room. Pony introduced the man
casually as his landlord and I realized with dismay
that nothing was to be expected of him. He was drunk,
and what is more, in a mood for recklessness. In fact
he assured his tenant that he might count on him.
“The oculist drew up a tray of instruments. The
terrible moment had come; 1 was to be mutilated in
this shocking way, maimed in the most precious
sense. I implored, cursed, bellowed and writhed
convulsively. I became hopelessly abject. 1 wept.
Finally 1 fell into a passive state, ceased struggling
and relaxed my strained muscles. Then suddenly
inspiration came like a thunderclap.
“ ‘Schoenberg!’ I screamed, ‘you wretch, why
didn’t you advertise for a subject who had a glass
eye anyway? ’
“Schoenberg was as much startled as I had been.
He turned to his landlord, crying, ‘What do you
know about that?”
“‘By George! it’s great,’ replied the landlord
with a hiccough.
“Schoenberg and his landlord laughed laboriously
and slapped each other on the back. I waited to be
set free, but Schoenberg turned to his instruments
again as if he had forgotten me. 1 reminded him
that I was uncomfortable.
that I was not using a marvelous spyglass, which
indeed 1 was. 1 saw a sparrow fleeting through
the air, and such was he quickness with which I co
ordinated my vision that I seemed to catch and
hold him suspended as it were for an instant by the
swifter perception of my eye.
“ ‘He sees! He sees for the first time!’ Schoen
berg chanted with exaltation.
“In spite of the apparent blessing that he had
conferred upon me I was exasperated at having been
subjected to the operation against my will and,
arrested by his fatuous exclamation, I glared at him
athirst to retaliate. It was a withering look—-
withering more than in the figurative sense. It was
more terrible than the gaze of the basilisk. An
astonishing change flashed over his face, of pain,
terror and physical transformation. The muscles
writhed on his cheeks and the skin turned a leprous
white, like flesh seared with an iron. Still 1 stared.
With an agonized screech he pitched forward and
fell full length on the floor.
“ When we turned him over he seemed to be dead.
Blodgin was sobered and felt for the oculist’s heart.
Not suspecting it was my glance that had stricken
Schoenberg I watched Blodgin with the intentness
of suspense. In an instant he screamed with pain
and sprang two yards from rre, shielding his head
with his arms. 1 shouted at him angrily, thinking
again that he was drunk.
‘It’s the eye! It’s the eye!’ he howled, and
with three skips he was oul of the room.
“For a moment I stood in bewilderment. Then
I perceived a thread of smoke curling from the top
of the bench on which I had fixed my eye. 1 ob
served it more closely. Ever thickening, it rose from
a glowing point of combustion such as a powerful
burning glass might kindle. Then the truth dawned
on me. It was some baleful ray from the absolute
eye that had overcome Schoenberg and stung the
landlord to agony. Truly, the evil eye of sorcery
was surpassed. For several seconds I tested my de
structive vision on the bench, burning deep groove-
in the wood.
“Schoenberg lay still. Not daring to let my eye
rest on him 1 knelt down and shook him gently.
A mutter reassured me that lie lived. While I was
so engaged 1 began to choke. The room was filled
with pungent smoke. The desk was burning, in a
hasty effort to beat out the flames with a cushion 1
upset an uncorked can of ether. The blaze spread
(Continued on pa^c 16)