His Other Wife: A Novel — page 324: what you’re looking at

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

316 | FATHER LOUIS’ STORY. years; I have charge of a small church, composed mostiy of Germans; I am called by the Catholics, and most of the Protestants, Father Louis. About nine months ago I was occupied as usual very late at night in my library, which is also my laboratory, in which I recreate myself with scientific experiments when not too much pressed with my parochial duties. It must have been close on to midnight when I heard a rap at the door of my house. Expecting that it might be a sick call, I went to the door, and found there a perfect stranger, who said: ‘«*Father Louis, I have come to you on a matter of great importance—can I speak to you alone for an hour?’ ‘‘T bade him enter the library, and, while I finished an operation over a spirit lamp, asked him to state his busi- ness. He said he would wait for my undivided attention. I was struck by the dignity of his voice and manner in making this reply, and at once put out the lamp and left my apparatus. I had paid little attention to his appear- ance at first; I now noticed that he was a man of uncom- mon height, and great majesty of countenance. I saw at once that he was an Indian. He gave mea brief outline of his history, from the time he commenced life as the ap- prentice in a drug store to that moment, when he enjoyed quite a reputation for medical skill as a quack doctor. I knew of him by reputation. He was called simply ‘Uriel.’ Some prefixed the title of doctor to this quaint name, but he was generally mentioned as ‘Uriel, the Indian.’ He was much esteemed for his benevolence, as comicbhooks. com