because they haven't any imagination. I hope they don't use them.
What would become of my business if they did? How would you ever
get a really dramatic news feature for the Star out of such a
thing? 'Dotted line marks route taken by fatal germ; cross
indicates spot where antitoxin attacked it'--ha! ha! not much for
the yellow journals in that, Craig."

"To my mind, Walter, it would be the height of the dramatic--far
more dramatic than sending a bullet into a man. Any fool can
shoot a pistol or cut a throat, but it takes brains to be
up-to-date."

"It may be so;" I admitted, and went on reading, while Kennedy
scratched away diligently on his lecture. I mention this
conversation both because it bears on my story, by a rather
peculiar coincidence, and because it showed me a new side of
Kennedy's amazing researches. He was as much interested in
bacteria as in chemistry, and the story is one of bacteria.

It was perhaps a quarter of an hour later when the buzzer on our
hall door sounded. Imagine my surprise on opening the door to
discover the slight figure of what appeared to be a most
fascinating young lady who was heavily veiled. She was in a state
almost bordering on hysteria, as even I, in spite of my usual
obtuseness, noticed.

"Is Professor Kennedy in?" she inquired anxiously.

"Yes, ma'am;" I replied, opening the door into our study.