THERE is a Houston man who is a great lover of science
and an ardent student of her mysteries.He has a small
laboratory filled up at home and spends a great deal of
his time in experomenting with chemicals and analyzing
different substances.
   Of late he has been much interested in various germ
theories,and has somewhat negelected his business to read
pasteur's and Koch's writing,and everything he could procure
relating to sundry kind of bacilli.
  He had bought a new 900-power magnifying instrument,
and hopes befor long to add his quota to the nmber of valuable
dicoveries concerning germ life.
  Life Tuesday night there was a sociable and supper given at
one of the churches. The man's wife wanted him to go,but he
begged off, saying that he would much rather stay at home and
have a good quiet time with his microscope,while she went and
took the children.
  He had been reading ex-State Geologist Dumber's report of
his analysis of Houston bayou water,and he was anxious to
verify that gentleman's statement by an examination of his own.
  So, immediately after supper he went through the kitchen and
found a tin bucket full of water sitting on a bench by the hydrant
and carried it at once to his laboratory and, fastening him If in,
went to work.
  After a time he heard his wife and children leave the hose on
their way to the supper at the church, which was only a block
or two away,and he congratulate himself  on the nice quiet time
he was going to have.
  He worked away for nearly there hours,repeatedly examining
through the powerful microscope samples of the bayouater from
the bucket.
    
     At last he slapped his hand on his knee in triumph.
    " Dumble's wrong !" he exclaimed. " He says it's the hybadid
cystallis, and i'm certain he's mistaken. The inhabitants of this
water are schizomycetic bacteria,but they are neither macrocci
of reseopersicina,nor have they iso-diametric cells.
  " Can it be that I have dicovered a new germ ? Is scientific
fame within my grasp?"
   He seized his pen and brgan to write. In a little while his
family came hme and his wife came up to the laboratory.
He generally refused to let her come in, but on that occasion
he opened the door and welcomed her enthusiastically.
    " Ellen," he cried, "since you have been gone I have won
fame and perhaps fortune. I  have dicovered a new bacterium
in the bayou water. Science describes nothing like it. I shall
call it after you and your name will pass into enternal fame.
Just take a look through the microscope."
    His wife shut one eye  and look into the cylinder.
   " Funny little round things, ain't they ?" she  said."Are
they injurious to the system?"
  "Sure death. Get one of'em in your alimentary canal and
you're a goner.I'm going to write to the Londan Lancet
and the New York Academy of Sciences tonight.What shall
we call 'em,Ellen ? let's see- Ellenobes,or Ellenites,or what?"
  " Oh John,you wretch!" shrieked his wife, as she caught sight
 of the tin bucket on the table. " You''ve got my bucket of
Galveston oysters that I bought to take to the church supper!
Microbes,indeed! "

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