The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-12-25


herce, vapors of sulphur from the fires.
These cnvcloped me more closely than even
the mountains weight. Iprayed that the
mountain would again shut down and press
them out. Its blank, dead suffocation, with
all its eternal weight, WAS better.
But the vapors thinncd rs the mountain
slightly. almost inperccptibly, lifted. Great
God q! | felt the touch Of a human finger
a live finger. 1t lay beneath my arm, in
the arm pit. l felt it plainlv-,he artery
,hrohbed against it. Was there life? was
it life! No, no. The touch died away,
had no arteries no human sensation. 1t
was dream ofthc sleep Of death. I awoke
to eternal death, the mountains weight, and
hot fiery vapurs. Unyirlding, they pressed
me still within and without
Again--was it again drcal2 l had
sense of light, veilcd and clouded light, as
through sleeps unopened lids. The light,
dim as !, was, WAS steady and continued.
| watched it long-long! Ages was the
only measure, if measure beyond the grave
there could be. But so dim it was that
hope grew sick and died, and rottcd within
me AMI fell back into the old desolate
"caion-the eternal, unvarving pressure
OF the mountains weight. More ages went
by.
Then all at once was light, and a voice
and human hand. Light, sound, touch,
flashed at once upon me. How they ming
ted and throbbcd with the dead sufocation
1t was too much. Now, on the eve of relief
had my former PRAYER answered. Sensation
passed away. l was not. humiliation
had come.
From annihilat;on-or from an utter
blank Of consciousncss--I awoke, with pain
and fatigue, and still the sense of weight
uttcrabe, to find that there was indeed light
and touch, and hearing. The touch-t
was live hand-a human hand. God,
the merciFul and kind it was my own ia
ther's hand !! 1t was his finger beneath my
armpit. Now [ felt it meet the artery.
myself felt sympathy with him, the throb.
had come back to life. Death was over.
Though it was no dream, this awaken
lng-thongh l knew it to be real, yet for
hours held but Il state of semi-conscious-
ness. But I knew that death was over-I
knew | lived. I recognised the various
members ofmy family in my room. heard
my fathers voice, subdued but joyful, pro:
claiming his unwavering faith, during all,
that was alive.
Then the doctor came. He entered the
room where lay.
"Ihe boy is alive, docsor!!" exclaimed
my father.
"Nonsense !" was the heartlcss knave's
reply-!his devil Of doctor. At times
feel | must hate him, this doctor who had
college warrant on parchment to murder
and bury beneath mountains.
''lle does live doctor'' persisted my ia
thcr. "Feel beneath his armr'
The doctor put his hand--his faithless,
cold, sklllcsss beneath. my arm.
The little life there was in me recoiIed
from the contact. fled back to its sources,
and gave no response to his muderous
touch.
"There is no beat there,S said he contemp-
tuousIy, turning to my father. ut was all
your fancy"
My father put his hand beneath nv arm
again. Trembling, fai,h-shakeu; wavering
his touch told all that, rs he pressed the
artery long and no throb responded. The
little rll Of life WAS too faint and weak to
flow.
Long he held his finger there. and through
it | could feel his hope die away. lie with
drew it at last, anal he gazed on the face OF
his dead son. lie looked long. ue was
kind COOL father. know where the grass
grows above his grave. He gazed long
and turned away AS one who babe farewell
An hour passed. lie came back resolute,
hope dauntless in his eye, as if some inspired
frenzy made him hope against hope. and
bear his faith into the presence Of despair.
He touched again the artery beneath my
arm. He felt the throb. It was fuller and
faster, as hope seized and animated me and
him together. The pulse was clear--small
weak. as it might be, it was still marked
and clear. He felt it, and knew it was no
fancy.
lie brought wine. and put teaspoon
filed with it to my lips. The palate and
nostrils felt the sensation. They slightly
moved. The shadow of color came in nv
face. He knew lived.
My recovery was slow. For three days
my sustenance was half teaspoonful OF
wine passed to my lips every two hours.
After that they gave me awhole spoon
full at the same intervals. gained
strength slowly. At length l was able to
get up.
But I was crippled forever. From the
hour when life came back to me to this
hour have not been able to lift my right
arm from my side. Below the elbow the
limb is powerless. Ny left hand I cannot
raise above my head. was bled in either
arm.
Sometimes, without thought, I make an
effort to raise one arm or the other beyond
the line which the paralysis Of either has
fixed. Then, on a asudden, all grows dark
before .ne my head. swims, and for an in
stant, l feel the awful mountains weight
upon me. The, spasm passes away, and I
live again. s@"eg3n
/ commenced no action for damages a.
gainst the doctor, Aside from the fact that
he did not then possess means to respond
to the possible verdict, nv friends. with