The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-10-23

tendant servant he luFheu 70 ms pAhehl anu
said,
"Colonel begin 70 believe that may pos
sibly be mistaken about those little Higgers,
which you say are inside Of your head, viii
give YOU a dose OF medicine have prepared,
which IL Of such peculiar viItue, that the mo-
ment YOU swallow IL, the little Taseas will
cry out lnsuly, II there be any In your head,
as YOU Gay there are."
The eyes OF the Invalid sparkled with
CLEAN Of delight atthe qualified assent ofthe
doctor 10 the rrHiity Of ms rerrbrut tmpr-EuuE
tion, and more at the possibility OF a apeedy
deliyerAnce from his tormenlon.
"Im glad you have come round 60 the
truth at last, doctor" he exclaimed In exhil-
! arnted tones "Giye me the medicine YOU
speak Of III take Il. DO you, then listen
aud III be bound you will hear che little dey-
ia blaling out ~ soon M | swallow H."
The medicine, cold water with q pungent
bat harmless solution injected, was admin
istered, and the patient had hardly resumed
his recumbent posture, when full chorus
Of baby voices, crying, shneking and sobbing
was heard ia a room closely adjoining the
sick chamber, the partition door Of which be-
ing ajar let in the full symphony Of the
nursery chimes. The patient almost sprnng
out OF bed, less with surprise than delight.
"Ihero now, doctor" he fairly shouted,
don't YOU hear the little nggers yourselr7
Won't you believe me now, that my head is
/ full Of them? DO listen how they Aquhl,
whole crowd Of them, Oh mercy u they
we're only out Of my head. Can't you doe
ptor, can't you pull them out phyGic them out,
or scare them out P-hny way at all, doctor,
so YOU get them out Of my head"
To these thick coming interogatcries the
agdoctor made the curt reply; "CLlonel, think
II can relieve you. The HiggerT' arc indeed
IN your head, and shall soon have them
out"
Going 20 a table in the room he unfolded
a case Of surgical instruments, selected the
ones he needed and turning 10 his patient,
snid "lt will be necessary for you TO submit
10 a surgical operation, before | can relieve
YOU. must make a hole In the back Of your
head large enough To pull those little Higgers
out at, or they will have to stay in there, and
YOU will die certain, ard soon, too. II YOU
will consent 10 the operation, can make the
7 huie uut draw ott the rusenis ir a very few
minutca."
The logic Of the doctor was quite eonclu-
sive with the patient lie consented unhesi'
tatingly 10 the operation. Turning him in
the bed. 40 as TO place him with his face 10
the wall and hiA back To the door Of the room
from which the now silent chorua Of baby
voices had proceeded, the doctor made several
sharp, quick punctdres, with a large needle,
| in the back of his head, At the spot where
the phrenologists locate philoprogenitiyeness
/ The patient, who was man of nerve and
resolution. bore the operation without finch
ing. Amer several punctures had bscn iuilict'
ed, the doctor passed a blunt)pointed instru-
ment, under heavy pressure upon the skin,
around in a circle over the punctured points.
lie then pulled, with some violence, the tuit
of hair included within the circumference Of
this circular spot.
"Now, Colonel" he said, ~be perfectly still
aud silent The hole is made aud | can see
the little niggers', black as ink aud thick as
whortlehcrrics in June Here. some one OF
you negro women out there in the yard, come
and lts,lti= these liitlr sartisa NJ take them
out of your masters head.
A negro woman, holding bundle closely
folded in her arms, entered and stood near
the bedside, in position pointed out tq-)her
by the doctor. Fumbling a moment at the
imaginary hole in the patients head, and
then making quick jerk backwards, the doc
tor exclaimed
ave got the little rascal, Colonies just
turn over, and see for yourself"
The patient slowly turned over, as though
his head was heavy and sore. As he turned
the doctor seized the bundle in the arms OF
the negreSs, withdrew the covering, and held
up bona fde, naked and now squalling
black baby before the wondering gaze Of the
invalid. His eyes fairly danced with mingled
surprise and delight.
Good good good !" he exclaimed,
clapping his hands in ecstacy. "Isnt il lucky
doctor, that you thought Of the operation.
How else could you have got such big, lit
tie nigger out Of my head. But don't stop,
doctor, there is n heap more Of the same sort
In there yet, and they must all come out"
Turn over, then, colonel, and lie in the
same position as before said the doctor,
"and ] shall soon have them all out"
The patient obeyed. The doctor repeated
the process Of fumblinE and jerking some ten
or n dozen times, a negro woman being call
ed in each time, Who brought in a quiet, and
carried out a crying or whimpering babe.
The patient was commanded to, remain per-
: fectly still during the whole operation, and
: until the doctor had satisfied himself that he
= had withdrawn all the little imps.
!, After apparently. making a minute and
somewhat prolonged ocular and instrumental
: scrutiny Of the inside of the patients head
the doctor announced that there was nothing
but brains remaining in it, put an adhesive
plaster over the imaginary wound, and then
: sOid "As the little raseals are all out, sup
4, pose we take look at them and see how
many there are"
e The patient having Hssented quite warmly
to the proposition, the doctor made signal
I and twelve negro babies, varying in size and
c ranging from month To year old were
e brought in and huddled together on the floor
e The invalid looked at them with eager eyes
: for some time, and then exclaimed:
4 "Whe would have thought that my head
! could hold all these babies. No wonder i,
d panied and roared so with all those little
y rascalA squalirg and crawling all through
D it. OH how light aud pleasant it feels
now"
e rStop," said the doctor, "you must not
fatigue Yourself any more with talking, You
o need sleep and rcpose. Tomorrow you will
e be well enough to talk over the incidents of
b to-day"
i The babies many Of which had been Dor
rowed by the doctor from the neighbors for
q the occasion, were taken out, and a strong
), opiate administered to the patient, from the
effects Of which and the languor produced
: by his physical and mental prostration, he
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