Council Bluffs bugle. [volume] (Council Bluffs, Iowa) 1860-1868, 1862-07-16
NO. l3.
FM e - WF# -

ed Il. We're VS. threatened with illness
III her cheek was blooming and M
pulse was regular. What colild 4
| EnEala 2 @ *9oala k4s8E = Esss .-44aEs 81
After foaE days began sa laugh nd N,
eTn ssedulity, and evea; Resa began Il
lose her faith In the monitor. ,Aboul
noon ] left her, and went aIons To q lit,
Gle roam whera ] ksps my medical works
ana s9ns rare drugs and saxioalsiea. Il
was nay pnFpoee 70 study for leskags
which was 70 deliver that eysning. i
seated myself at my deak and orafnencod
10 road Ebus after q fsw uaosasDss / bexsD
20 expazieacs q siRgnlax faintness. snd
70 inhale disagreaable edor. reeog-
niEed The smell in momeak In one oi
the jars upon my shelves was d rare es-
senoa OF great use in eases where sus.
pension OF consciousness was necessary,
but excessively dangerous saya ia skill-
ruL hands. Ssme ons-a Begvxnt, prob-
abiy-had been meddling with the iar and
removed the ssappsr, anzg enc roona yvns
fall Of the pewegful oaow. muss lsasa
Il II Heuld live. staggered 10 the
door, pat my hand upon the Lock. whsu,
horror Of horforst Il remained imnoy.
abie-seneshing had happened 10 the
catch. Il strove 10 call aloud, bat nav
voice failed me. eluEahed the table for
support, but lost my hold, aud fell heavily
to the floor. | could see noshink-all
grsw DARK abont nae. Mechanically /
placed my hand upon Che watch within
my bosom. IL had stopped and re-
member nothing more. ~.
consciousness came back to me, M il
may come 10 newborn babe, for gught
know. sslt without andsrssanding
was conscious of facts for which cared
nothing | Was in the dark was very
cold, and my inducements were eonstrain-
ed !; but is did not seem as Ehoagh shaa
were aay affair of miae. Hunger aE last
aYoke me; = ths animal axoussd the meat
al, and began 70 wonder where had
been and where was. Iput up my hand
IS we'll ~ | eould. There Was low roof
over my head, folds OF masiin lay about
ne, and sonsthing was apoa my breast
which emitted sick ~ fragrance bunch
Of howers, seemingly half wifhered.
knsw this BY the touch. What was the
natter with me Why could Inos breathe
freelyl Was | blind and deaf, that
could neither see nor hear /? Suddenly the
truth dashed across nag: had been buried
alios III lay in my eofini -.~
And al this times yoa gsk, whare waa
my wife P-how had she borne the blow
which had fallen so suddenly upon her
She ii WAS who had found na seraseiess
upon my study door; and she il was who
hoped for returning consciousness after
all others despaired. At last thsy told
Ger was dead, and shronded ma for
burial. Learned men decided that the
strange preservation of my frame was
caused by the naaass Of my death, and
at length ny body Was committed 20 the
tomb.
/ had often made nv wife promise me
that If died first she would take the
watch into her own possession, and wear
it while she lived; and SO, now that all
was over, shA took it, Yoieeleas as it was,
and laid it next her bosom. For three
days and nights she never SLEPT; bat at
Last exhaustion did its work, and she fell
into heavy slumber. She was awaken
ed by sound as strange as it was unex-
peeted. The watch, silent since THAI IA
tal day, bad begun to tick-fass and fu-
rioas, as it never licked bsfore: loud
enough to arouse her--load enough to
make her spring from hez pillow In an
agony of hope and fear.
Those about her thought abe was q
mad woman; bat nevertheless, the ssreagth
of her purpose bore all bsfore her. 0ut
into the midnight she went, and they
followed her. Through the streets OF TIA
deserted town she PASSED In her white
night t-robes, like ghost, and they dared
not hold her back. She reached the
ehurehyard At last, and beat wildly on
the old sexson's door.
81 am cone to tell you 10 open my has-
bands vault" she SAID she 10 come TO
life again"
He also thought her mad, and yet dar-
ed not disobey Der; aud all the while the
furious ticking of the watch was heard by
each one there. Il aofteaed, il 8tilled
when the doors were opened and the dark
-oof6n stood upon The turf. 1t grew
musical when my wife bent over me and
caught me to hsE heart-ao eoFps, bat
living maR; and il has had nc change in
its regular beat since that moment.
1t is before ne now, battered and worn
az ii was when 1t first came into my pos
session; and you may laugh alike al the
watch aid at fhs superstition with which
it is contested. But Eay wife believes in
it firmly, and loves il as though ik we're
living thing and, for fha matter Of shat,
so do /.