The Placer herald., 1863-09-19

doctor"
| could not help looking with some interest at
the battered time.pece. A strange story had
been woven about il, and the marvellous always
had charm for me.
| sut beside my patient until he sank to sleep.
| He seemed to be doing we'll, still, and had no
doubt but that the morning light would see him
greatly better. But western hospitality woald
not permit of my departure at that lote hour. aud
l was lodged in IN upper chamber upon bed rs
clean and fragrant as il was simple. l slept
soundly. At midnight however, l was awakened
by the news that my patient was worse. he had
awakened in mortal agony. Some inward injury
impossible to discover had done its work. l
said nothing of hope now, and the dying man
looked at me with CHASTITY smile
Take the watch" be said watch 1t and me,
you will find me right"
| These were the last words he uttered. He NUT
tered incohcrently after this, tossed his arms
about and struggled for his breath. At last he
seemed to sink into q slumbcr. My hand WAS on
his heart. felt its beatings grow faint, fainter,
fainter still. At last there was no motion. He
WAS dead. lifted the watch to my ear-that
had also stopped
There were tears in the eyes of the rough men
about me, and the woman wept as she might for
one of her own kindred. could do no good
now and turned away leaving the watch on the
coverld; but one Of the nen came after me.
"He Civ it to you" he said, and its yours. He
had nobody belongin' to him so you needn't be
atearcd Of takin it. He must hev taken likin
to you, for he thought heap OF it. Take it doc
tor and SO the watch WAS mine.
| 1t was dumb and motionless. and remained so, l
took it to the matchmaker, and he laughed ut the
idea OF it ever going again. This was after /
left the west and dwet in large and populous
city of the eastern States some eight or nine
months after poor Mike Barlow's death. The
matchmaker only confirmed my own suspicious
1t was strange coincidence that il should last eX-
| H. Al.
| hung tupon my chamber wall, momento of
those days ol toll and struggle in the far west.
One morning awoke early. The bushes of
dawn were just breaking over the earth. 1t was
the mouth OF November, but still the day WAS
lovely. There WAS IN unwonted sound in the
room. Al first could not guess from whence
it came. Had the sky been cloudy l should
have imagined it to be rain upon the roof
Then l began to feel that this sound I heard
was too delicate for the patter of rain. II might
be the clang of q fairy hammer, or the tapping of
the beak of some minute bird. save the sound
was what it seemed to appeal to me-to reproach
me for forgetting it,
sat up and looked about me- In an instant
understood the sound. It was the tick Of the old
watch upon the wall, Silent for twelve month
it had suddenly found voice, as though some
spirit had touched its springs. l looked at my
memorandum book. Twelve O'Clock of the past
night Was the anniversary oil Mike BArlow's death.
|
when it once again began to move it would be as
my monitor of safety and danger. All else had
happened as he had f0rctOld; why should not this
come to pass! wore upon my guard chain
dainty little Geneva watch. unlastened it, and
put the battered silver monster in its place. The
budding development OF the mystery made it more
precious to me than if it had been set with jew
els.
| It did not stop again. heard the soft clear
tick, tick tick all day. and when awakened In
the night Once or twice it beat more rapidly
than usual, and always before perl-the first time
when fever threatened me; the second as stood
upon broken bridge which WAS swept away one
hour afterwards; and at other moments which |
have forgotten. but which served to keep alive
the fancy that have cherished. Never was q
voice so clear and soft rs on that evening when |
first met Rosa Grey. loved her from the mo.
ment, and she loved me in return. We had
neither of US any friends to interfere, for she
was an orphan, brothercss and sisterless; and 80,
after brief courtship, we were married.
had no secrets from my wife, aud in little
while she learnt the story OF the watch. She had
faith in it, and thought or taucied she could de
tcct the very shades of difference in its ulterance.
When was weary, she said the watch was weary
too when l WAS glad, it had joyous echo.
know that on that nj ght, when feeble breath
futtered in still ieeber frame, and the little
creature to whom our love had given existence
struggled vainly for its lie, there was u pitious
cadence in that old watch hope never to hear
again.
So we lived on together. II was God s will
that we should be chidlcss, but we loved each
other all the more grew rich and prosperous,
and our only grief was the missing OF those baby
eyes and voices which we had hoped to have
about our hearth.
1t was my fortieth birthday-I never shall for
get the day-when the watch began its warning.
NV wife and heard it at the same moment
| hofo had thn voicn IF at W ntc haa m
loud or so rapid All day long, and the next, and
the next that warning continued The strong
pulse of the watch shook the table on which it
rested when drew it from my pocket, and made
the garments rise and fall when l replaced it.
We're we threatened with sickness. MOI her
cheek Was blooming and my pulse was regular
What could it mean?
After four days began to laugh at my own
crcdulity and even Rosa begin to lose her faith
in the monitor. About noon left her, and went
alone to Il little room where | kept my medical
works and some rare drugs aud curiosites. Il
was my purpose to study for lecture which was
to deliver that evening. l seated myself at my
desk and commenced to read; but alter a few mo-
ments began to experience singular faintness
and to inhale disagi eeable odor. recognized
the smell in n moment. In one OF the jars upon
my shelves a essence Of great use in cases
where suspension of ofconsciousness was necessary
but excessively dangerous save in skillful hands
OOHle Out, u oCINNlt, PiOoAoiy ooS" hSN
ding with the jar and removed the stopper, and
the room was full OF the powerful odor. l must
leave it if would live. staggered to the door
put my hand upon the lock, when horrors, of hor-
rols! it remained Notwithstanding had hap
pened to the catch. | strove to call aloud but
my voice failed me. lclutched the table foT
support, bnt lost my hold, and fell heavily to
! the floor. ] could see nothing-all grew dark
about me. Mechanically placed my hand upo'
the watch within my bosom. 1t had stopped! =
and remembered nothing more.
q Consciousness came back to me, as it may COM
to newborn babe. for aught l know. l fel
1 without understanding / WAS conscious o
e facts for which cared nothing; l was in th'
r dark; was very cold, and my movements wer
s constrained. but it did not seem as though tha
were any affair Of mine. Hunger at last awoke
j. me; the animal aroused the mental, and | begal
t to wonder where bad been and where / wal
n put up my hand as we'll as Icould. There wa
b low roof over nv head folds OF muslin lay abou