Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-04-04

49, vi AAAAAt AANA
entirely lost it's balance. l knocked at
the door of the next house, and bade
the woman go to her, for l could do
nothing. They had taken her up stairs
when the heavy tramp of the men with
litter was heard without.
He has shown he symptoms of re-
turning consciousness, / suppose 2 "
/ said to Fleet.
consciousness / should say not,
when he was dead even before Jones
had lifted him from the earth" l
was answered. When the body was
laid out-in spite of the horror that
came over me by it's presence looked
at it. l knew that he was dead, as dead
as you or l will be when We have slept
under the sod a thousand years. And
yet l could not divest myself of the
idea that there was a latent expression
of consciousness about the face. | saw
it Though the CONCEALED blood upon
his temple-even after [ had touched
his brow with my fingers, and found it
colder than the marble slab upon the
talAe close at hand. No wonder they
should tell me that I was white and
sick ! Men have been as pale with far
less cause.
They sent Inc home with n Young
fellow named Compton. He and | and
some Others were to sit up the next
night. | had not slept one wink when
the day dawned again but [ was glad
to walk about beneath the light of the
sun, and be able to talk about that
fearful accident with my fellow towns
men, though in a strange and subdued
voice. When the evening came /
went back to the widowed house again.
The horrors of the thing seemed as
fresh upon them all as the evening be-
fore and strong men sat in the shadow
Of this great calamity, with eyes on
which the mist of tears had gathered,
ever and anon, and talked-if at all-in
hushed whispers to each other.
1t was the old fashioned way, and
we were sitting in the room with the
corpse. 1t was considerably past mid
night when / took a book from the lit
tie table, on which a pot of coffee had
been placed, and began to read. Soon
after this three of the men proposed a
walk but, as Charley Fleet and Comp
ton were to remain, | said nothing. l
was still reading, as wide awake and
AZ free from fear AZ I ever was in my
life, when the same shudder | have
spoken of twice before ran over me
from head to foot, and froze the blood
in my veins. The book dropped from
my hands. ] looked up and saw Fleet
and Compton both asleep IN their
chairs. ] strove to call them, but my
tongue refused to utter a sound. And
the portlco came to me, in low but dis
tinct tones: Hurry to the dispen-
sary, or it Will be too late Mary is
there. My spirit can no longer strive
with her; it Is departing from earth"
l turned my head with a fearful sort
of attraction. toward the body. The
sheet was turned down and the face ex-
posed to view. The ghastliness of
death was still there; but the face
looked Mt me.
MY God, Compton, look, look at
thatl' He sprang to his feet IN an
instant.
GLOW did it happen2 Where are
they all2 His wife must have been
here while we were dozlng.' L knew
that | had never been further from
sleep but his voice treasured me,
though he said he had heard nothing,
and / rose hastily.
"Quick, to the ~0ispensary !" He
followed me in amazement to the little
room in the rest of the house where
Fenton Atwick had kept a supply of
medicines, which he often distributed,
gratis, to the hands of a factory five
miles down the river. | hastily pushed
the door open, and beheld Miss At
wood standing at a desk.
AsI sprang forward she fell, face
downward, ON the floor. We lifted her
10 a sofa, but she was dead.
phial of prussic acid was open on
the desk.