The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-09-29

And it now wanted but twenty-four
honrs of the crisis.
Mrs. Welford was in agony; Mr..
Wexford placid and prepared. There
was no deceiYing him, He had clock
somewhere in his bosom, which beat
the minutes of the hour with unfailing
precision. Ithad twenty.four hours only
TO rum You might play tricks with itas
much ms you liked, but you could not
make it go au hour longer.
No one felt more interested in This
strange case than Mr.. Wexford himself.
Flo fclt a certain kind Of pride in de-
ceiving the doctor, and was in every
regpect under personal obligation TO
die Mt the specified hour, He refused
all kinds OF medicine and even food.
He became n snail.like skeleton, drag.
ging coffin about with him instead Of
house.
: II was at this crisis that DR.. Pillogus
shook his head.
"That man will die. Nothing I can
do will save him."
While these things were going on ut
the Lakeside House, other events trans.
pired in the village hard by which had
some relation to them.
A gentleman stood on brakes hotel
piazza smoking n cigar. He had q cane
in his hand, aud managed it 80 severely
that the intuitive guessed Immediately
the owner was military man. II that
was not sufficient, other things were.
The military chieitan scorned silence
and hated repose. When he brought
his foot to the ground, the rafters trem-
bled. II he wanted to sit down, he
seized chair and dashed II to the
ground, and then sank into it heavily
and crankily. II hc wanted TO place
his feet on the balustrade, he flung
them into the air first, and then broug ght
them down with o swoop. When he
coughed, you could hear him on the
other side of the. like; he did it dis.
dainfully and defantly, not meekly and
painfully. I am afraid this military
clieitan was overbearing, too, for some
Of tho habitucs Of brakes were scared
by his stony look. He had only been
there q couple Of hours, but the place
belonged to him as much rs though he
had paid for it in hard cash, and hirod
the help himself.
The only man tho military ohieftan
condescended tonotice was DIR. Pillogns,
who dropped in as he was passing on
his way homeward. He had once had q
bayonet thrustinto bis sbowels in Mexico,
andrespected science for having stitched
up the hole.
They had friendly conyersation to-
gether; that is to say, DIR. Pillogns
tried to pump the stranger, and sue
ceeded in bringing up few dry sounds.
The doctor then poured in buckettul
Of his own conversation to make 1t go
easier. He related all the particulars Of
a remarkable medical case in which n
patient refused to take medicine, and
yet was dying 7; thus, rs it were, cheat.
ing tho honest practitioner out OF his
privileges. The military chieftain was
Interested, and inquired the name of
the patient.
Welford."
Weliord?"
The chieftain elevated his eyebrows,
curlcd his mustaches, stiflened hsi
back, knocked the ashes off his cigar,
and generally looked about rs surprised
as large nail when you hit it on the
head.
"Know the familyS"
"Slightly."
ga sad case, SIR"
The military chieitain made cavalry
cut with his cane and replied:
Enlarging on this admission, he after
ward exclaimed:
"The man is a stupid b1ockhead, and
ought to have fifty lashes day untilhe
feels that he is alive and kicking.
Everything has been done, you say,
and he must make o widow of his
wifep"
"Unless sudden and very powerful
reaction takes placehe will undoubtedly
die"
6sudden and very powerful reac-
tion; how would cowhiding do?"
The doctor thought it might be bone-
fetal in some cases, but did not venture
to anticipate any happy results in Mr..
Welford's.
"If / call him out and shoot him
through the pistol arm, how would that
do 2"
Tho doctor confessed that the idea
was brilliant and laudable one, but
had some doubts Of its success.
Tho military chieitain then sworo q
little, and strobe the piazza with par
ticularly fat and heavy tread. II was
in vain that the doctor tried to get
something out OF lin concerning his
knowledge of the Wexford family. He
was impenetrable.
When o man says that he will die, it
is by no means certain that he will do
so. Obstinate on most subjects, he is
generally open to otherpeople's opinion
on this.
But Mr.. Wexford was m exception to
the rule. He had imbibed an ultra.fa.
talist doctrine, and was intoxicated
with 1t. III
Az the hour Of tho catastrophe ar
rived oil the household got into o state
OF silent excitement except the indi-
vidual most concerned, who sat in his
study chair, propped mp comfortably
for receiving the fatal blow. He was
calm, collected, and perfectly used up.
On Ills countenance no human passion
could be traced. II was dull map OF
physical nature untouched by intellect,
ii Death had been coming to dine with
him he could not have looked more con.
tented. q,
lous, rs women are apt to do in such
cases. She cried unit! her eyes were