Connecticut western news., 1873-10-03
VOL. III.

Iy strange case than MT. Welford himself
 He felt a certain kind of pride in de
 celving the doctor, and was in ever, IA respect under personal obligation t. 0 die at the specified hour. He refused
 all kinds of medicine and even food He became snail-like skeleton. drag
 ging a coffin about with him instead Q
 house.
 It was at this crisis that Dr. Pillogu. 5 shook his head.
 "That man will die. Nothing car do will save him."
 While these things were going on al = the Lakeside House, other events trans pired in the village hard by which had
 some relation to them.
 A gentleman stood on Drake's hotel
 piazza smoking cigar. He had cane
 in his hand, and managed it so severely that the intuitive guessed immediately
 the owner was military man. If that was not sufficient, other things were.
 The military chieftan scorned silence and hated repose. When he brought
 his foot to the ground, the rafters trem- ) bled. If he wanted to sit down, he
 seized 8 chair and dashed it to the
 ground, and then sank into it heavily
 and crankily. If he wanted to place
 his feet on the balustrade, he flung
 them into the air first, and then brought
 them down with 8 swoop. When he
 coughed, you could hear him on the
 other side of the lake he did it dis
 dainfully and defantly, not meekly and
 painfully. I am afraid this military
 chleftan was overbearing, too, for some
 of the ha6itxes of Drake's were scared
 by his stony look. He had only been
 there couple of hours, but the place
 belonged to him as much as though he
 had paid for it in hard cash, and hired
 the help himself.
 The only man the military chieftan condescended to notice was Dr. Pillogus, who dropped in as he was passing on his way homeward. He had once had bayonet thrustinto his bowels in Mexico, l andrespected science for having stitched up the hole.
 They had friendly conversation to- gether; that is to say, Dr. Pillogus | tried to pump the stranger, and sue ceeded in bringing up few dry sounds. The doctor then poured in bucketful of his own conversation to make it go easier. He related all the particulars of remarkable medical case in which patient refused to take medicine, and yet was dying thus, as it were, cheat ing the honest practitioner out of his privileges. The military chieftain was interested, and inquired the name of the patient.
 Welferd."
 "Welford ?'
 The obieftain elevated his eyebrows, curled his mustaches, stiffened hsi back, knocked the ashes off his cigar. and generally looked about as surprised as . large nail when you hit it on the | head.
 "Know the family?"
 Slightly"
 " A sad case, sir.'
 The military chieftain made a cavalry cut with his cane and replied:
 "Very."
 Enlarging on this admission, he after ward exclaimed:
 The man is a stupid blockhead, and ought to have fifty lashes a day until he feels that he is alive and kicking. Everything has been done, you say, and he must make a widow of his wife ?"
 "Unless sudden and very powerful reaction takes placehe will undoubtedly die."
 "Sudden and very powerful reac- tion; how would a cowhiding do ?''
 The doctor thought it might be bene- fcial in some cases, but did not venture to anticipate any happy results in MT. Welford's.
 eff l call him out and shoot him through the pistol arm, how would that do ?"
 The doctor confessed that the idea was 8 brilliant and laudable one, but had some doubts of it's success.
 The military chieftain then swore a little, and strode the piazza with a par fiat and heavy tread. It was in vain that the doctor tried to get something out of him concerning his knowledge of the Welford family. He was impenetrable.
 When a 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 other peoples opinion on this.
 But MT. Welford was an exception to the rule. He had imbibed an ultra-fa- talist doctrine, and was intoxicated with it. ]
 As the hour of the catastrophe ar- { rived all the household got into a state of silent excitement except the indi- vidual most concerned, who sat in his study chair, propped up comfortably for receiving the fatal blow. He was calm, collected, and perfectly used up. On his countenance no human passion z could be traced. It was dull map of t physical nature untouched by intellect. ( If Death had been coming to dine with I him he could not have looked more con- tented. $
 Mrs. Welford made herself r1dicu- ' ous, as women are apt to do in such cases. She cried until her eyes were ' red, and then went off into little series l of fits, until she was in condition to | ,ry again. I am afraid the male Vel ford was rather fattered by these atten- ions. ,
 Dr. Pillogus acted in resigned man. aer. Between the excitement of the ' wife and the nonehalance of the hus- c band he had hard time of it. What s was the most injurious to his suscepti- olllties was, that neither one nor the r other would take any medicine. To e nave patient die on his hands without professional chance of killing him, t was, 1t must be confessed, trying and S bitter to the skillful man.
 But the doctor had another anxiety "a secret which must forever remain S untold. f It was little inconsistent that while c Mr. Welford was sinking into the grave through an arm chair in one room, the heretofore anxious wife of MT. Welford 'hould suddenly neglect her duty, and 'eceive the loving visit of strange gentleman in another room close by. t. say it was little strange and incon- 'istent, although I am perfectly aware ,f the fact that inconsistency is the n April shower which plays constantly e ln the springing Yirtues of a lnvalz