The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-01-14
is certainly no danger of your virtue,

which is great consideration"
On this particular evening could moi
keep my eyes off the grim and grimy
form of "old Jenny" as she moved about
my room. An attempt at reading anat
omy only seemed to call up the forms o.
vivisection practiced by the Indians or
their unhappy prisoners. So finding tha,
no use, l threw my book aside, and gazed
down into the dingy street, where the
shop people were busy putting up the
. shutters, as the hour was late. / was
restless and unsettled. My brain was
teeming with strange fancies. / drank
of my "night-cap"-a pewter tankard
of stOut-and then crept into my cold,
humble, little bed. l fell asleep very
soon, but such feverish, dream laden
sleep! During the whole of that CHASTITY
night led the life of California rowdy.
Now l was standing drinks" all round
to miscellaneous mob of miners, Indian
fighters, gamblers, ETC., at a public bar.
In a moment found myself to be in the
center of "free fight" revolvers were
cracking right and left, like "zigzags +"
on the queens birthday; bowie-knives
flashed here and there like streaks of
lightning; screams, howls, oaths, arose
on every side. 1 had Just succeeded in
shooting a man through the head, after
missing him five times, when suddenly a
sharp pain darted through my neck.
felt the warm blood trickling down my
breast; grew faint; l swooned.
And so on during the night.
No wonder, then, that when I got up
early next morning to dress by gas-light
for my visit to the hospital l did not feel
much refreshed by my slumbers. 1t Ds
a cold, dreary, wet, winter morning. /
swallowed cup of eoffee-could not eat
anything-and with this preparation /
dragged my unhappy carcass to the in
firmary; stood in the wards taking notes
while the professor explained the nature
of the cases which came under our OBJ
servation; finally repaired to the opera
ting theater with the rest of my fellow
students. When seated in the gallery
an amphitheater of seats-I observed
California Jackson" below me, and
therefore nearer to the area where the
operations were performed. He always
seemed to take the operations very coolly;
this morning he looked as imperturbable
as usual.
Suddenly the patient who was to be
operated on entered the theater from be-
hind the hanging curtains which guarded
the passage to the wards. l was startled
by her appearance, never having seen her
before. Tall and lady. like, she presented
a countenance of great beauty, although
it bore unmistakable signs of prolonged
physical suffering. Her beauty was of
the Spanish type: olive complexion, large
dark eyes, long, black, silky eyelashes,
coal black luxuriant locks.
One of her hands required to be am
putated, owing, as the surgeon explained,
to disease which had developed in that
member. Although evidently very ner-
vous, the patient behaved most admir-
ably. She lay down on the operating
table, and the administration of chlorO-
form was proceeded with. She struggled
little while this was progressing. Ny
eyes accidentally lighted on California
Jackson" and to my intense surprise l
saw his iron features working in most
extraordinary way. At first l thought |
that must be dreaming. What, "Cali-
fornia Jackson" moved by the struggles
of a patient going under chloroform |
Impossible! He clasped his muscular
hand over his face. At length the chlo-
rof0rmist pronounced the woman quite
under the influence of the anesthetic,
and the surgeon, having arranged his
assistants, advanced knife in hand. Just
as he was in the act of making the first
incision "California Jackson" rose and
hastily left the theater.
His departure gave rise to quite sem
sation but it was only momentary, and
subsidized so soon as the surgeon raised his
head to learn the meaning of the dis
turbance.
When the operation was over l repaired
to the college to attend lectures as usual.
l found California Jackson" standing
by the gateway, smoking gloomily. /
saluted him, and passed in.
Next day Jackson appeared with his
hand bound in napkin, and he seemed
fond of thrusting it into his bosom. Next
day he seemed restless; his hand was
still wrapped up. I Inquired frequently
how the wound was getting on, warning
him of the danger of tampering with
such injuries. He always said it was
getting all right, he thought. Next day
l did not see him at hospital or college.
Next day, still no Jackson. That even
ing, as l was returning to my lodgings
when my days work was over, resolved
to look him up, whether was welcome
or not. knew his number i'm the dreary
street where he lived. / climbed the
stairs and arrived at a door bearing the
MISS VINEGAR,
Dress- Maker.
| pulled the bell-nO sound. Pulled
harder---a terrific clatter resulted. In
short time the door was opened by Miss
Vinegar herself in a towering passion.
She asked me if knew that there was
sick person in the house. / apolOgized
humbly. That and my raven mustache
and general distinguished bearing molli-
fled the dear creature, whose appearance
was quite in accordance with her name.
l learned from her that my fellow
student was half delirious; that his
hand was frightfully bad, and that she
sent for doctor. Found matters just
as she had stated. Jackson lay tossing
about on sofa, dressed with the cxcep-
ton OF his coat. The injured hand was
dreadfully swollen and innamed, and at
the center of the palm, were the wound
had been inflicted, there was a small {
black spot. l could also observe red
lines and streaks running uphis forearm. {
His face was flushed, and he seemed only
half conscious. The doctor arrived, and,
after learning the nature of the case,
lanced the hand freely. to liberate the {
pent-up matter. He then gave direc- '
tions, wrote prescription, and left me
in care of the case for the night; poor
Miss Vinegar being quite knocked up by
previous nursing.
Well i knew that / had dreary
night Of it before me. The room was {
stability furnished and frightfully stuffy. Z
in it smelled rankly of strong
tobacco. l got hold of rather inter-
esting volume, and sat reading while the
,low, dreary, heavy "tick-tock" ef the {
arge clock in the lobby sounded, and {
he gas kept faring up and singing in a '
most extraordinary way. Every one
Knows this sort Of thing.