Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-11-13
FROM DEATH TO LIFE.

into the OtnGrWlSG unllSlteu room.
Outside a winter storm beloved over
the chimneys, and beat seriously at the
window-panes. Affair." off we could hear
the gust roaring among the naked hills,
now plunging shrilly through the skele-
ton branches of the trees, and again
whirling overhead with q weird shout
ing sound. that might we'll have pro-
ceeded from the thrOats Of evil things
riding upon the wind. The ehostly
spirit Of the storm seemed TO have pen
etrated even into our comfortable cir
Gle, for we had got, | know not how,
upon that most dismal OF all subj ects-
death.
We had canvassed the theme pretty
thoroughly before we discovered that
two of our number, the professor and
the doctor, had taken no part in the
conversation They were sitting a little
removed from the rest of us, gazing
gIoomily into the fire. Their ordinarily
cheerful expression of cOuntenance had
given place to sober, troubled look,
and more than once we had detected
the exchange of st1angely-signiticant
glance between them.
AS may be readily supposed, we We're
not slow to press them for an eXplana-
ton of their conduct. But for con-
siderable time our efforts were fruit
less. At length, after much persuasion
the professor spoke:
Gentleman" said he, gra rely, " no
man cares to gain for himself the repu-
tation of liar or a maniac. Yet that
is exactly what you are pressing both of
us to.do. have no doubt that the ex-
perience which | am about to relate,
and in which my friend the doctor bore
no unimportant part, will appear abso-
lutely incredible to persons Of your adj
vanced views.
There was touch of sarcasm in the
worthy professors tone, but in our
eagerness to hear his story we found
it convenient to disregard it.
However," be continued, L shall
risk it. If you choose to disbelieve it,
why [ shall endeavor to have charity
for your ignorance and conceit. Now,
doctor, if you will hand me the tobacco
and one of the pipes-the ranker and
blacker the better-I will proceed"
Having filled his pipe and settled
himself comfortably in his chair, he be-
gan thus:
: It must be fully ten years ago that
the doctor and myself were engaged
upon geological survey of the state.
We had labored diligently during the
summer and fall, when toward the close
of a cold November day, we shouldered
our knapsacks and turned our faces
hOmeWard.
"Our way led through a chain of
black and rugged hills toward a frontier
town, twenty miles distant, where we
intended to take the railroad. A more
forbidding region it has never been my
misfortune to see. 1t was chaos,
ablacEened and warped by primeval
fires, and destitute of the smallest trace
of vegetation, Tall cliffs lowered a
Thousand feet above our heads, shutting
out the Light of the dull November sky.
Sluggish streams filtered between crev-
ices Of the rocks, and poured nolslessly
into the deep and motionless turns. 1t
seemed that the blight of death had
fallen upon the whole country.
" Well knowing the peril of attempt
ing to proceed through such a region
after nj htfall, we halted at sunset, and,
building a fire at the foot of a crag,
disposed ouselves to rest as we'll we
might. Exhausted with the tolls of the
day. the doctor was soon asleep, and [
was not long in following his example.
How long had slumbered [ knew
not, when | found myself sitting upright,
peering nervously in the darkness
around me. 1t seemed to me that
some enc had uttered a wild, appealing
cry in the very portals Of my ears. For
some moments | sat SO, wondering and
anxious. Then | reflected that as there
could be no human being in the neigh
borhood besides ourselves, the sound
which had alarmed me must have been
the shrek of some bird or animal. Elk
planning the matter thus, was on the
point of lying down again, when | was
arrested by a repetition of the cry.
This time there could be no mistake.
Wild, long, and. it appeared to me, full
OF intolerable anguish. it re-echoed
among the crags with fearful shrillness.
With an uncomfortable start, | turned
and shook the doctor to awake him.
"Be quiet" he muttered; Il am
awake, and heard it ALL"
'What can it be ?" | asked, anxiously;
''surely, nothing human; no one lives
in this regiou for miles around. Per-
maps it is wildcat?"'
NO." he said, between his teeth,
E'such a sound never came from the
throat OF a wildcat. There it is again.
Listen"
'The cry was repeated. 1t was a
woman's voice, but it expressed such
supreme misery as [ believe woman
never felt before. It came ringing up
the gorge with a weird and mournful
intonation that chilled the blood in my
heart. By the doctors quick breathing
[ could tell that he was as much af-
fected as myself Neither of us spoke
nor moved; both waited for renewal
ofthe cry, in the hope of arriving at
some rational explanation of it.
g Again it came; but now like low,
tremulous sob. / am not superstl-
bous man, gentlemen, but | confess
that | sat there shivering with a
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