The Hickman courier., 1878-09-13

I
7 looking and leering at me, and mocking
my sufierings, pass along in endless
array. know it Is the result of opium
given TO deaden the terrible torture in
my abdomen. but the drug does not sue
ceed in mitigating it toaht extent Next
day, so my nurse informs me, I asked
her more than a thousand times. ''What
have l done to be thus punished ?" The
pains which, in the first stages, had been
somewhat Obtuse, now became acute,
and | shout aloud in intolerable agony.
The pain in my head feels as though
there was an iron frame on it, which
was crushing in the bones. till my
tortured eyes seem bound to Jump out
Of their sockets. The bloody discharge
from my mouth and nose continues,
and q glance at the mirror on chair at
nay bedside shows that my features have
acquired a striking resemblance to an
enraged yellow gorilla.
If ye git the bloody sweat yer gone, 3"
says Mrs. Delaney, with charming sym
pathy. aa'-''sss-i
learn from her that a fatal -ymufom
of yellow jack is a universal bleeding
from the pores of the skin, and that,
when this makes its appearance, the
patient may as well throw up the
sponge. tell her boastfully that blood
sweat or black vomit has no terrors for
mel would Just as soon have both OF
them together. She says Shut up
but says it softly, and endeavors TO ar
range the sheet in which my tortured
form Is partially enwrapped. The CON
tact of the mere cloth upon my abdO-
men makes me shrek with agony. !
rise from the bed frantically and APP
ln ft7r- nIFlrr
eyes are saluted by funeral procession,
preceded by q hearse with nOddmg
plumes Shocked, in spite of a reckless
ness born of fierce pain, / lie down
again, but no position gives comfort.
The fiery heat which consumes my abdO-
men is supplemented with horrible
pains in my loins, Thighs calves, knees,
ankles and even toes, which feel as
though scraped by a razor and then
gnawed by dogs sharp teeth.
The pain in my head becomes more
intense, and 50 does the agony in every
part of my body. No position gives
ease. Ny stomach and bowels have a
burning heat, as though scalded by
boiling water or scorched by Goals of
fire. and / shrek, and blaspheme, and
curse nv nurse and landlady for not
adequately assuaging my thirst. / lie
on my back or side, with knees drawn
up and Obiurgate God and man.
Then there slowly comes change.
Nv skin, which during the first three
days was hot and dry, and afterward on
the fourth day, slightly moist, now per
spires freely Worn out, l lie gasping
and groamng, and still afflicted with
pain and thirst The doctor is sum
moncd. and comes with his brown, gen
teel assistant, and SAYS he rather thinks
I will be all right in few days. He
looks pleased, and so does ms assistant
Mrs. Delaney Is cool and unmoyed. As
night approaches she lights the gas (the
lights does not hurt my eyes at alb and
lets down the curtain, and, seeing that
I am tolerably quiet, asks if she can
leave me for half an hour. / groan
assent, while my heart jumps with ex-
pectaUion. Her toilet Is easily made,
and she Is gone.
Now or never. rise with difficulty
and peer round for the water pitcher.
Curses on her. she has taken it away /
fall back in profound despair. In the
silence of the night | hear the noisy eX-
carnations of card-players in the little
cofee-house on the corner across the
way. 4 wild idea crosses my brain, and
7 deliberately slide out Of bed and lie
prone on the carpet. Then | roll slowly
toward the door, tacking round the
table and my nurses chair so as to save
exertion. Then | turn the handle, and
the door opens toward me. No fear of
being discovered / and my nurse are
She only occupants of the house, and
she is out,
| am attired in a simple costume con-
sisting of only one linen garment, while
around my neck is q cloth stained with
blood from my mouth. l descend the
stairs which lead TO the side-dOor in the
primitive manner of child of ten
months, and unlock the door leading to
the side of the house.
Across the narrow street--it is scarcely
twelve feet in WIDTHS the one-story
cofee-house. The saloons Of New Or
leans are generally called coffee-houses,
and many of them keep the fragrant
deeoction of the bean of Yemen always
on hand This cOffee-hOuse Is simply a
tenth-rate bar-r0om, frequented prin-
cipally by dagos, which generic title
takes in all men of Spanish extraction
engaged in fishing or bringing fruit or
vegetables TO market from points on the
river. The landlord, a villainOus-lOok
ing dago," with a dark, pallid face
like a Lascar, is playing cards with
three of his customers, with all the
heat and noise peculiar TO gamblers Of
the Latin race. / see them through a
stationary wooden blind, which par
tally conceals the shabby bar and the
array of bottles and decanters reflected
in a cheap, dirty mirror. make my
way over the pavement on my hands
and knees. | pause unobserved under
the veranda of the groggery, and gaze
with feverish desire on something which
stands on the counter. My head burns
/ fiercely with my unwonted eXerton.
Finally, with a supreme effort, / stagger
across the room to the bar, lift up the
battered pewter ice-pitcher to my. lips,
and commence drinking. To my dying
day / will declare that draught the
sweetest ever drank by man.
The next moment there was hurried
movement. Two of the men ran out
with a howl of horror. The landlord
snatched the pitcher from my lips, and
/ his companion seized me in his arms.
/ These " dagos " are not afraid of yellow
/ fever. I caught a sight of a yellow
/ faced demon in the mirror at the same
/ time, and then all was dark.
'FI don't care, Doctor, l won't dc
nothing for him He can die"
g Well, / think you had better stay
You have no right TO leave him"
" What could l do? Sure, Johnny
had been arrested for batin' an English
man, an / only slipped down TO see hin
and give him money to pay his fine"
/ had a relapse. Ninety-nine doctor
out of a hundred will tell you that
relapse means death Two weeks to
day after my first attack l felt an over
powering nausea in my stomach, ant
my mouth filled. My nurse said not
word, but turned deadly pale As
saw an inky substance before me il
the basin I said lightly: "This is tn
black vomit, isn't it?'' No answer
repeated the question, and Mrs. Delane
put up her apron, like a true Iris
dame, and took refuge in tears. Bah !
said /, with a sinking heart, thong
feeling singularly free from pain, q tn
black vomit can't kill me-"
Mrs Delaney, after a few sobs, strike
; a bell on the table twice, and slips dow
; to the door A little darkey from owe
the way receives her message, and in
/ little while my landlady come in The
comes a clerical looking parsonage, wit
, Dundreary whiskers and blue ewes, WI
) saws that he understands the brotht
I belongs to the Presbyterian faith. I'll
r doctor also makes his appearance, an
4 / brushes eyerybodv aside. touches m