The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-03
THEGHOST In THE BANK
OF ENGLAND.
CHAPTER / (Continued.)

WIN you. l nave the greatest possible
objection to every medical man in JAM
aica; and if had not there is none that
could give me his whole time. The fact
is-it is nothing to me whether you be-
lieye it or mott am in the most immi-
nent peril Of dying by some bodily dis
ease before my ffty-seventh birthday.
] shallbs ffty-seyen on the tenth of Sep
tember; and if I once pass that date
alive, Imay safely look forward to near
ly forty years of increasing health and
haBpipess. OF course you think am
talking nonsense; but that is not the
question. Perhaps lam an astrologer;
perhaps the mystery of Ob-which you
are aware the black slaves brought with
them from Africa to America, and which
has never died-is something very differ
ent from the mere fetish worship which
you doctors Of mere science suppose.
The question is that am convinced of
what I say, and with what / know to be
reason. But my death is threat only,
not q doom, and is avertible by unsleep-
ing skill. You are stranger to Jamaica
you are young-you are free from 9th
er engagements-you have your whole
time-you want monsy-and ] trust
your skill and your honor. Stay with
me at my place till midnight on the
tenth q September; it will be worth
I certainly felt disposed:to transfer my
attentions from the liver to the brain.
But, in any case, what harm should I do
by accepting the offer? Men with a
fancy like that upon them have been
known, and that not seldom, to die Of
their fancy. Some sort of disease he
must have, whether Of brain or other
wise, that wanted watching; and it was
only too true that ! wanted money as
much as any man. I did not like my
patient, nor did / like the prospect Of be-
ing smut up alone with him for two
months to come; but / had already
learned that beggars must not be choos-
ers, In short, I became private and con-
fidential physician to Mr.. Julius Men
dez.
Mr.. Mendez carried on his business at
kingston; but he carried me with him to
sugar plantation near Trelawney, in
the western part of the island. ! was
nominally at liberty to pass the greater
part of my time in my own way, but in
effect I seldom had an hour of liberty.
Mr.. Mendez had few neighbors, and saw
none of them. He devoted himself to
the discovery Of symptoms, and had to
be on the spot to kill them as they came.
His household consisted Of some black
servants ruled over by an old mulatto
woman, who acted as cook. nurse, and
housekeeper; and I had to draw up
recipes for dishes as if they we're pre-
scriptions. 1t was in vain that ! tried
the effct Of horse-exercise, regular living,
and open air. He followed all my direc-
tions with business-like care and punctu-
atty; and though the man grew to be as
we'll as man who keeps liver can ever
expect to be, nothing would disabuse
him from his central and ruling idea.
"Why should he dread death so much2"
I often thought. "He has no one else to
live for" Us... l.t. ,.,.
1 gathered little or nothing from others
about his history or character, and, in
deed, he had somehow made me feel it to
be sort Of honorable understanding be-
tween us that l was not to inquire. He
certainty had good position in the is
land, and it was hard to say whether the
higher families held aloft from him or
he from them, At the end Of the first
month he paid me fifty guineas-the
amount agreed upon--which l imme-
diately sent off to Annie. And so there
was half my time gone. So eager was l
for the tenth of September that made q
table Of days like school-boy impatient
for the holidays, scoring each one off as
it went by. At last, thank Heaven, the
tenth of September came.
Never shall / forget the state of Julius
Mendez on that fatal day. He was far
too preoccupied to have symptoms. He
had tried to sleep late, but anxiety and
excitement woke him early. He spent
the whole day until six in the evening
in.ans armchair with his fingers on his
pulse, and with me by his side. He
made me know what the temptation to
strangle man means At six l made
him take him some food; but he trem-
bled at every morsel. At seven he be-
gan to grow feverish; at nine l began to
Be- seriously alarmed. Nc doubt he was
getting terrified out Of his senses--but he
might die Of imagination. I gave him
an opiate, hoping that he might sleep till
past the fatal hour. But it did not act
on his excited brain. And 90, at last,
the remaining hours dragged by-and,
at last, struck the first stroke Of twelve.
He rose from his chair, and leaned on
me, them as they fell slowly:
"Teu-eleven--twelvep
II don't think that I should myself
been surprised had he dropped down
dead at the last chime. But, on the con-
trary, he drew deep sigh Of relief, and
turned to me triumphantly.
"Thank you, Wilson, " be said, taking
my hand. you've given me forty
years lease of life, and I thank you. ]
am now fifty-seven years old, and have
the best part of my life still to come. I
don't want you you to teink me inhos-
pitable or uagrateful, but / shall be
ohiioed bv vour leaving me to-morrnw