Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-09-07
White Butterflies.
ETHEL NiERI.uNE.
4 Rcniiniscence of the Dissccting-
Room.

Room.
We were seated, seven of lis, and nj
medical students, near hot stove III TN
office OF the genial DIR. PlanchH one SNOWY
afternoon i'll January, chatting and smok
ing.
The subject that for a time occupie,
our minds and tongues was an unusua
surgical operation which had been per
formed in the earlier hours of the day a
clinic held in the theatre of the col
lege.
Dr.. Planchp had been the leading ope
ratOr, and this may account for the unu
sual number of students gat hered in hi
bureau.
The case was the replacement of par
of the intestinal canal, a few inches abov,
the colon, which, pre- sumably by strain
ing, the patient being normally costive
had become partially twisted, thus pre-
veniug the fecal waste from passing to it,
final discharge.
The Experimental such, with entire
propriety, may call twas most dan
gerous-one rarely attempted, and which
usually ends in the collapse of the eX
hausted subject, and although the opera
ton in itself was entirely satisfactory, il
yet remained to be seen whether intiam
nation would supervene and dissolution
follow.
Doctor Planche was sanguine of goot
results.
''The patient. though woman, was il
excellent health otherwise" he remarked
"and her constitution was as sound as Il
dollar But while | was handling the
knife, gentlemen" he continued, upon
lighting fresh cigar and placing his per-
son comfortably i'll his cushioned arm
chair. sit was with the utmost difficulty
could keep my eyes on the work. They
would wander to the face of the afflicted
creature, and that recalled to my mind q
painful experience in which, however, /
was rather II looker-on than actor, when,
like you, was reading up therapeutics
and surgery. But" here the doctor paus-
ed, and on knocking the ashes from the
burned end of his cigar, forgot to put ii
between his lips.
He was evidently in "brown study
poudcring some recollection that was far
from agreeable.
AT length he murmured, but in tone
that was sufficiently distinct for all to
hear:
"Of course it could not be her. She
was dead, and even if she had revived
she would be years older. The knife did
not touch her body. l took care of that,
for Johnson's sake. Yes, it was taken out
OF the grave by the resurrectionists. This
patient could not have been her daughter,
for Ethel Merline was not married. She
was betrothed, that was all. And vet how
like-how very like Pshaw, away with
such phantasms And yet-and yet
roll the years back-back to that terrible
night, and | would be sworn this woman
of to-day's clinic was the fair Ethel Mer-
ine-if alive-that lay in the uncon-
scious repose of death on that dissecting-
table"
Then the good doctor, with sudden
start, looked half vacantly around him,
like one rudely awakened from sleep.
Again putting the cigar in his mouth, he
resumed his smoki ing in silence.
Ethel Merline, repeated one of his
listeners--a rough, good-hearted Tennes-
sean, known to us as Jack Burt-"what IL
pretty name 1t smacks of coral caves
and fairy grottoes-of their inhabitants. 1
mean-pray, doctor, who was this Ethel
Merline, and what of student johnson p
81 was thinking of them, answered the
doctor. odd | mention their names? !
have contracted an unfortunate habit of
giving voice to my meditatIons of late
Well, | will say that Ethel Merline was
young, beautiful and betrothed girl-one
whom | had never seen until looked on
her fnir form, rigid in death, lying on the
marble slab ready to be cut and carved,
that those who assisted, us students, OF
whom at the time was one, might add
new and important facts to the sum of
our physiological knowledge. johnson
was my friend and student. He
was handsome lad-bright, quick wit.
ted, honest, strong mentally, and gen
tleman.
SIS he dead ?" demanded Burt.
'Would to God he WERE" answered the
Doctor fervently. poor Dick -
The Doctor looked in particular d.
rection at the wall opposite to him, and
nodding his head said
'That is Dicks face, or rather the
counterfeit presentment of it, hanging up
there. fine, intellectual face, is it
not?'
All looked at the portrait and all adj
mired the features He must certainly
have been exceptionally handsome. Our
interest in his story increased.
"Was there any trouble about this
young fellow, Doctor" remarked Edward
Turnbull, "that You care to conceal? Is
his story Interestingly"
"More sad shocking, terrible than i
teresting," answered the surgeon. "To
me it is "reminiscences l can never for
get"
Sand a secret ?" asked Burt.
"Well, no, replied the doctor. ut is
only painful to tell, that it all. do not
know that have ever spoken Of it before,
and would not now if the young woman i
operated ON to-day had features cast in
any other mold than Ethel Merline's.
That is accidental, of course, but really,
saw i'll the patient what seemed more than
family likeness to the long dead girl"
The doctor here consulted his watch.
and then glanced through the window at
the thick-ialling snow
81 have two hours left for leisure" he
remarked. 81 have been summoned to
consultation at o'clock, and between this
and that hour shall have to attend on
one or two callers. dress, dine and drive
to the residence Of the gentleman whose
condition We will, i'll ali probability, de-
finitely pronounce upon. For the rcmin-
iscence, and to crafty your curiosity, /
will devote, say, fifteen minutes"
We gather about the surgeon, first