The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-08-29


picture now, don't think evcr saw
more spectral corpse than that The
eyes were open, and in the agony of
death the muscles of the mouth had
contracted, so that in the rigor mortis
he had sardonic grin that was horri-
BILE in its leer.
"The patter OF the rain upon the
roof was incessant, but it sounded pleas
ant, for il seemed company to one.
Still it did not drown all other sounds,
for now and again above the storm
there cane from the female ward
wall of anguish from poor sufferer in
delirium.
alt took but few minutes smoking
to recover my steadiness of hand, and
| resumed work.
"While bending over the body, aud
| Just at time when the greateat deli
cacy of operation was required, cur
ious noise from one corner OF the dead
house startled me. 1t was not like
footstep, but was somewhat like a
shutting of feet.
"Instinctvely looked in that direc.
ton, and noticed for the first time some
four or five skulls on the floor in u par
tial state of preparation. The younger
students had been at work preparing
them for their cabinets. The grinning
faces looked as If to chide me for wor-
king on such a night, but then | was
too anxious about my case to miss my
opportunity.
"Applying myself again to my sub
ject, | was soon lost in the peculiar de-
velopments my eye discovered each
moment, when 1 was again annoyed
by a distinct sound from the corner.
Balancing In that direction, it must
be confessed was not little surprised
to see one of the skulls moving slowly
toward me along the tagging of the
floor. l rubbed my eyes and looked
again. There it was--the fieshless
sockets of the eyes gazing at me, the
uneven, jagged teeth giving a ghastly
grin to the mouth.
"It is little difficult for me TO tell
exactly what were my feelings. That
they were peculiar frankly admit. l
fell to studying about the cause of this
motion on the part of the skull, and,
examined closely to see whether or not
there was string attached and stu
dent playing one of his pranks.
"But no. In the light l could plain
ly discern there was nothing attached
to this relic of humanity. Then what
moved it?
"Still engrossed with my endeavors
to solve this mystery, / did not take
my eyes off this skull.
"Slowly, stealthily and steadily it
came on directly towards where was
sitting on a high stool. The motion
produced dull, grating sound, as some
sharp protuberances of bone scratched
on the marble slabs.
"After it had advanced about three
feet it stopped.
81 laid down my pipe, still keeping
my eyes on the unpleasant object and
tried to laugh away the morbid senti-
ments that had now began to rise with
in me. l whispered to myself how
much would have rallied at any other
brother physician should he have told
me of experiencing the slightest feel
ing of nervousness under similar Cir
cumstances. Even the stu tents would
have retailed the affair as an indica-
ton of my effeminacy had they known
it. Surely there were mechanical caus-
es to produce these results. knew
that the unsubstantial could not give
motion to the substantial. My natural
philosophy told me that there must be
force at work to i,npel that grim
fragment of human frame toward me.
Yet what force was it -
81 determined not to leave my seat
to attempt close inspection, fearing
to be rewarded by the laughter of
those who were endeavoring to aston
| ish me.
The dreary monotone of the rain and
the ,uuearthly sobbing of the wind
turned my reflections to more sombre
color, and some things came back to
me had read in Robert Dale Owens
Foot Prints on the Boundaries of An
other World'-curious things, authen-
ticated by affidavits and all the solemn
ity of oaths remarkable revisitants from
the grave. While dwelling on these
sabjects recalled the conversations l
had had with my patient, and now Dur-
led some three weeks, Sailor John and
his persistent asseverations of the pos
sibilities of the intellectual spirit re-
turning to this world of the flesh.
"There The skull moved again.
On it came, still sliding along in di-
rect line towards me.
'Do what / could l could not shake
off the feeling of uneasiness and dis
quiet. did not like the situation =
that about expressed it.
"E-e-e-eks," grated the skulls
bony points on the floor, the sound
tingling my nerves as when one scratch
es the fiuger nail on brick or rough
surface.
"My pulse grew more frequent. I
experienced chilly sensation down
my back, and cold perspiration damp
cned my forehead.
"Around me the corpses lay, the
gaslight making them saffron yellow.
"They at least did not move.
| 81 could stand the strain no longer.
1t was unbearable. / was becoming
| the victim of weakness for which !
could have reprimanded a child. l
felt pale, if that is possible, for it SEEM
ed as if all my blood had rushed to my
heart.
"With bound sprang toward the
skull, and STOPPING grasped it with my
hands. / lifted it from the floor.
| "Out jumped large rat and ran
scampering away. ! cannot describe
my feelings when i saw the cause of
all my discontinue At first laughed,
and then became angry with myself
for, even for moment, allowing such
an incident to disturb my equilibrium.
| examining the skull / saw how it
had occurred. The rat had entered
the cavity in which the brain had been
through the foramen magnum or aper-
ture through which the nerve matter
of the spinal column communicates
with the brain. The skull turned over,