Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1885-03-06

glance up at the windows TO see il the
blinds were down, and think he was
disappointed that they were not. lid
not like this man, and lay perfectly
still, with closed eyes, when he came
in. He felt my pulse gently enough,
and then stood looking at me for a few
moments with his hands in his pockets.
Wondering what you will put in my
death certificate, eh, doctor?" said |,
opening my eyes Il am" he re-
piled. bluntly. ..Then, said I, ..here
is the verdict t-feto de Sc. Now, good
bye; can't bear talking He went
away accordingly, thinking, no doubt.
was slightly distracted. Hardly
had the sound of this mans
carriage-wheels died away in the dis
tance when hale, hearty, bluff old
gentleman stepped into my room. He
was medical man / had often heard
of; he had good deal of business
about him, but hid kind heart behind
a roagh exterior. He soon ELECTED
from me the whole history of the
chloral. Then he stood at my bedside
and offered to bet me five to enc that if
followed his instructions to the letter
would be different man and in good
health in five months. He examined
my heart; said it was weakened by the
poison imbibed, but nothing more.
Though his words seemed to me only a
cruel mockery, / promised faithfully to
obey him in every particular. Then he
destroyed all my choral, and asked me
if had any hidden store. had no
chloral that night, and such night |
never passed before, and trust never
shall again. Sleep, of course. was inn
possible; but | tossed about all the
long, long hours in bath of perspira-
ton, yawning, stretching and sneez;ng.
The most pa nful feeling was sensa-
ton of rending at my heart, as if some
monstrous crab We're gnawing out my
vitals. never slept wink for over a
week, and then sleep came in fitful
snatches. / was, of course, too much
Frustrated to leave my bed. On the
second night was delirious, and SO on
for several nights following, My de-
lirium, too, took at first strange form.
Some presence seemed to be ever with
me asking me question after question
in rapid succession, which was i'm
pelled to answer in rhyme. Words or
meter never once failed me, and in ONE
night / am certain l composed suf-
ficient verses to set dozen poets up in
LIE; in fact, / had been suddenly
transformed into living, breathing,
rhyming dictionary; but the distress
this form of delirium caused me can
hardly be imagined. On the third
night there was an entire change in the
performance the rhyming power left
me, my ey. no more rolled in fine
frenzy, and The delirium was changed
to dioramic entertainments to-wit, in
my travels and voyages around the
world, had gazed on many a beautiful
coast scene from my cabin; these scenes
were framed. as it were. by the round
portfolio, and very pretty pictures they
often made. each one varied as the
weather or climate varied, but always
,aving the sea in the foreground,
weather calm and serene, or rufffed
and angry; the sky above, whether
blue with fiocks of snowy cloudlets or
dark and lowering with the coming
storm, and the landscape in the middle.
Now back from the realms of memory
came those circulating pictures, one by
one, and by the hundreds gliding be-
fore my half-closed eyes like dioramic
scenes of enchantment. My recovery
was long one, but hope had renewed
in my heart, and in three months
could walk as many miles. Sleep, too,
returned to bless me, and felt indeed
new man. Blessings on the rough
kindness of that good and clever doc
tor.-Cor. Brooklyn Eagle.