The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-05-21


the groans of agony which rose to my
lips. 9a
Presently the nurse came in. Seeing
how terribly was suffering he called
the surgeon, who chanced to be passing
through the hail. F 1a
''''Poor fellow! he's bound to have
hard time of it, the surgeon said.
''Giye him this powder now, and if it
doesn't relieve him give another. 1t
may be necessary to give two; but don't
do so unless he suffers intensely"
/ swallowed the powder. Gradually
the sense Disseminating pain died out,
and at last oblivion came. q
1t was late at night when I woke
from the stupor produced by the drug.
just as it became daylight the pain
began again, with redoubled intensity
Itwould seem to concentrate itself for
a moment in my shoulder. then spread
all over my body like ripples on a pud-
die of water into which one drops
stone, Every ripple of pain seemed to
burn its way along nerve and artery,
and | could not help shrieking out in the
intensity of my torture.
The nurse was greatly alarmed when
he came in and hastily emptied some
powder from a vial he carried into
glass of water, and held it to my lips.
I drank the draught eagerly, hoping for
relief from pain, or death, | cared not
much which.
Again that deadly stupor crept over
me, and felt consciousness leaving my
brain. Soon [ knew no more tsF
When again avague sort Of conscious
ness came stealing in upon my be-
numbed senses as the first faint beams
of coming day steal, in upon the gloom
and darkness of night, [ became aware
of the sound of voices in the room. ]
could hear words spoken. but they
seemed tar off. Gradually they seemed
to come nearer, until at last | could dis
tinguish what was being said.
s.IIe died day before yesterday" /
heard the surgeon say, in tones full of
respectful sympathy. 'The nurse found
him suffering terribly and gave him q
large dose of morphine. That seemed
to quiet him. The nurse reported the
case to me, and came as soon as I
could. When came he was dead. /
am sorry that you could not have been
here sooner, madam. He often spoke
of his mother. If had dreamed how
near the end was | would have tele-
graphed at once. But l supposed there
was no immediate danger"
Il wish [ could have been here" a
voice choked with tears made reply
the voice of my mother. 80, my poor
boy!"
Then / felt warm kisses pressed upon
my lips and tears fell like rain upon my
face.
Good Godi They thought was dead!
The terrible truth flashed over me like
lightning.
Dead!
For many hours I had been lying
there wrapped in the icy semblance Of
death, and my mother was preparing to
take my body home for burial! I tried
to open my eyes, to speak. In vain!
No muscle moved in response to the die
tates of my will. The current of life
was frozen in Tny1veins. .
1t was terrible, terrible, terrible, the
awful, sickening feeling that crept over
me when / found that my body had
thrown off allegiance to my will and
that Irwas ,powerless to move finger or
lift an eyelid. was dead, to all out
ward appearance. Once the thought
came to me that perhaps this was really
death and my soul had not yet taken its
leave of the house of clay. But l could
not believe that, and / strove to shake
off the lethargy upon me again and
again. But my will could not accom-
plish its purpose. Ifeltmyselt receding
into Inconsistencies again, as wave
goes out from shore till its identity is
lost. Twas wave on the tide of life
going out into oblivion. Thought then
that was indeed dying. The semblance
OF death was fast becoming its reality.
Then came another long and utter blank
in my existence.
When again consciousness returned,
it brought q sensation of intense cold.
[ seemed to be in some region of ice and
frost. All my energies seemed con-
gealed in deadly numbness. Again /
tried to move, to open my eyes. Not a
muscle stirred. Fssf fesss<
How long was this to continued /
asked myself that question, but could
not answer it. Then the thought came
again that after all I might be really
dead How did / know that the soul
left the body when what men call death
takes place? Might it not remain and
be conscious of earthly things the same
as beforep Who could tell what hap
pened after the breath of life has left
the body? The lips of those called dead
never opened to diYulge the secrets of
death. Perhaps Twas finding them out.
But mol mol! 1t could not be that I was
dead! Twas in a trance. But they be-
lieved / was dead, and they would bury
me aliyel
BY slow degrees the truth of my posi-
ton came upon me. Twas in my coffin.
i leave you to imagine, if you can,
what l felt. But you can not. No one
can who has not been through the same
terrible experience.
Then steps came into the room.
felt myself lifted and borne out. Twas
carried for some distance. Then knew
that those who bore me were ascending
steps. | heard the creaking of heavy
doors, and then the deep and solemn
tones of an organ broke forth in the
Dead March in Saul. a
i knew, then, that was in the church
l., u J-.AL y Il 4