Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-01-21
with terror. and all talking a, once.

ringing the alarm. III Is Douhu 10 pc
so, Herr Doctor. persisted the attend.
ant on night duty at that time; 1T is
bound to be so. for No. 6s is as dead as
ever she was; l saw her myself; but the
signal Is down. and we all heard the
bell ring You might as well reason
with the waves Of the sea rs attempt
to dissipato the Unborn superstition of
the lower German classes. 1 did not
even attempt TO disturb IL. IL they
chose to believe that souls walked
and 'ilu,tered airily back and forth be-
tween the gloomy walls Of this their
temporary prison, no words Of mine
could have effect.
Finding me determined TO face the
worst, whatever it might be, the door
was reluctantly opened and was all
mittcd. The huge and dismal apart
ment was but dimly lighted by scat
tered gas-jcts. Blown by the iitful
breeze coming through the open win
dows, the ilickering light from the
burners wavered in shifting light and
shadow across the pinched and liyid
features, lending an appearance OF mo-
ton TO the drawn lips and sightless
eyes. To one unaccustomed to the as
pcct OF the dead, the heavy lips did
seem really to stir. 10 struggle against
the lcgarthy laid upon them by the
grinlmcSt roc ~ mankind. have
never known the unC when these
rooms. erected for the lying in state OF
the dead before burial, were not crowd
cd to the doors. At this time, perhaps.
a, many rs fifty bodies-men. women
and childrcn-wcrc resting upon tres
ties. In the urgent hurry Of our cr.
rand IL was impossible, 81 closely did
the trcs,lcs stand, tot pass between them
without striking against the bodies
themselves. The Baskets standing nj
the head u all Of them, waiting their
consignment Of CHASTITY freight, did
much To add To the hideousneSs Of the
scene. Strong as am, and accustomed
in the daily round Of medical work. 10
sights Of horror. found myself now
overcome.
M last. in the iarthest corner oi
the room. where the shadows clustered
thickc,t. the attendant stopped beside
II ,rcstle which supported the slcn'rr
figure Of woman reclining in half
sitting position upon couch oi nat
ural flowers. in n lifc-like attitudr-a
fancy of the professional cntrprcncur.
Clasped in the embrace of the signaling
instrument. she seemed TO have thrown
herself down in the abandon of fatigue
and thus ,o have fallen asleep. Many
palhd face has rested quietly in these
grursomc surroundings. deaf To thc
whispered words OF love AMI agony
spoken above it; but the hall had ncvr'
rooted figure morc bcautiful-frail
and cmacia,ed a. IL waS-than the one
before me. The delicate form lay
there ~ PEACEFULLY and quietly II, II a,
any moment II might rise aud tear it.
self free from the pillows Of satin and
lace hcapcd like snow about il. 1t
seemed impossible that the signal could
have sounded from this still and silent
frame lying upon its strange couch,
lifclcss, frozen. lovely waxen image,
buried beneath exquisite flowers. In,
without -ign Of life to account for the
turned signal. 1t gave some colorng
to the curious belief in the Intervention
of the devilCXprcSsed by the frightened
attendants a. physician whose
work keeps him always in contact
9th the grim realities Of grief and
pain, no, To speak Of the things which
must be claSsed with the distinctly in
applicable. readily understood the ter
ror with which the supcrsti,ious Ger
man nature regarded this night alarm
AN alarm made doubly hidcouS by
the knowledge thst il came from a ten
cmcnt once-and apparently still-de-
serted 10y its soul.
personally DO not believe in the
establishment of these rooms in Gott-
sakers," continued the Doctor. "Ihc
revival of life occurs too seldom to iu>ti.
~ the oilensc against dclicacy Of feeling
brought about by this exposing Of the
dead and exhibition Of private sricfs.
To realize the full impulsivonesS of
the practice, fancya dearly.lovcd men,
Der of your own family resting in these
haunts of sorrow, guarded by hirclings
whose tenderness and care ac meas
urcd 10y the length oi your purse and
their own unreasOning tcrrors.
Without crediting the existing of
anything uncanny in the matter Il be-
lieve tina, there is cause for every
thing). had begun to be considerably
puzzled myself. Lifting the shrunken
wrist | sought for trace of pulsation
the faintes, would have given me
hOpc-but cold and white u marble
the delicate hand lay in mine, spray
Of roses falling from the nervclcs> lin-
gers. A subtle some,hing-half dread,
half rccognition-madc me stoop more
closely above the body. felt that l
knew il. aud shrank from the shock OF
actual recognition. Pushing aside the
,rcsses Of hair falling over the brow
and concealing the features, could
not control cryof astonishment when
in the rigid form before me saw the
young Baronin Friesbach. girl when
; had last seen heT. or rather newly
made matron In all the rosy happiness
of the first months Of married life. The
shock was the greater from the fact
that had heard nothing Of her illness,
or Of her. as she had gone at orpc TO
the Friesbach estate. in the enyiiuns of
Heidelberg. l redoubled my efforts; l
sought in every possible Way to dis.
cover sign Of remaining o. rcyiving
life. II was in vain. To all appear
anccs stone dead. she slept peacefully
on. with all the strange and unaccoun