Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1890-05-17

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it in the candlestick and blew it out.
IL.
In physicians office in Kearney
street three men sat about table
drinking punch and smoking. TWAS
late in the evening, almost midnight,
indeed, and there had been no lack of
punch. Theeldest ofthe three, whom
we may call HENDERSON, was the host
lit was in his rooms they sat. He
was about thirty years of age; the
Others We're even younger; all were
physicians.
THE superstitious awe with which
the living regard the dead, said DR..
HENDERSON, lis hereditary and incur
able. One need no more be ashamed
of it than of the fact that he inherits
for example, an incapacity for math-
emntics, or n tendency to lie"
The others laughed. "Oughtn't a
man to be ashamed to be liar?"
asked the youngest OF the three, who
was, in TACT, n medical student not
yet graduated.
"My dear Harper, l said nothing
about that. The tendency to lie is
one thing; lying is another"
"But do you think, said the third
man, that this superstitious feeling,
this lear of the dead, reasonless as we
know it to be, is universal? lam my
self unconscious OF it,"
''Oh, but it is in your system, for
all that, replied Helberson; 1T needs
only the right conditions-what
Shakespeare calls the confederate
season'-to manifest itself in some
very disagreeable way that will open
your eyes. Physicians and soldiers
are, of course, more nearly free from
it than others"
physicians and soldiersl Why
don't YOU add hangmen and heads
menu Let US have in all the assassin
classes"
mo, my dear Mancher; the juries
will net let the public executioners
acquire sufficient familiarity with
death to be altogether unmoved by
it under ordinary circumstances"
Young Harper, who had been help
ing himself to a fresh cigar from the
sideboard. resumed his seat. "What
would you consider conditions under
which any man or woman born would
become unexpectedly conscious OF
his share of our common weakness in
this regard?" he asked, rather YER
bosely.
"Well, / shonld say that If man
were locked up all night with q corpse
-alone-in q dark room-ofa vacant
housewife no bed covers to pull
over his head-and lived through it
without going altogether mad-he
might Justly boast himself not OF
woman born, nor yet, like Macduff,
a product OF the CRsarian opera
I ton"
"Ithought you never would finish
piling up conditions, said Harper;
"but know n man who is neither a
/ physician nor n soldier who will nc
cept them all for any stake you like
/ to name"
'Who is he?"
"His name is Jarett-a stranger in
I California; comes from my town in
New York. haven't any money to
back him. but he will back himself
with dead loads of it,"
How do you know that2"
she would rather bet than eat. As
for fear, / dare say he thinks it some
cutaneous disorder. or possibly d
! particular kind of religious heresy. y
What does he look like?" HELLER
son waseyidently becoming interest
ed.
Like Mancher, here-might be his
twin brother"
II accept the challenge" said Hell
berson promptly.
lawfully Obliged to you for the
compliment, I'm sure" drawleC
Mancher, who was growing sleepy
Cant | get into this?"
s'Not against me, Helberson said
II don't want your money"
"All right" said Mancher; "I'll b.
the corpse"
The others laughed.
The outcome Of this crazy CONVEX
sation wehave seen.
4 In extinguishing his meager allow
ance of candle Mr.. Jarette's obiecr
was to preserve it against some un
forseen need. He may have thought
too, or half thought, that the dark
ness would be no worse ut one tim
than another. and II the position be
came insupportable, it would b,
better to have means OF relief, d
even release. At any rate it was wis
to have a little reserve or light, evei
if only to enable him to look at hi
watch.
No sooner had he blown out tn
candle and set it on the floor at hi
side than he settled himself comfort
ably in the arm chair, leaned bacl
and closed his eyes, hoping ind ex
pecting TO sleep. In this he was dis
appointed; he had never in his life fel
less sleepy, and in few minutes h
gave up the attempt. But what cOul,
he do? He could not go gropini
about in the absolute darkness at th
risk of brUising himself; at The risk
too, of laundering against the tabl