The Opelousas courier., 1891-06-13
A HEAD OF DEATH!
BY SIDNEY S

the heels of another-and now that the
last had departed, and noon was long
past, | began to think hungrily of my
luncheon. But just as l got up to leave
my consulting room my servant entered,
and handed me a visiting card upon
which was engraved the name ssMr.
Alexander Carathwaite." ''There can be
but one Alexander Carathwaite, thought
|, land he is Alexander Carathwaite, the
famous iron king and millionaire"
''show him in" l said to my servant.
The person who presently seated HIM
self opposite me struck me as @ singularly
healthy looking invalid-tall, robust.
with a clear, rudy skin and a bright
gray eye. However, "What is the
trouble2" | asked.
"Well," he answered, sits a queer
case; but, to put it briefly, I'm afraid
the troubles here" and he tapped his
forehead.
LET me hear your symptoms"
ats a long story" said he, "and I
must begin it at the beginning"
Herewith he plunged his hand into an
interior pocket of his coat and brought
forth asmall tissue paper parcel. This"
he explained, as he unwound the paper,
lis rather a valuable antique. 1t came
as a present TO MY wife the other day
from the Earl of Salchester, whom we
entertained when he was in America q
year or SO ago. AS you see, it's a mirror.
The glass is believed to be a specimen of
medieval Venttian work, and the frame
is unqcsstionably a magnificent bit of
Cinque-cento."
The whole affair was no bigger tpnasn a
lady's hand. The glass, unusually thick
and futed round the edge, was veined
and spotted and bleared over with a fine
blush mist, like the eye of an aged man.
The frame was indeed magnificent. Oval
in shape, and apparently of pure gold
so soft, at any rate, that you could have
indented it with your fnger-nail--it was
sculptured with no fewer than FIVE ex-
qulsIte nude female figures, disportihg
themselves in fantastic but graceful at
titudes amid a profusion of delicately
chiselfed fruits and leaves. Three Of
these figures reelined upon tiny golden
couches, in each of which was set d lus-
trous ruby; the other two rode upon
conventionalized lions and each lion held
q pearl between his teeth. At the base
a pair of dolphins twisted their tails to-
gether and formed the handle. Upon a
scroll of tho handle ond Y7aro ;,,,ieoH +ho
date, 1861, and the initials, E. d.
"lt is a beautiful piece of work" said
l, laying it aside, land Ienvy you the
possession of it. But what has it got to
do with your visit here2"
Everything" he returned. ats this
way" He pasued for a moment, then
he went on: "Last night, after dinner,
] picked that little mirror up and / said
jokingly to my wife, This, my dear, 10
q magical glass. If l hold it over my
waistcoat, thus and you look in you will
see straight through into my heart and
behold the face Of the woman | love- So
Mrs. Carathwaite laughed and looked,
and OF course she saw her own face. |
Then to carry on the farce I said, Nov |
let me see whether it will show me the
face of the mar you love- And, always
laughing, I held it over her breast and
i'm
aYesf' ! prompted, as he paused
again.
aWell, Doctor, instead of my own face
what saw reflected in that glass was a
grinning deaths head-a skull. Jaw
It just as plainly as | see you now. j
looked at 1T steadily, without moving,
for, should think, three minutes. II
never varied. A human skull in absolute
detali-eyes, nose, teeth, even the very
seams between the bones. perfectly dis
I'm not a superstitious man, but
!. confess the sight gave me the goose
iesh. It were superstitlous / don't
know what | might think. Pm not 9
thinking man either, or else I should be-
leve it was q touch Of delirium tremens
As u IS, ! am at an utter loss to account
or 1t IN any way except on the theory |
hat it's the beginning of some mental
He spoke ~nervously, and
ooked at me a~nxiously when he had
lone. He was plainly in a white funk.
"Humph! You say you saw it stead
for two or three minutesfo I in
uired.
ttYes.n
HThen did it disappear2a'
ut did not disappear till | moved.
8 soon as | moved the deaths head dis
ppeared, and | saw the reflection of INV
wn face.
Have you ever had any similar ex-
erience before2 Ever fancied that YOU
an object just before you that in
had no e~xistencean
Never in my life
I'm such perfect shape that I'm
ever conscious of possessing such 4
ing.
aAnd your general health?a
'sSuperb.n
LET me feel your pulse His pulse /
firm, regular and proper in time. /,
show me your tongue" His tongue
Is pink and clean. :sOpen four ewes
and look towards the Light His | I,
we're steady 10 their gaze, the pupils / !,
ntracted readily, and the lid dropped /
ontanecusly upon ny approaching my /
ger. /,
did you tell your wife what vou had !
.n2o / asked