Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-08-14
THE DOCTORS STORY.

IarlS TO nnlSh my meulcal euucatlOn
under the care of Il famous French sur
geon living and practising in that gay
city.
1T was during my wildcat period.
/ am sorry to have to confess when
one night l paid my first visit to n
gambling house-and the last for the
experience l had taught me much
needed lesson and satisfied my curios-
ity forever in that line.
The house in which 1 was intro
duced by supposed friend was gorge
ously arrayed and a great game OF
rouge-et-nOir was going on and which
/ knew not the first thing about.
''But with a young mans conceit in
creased by the wine which flowed free
and freely found place at the table
and, instructed by my companion COM
menced betting.
With a greenhorn's luck kept win
ming and doubling the stakes in spite
of my guides endeavors to make me
quit with what had before my good
fortune changed. Soon the other play
ers withdrew from the game, leaving
me alone against the bank. The play
had become intensely exciting and /
was the center of all eyes. My COM
panion l had offended by refusing
angrily his advice to stop, so he would
speak no longer on friendly terms-for
which l neither cared nor thought.
"A great pile of gold lay before me
on the table stacked against the banks
for the last decided throw.
IF / won the bank was broken.
With my fools luck did win.
The game was over and my pockets
bulged with their load of yellow French
coins swept into them without count
ing.
Then more wine from the polite
and smiling keeper and my head swan
and things danced confusedly around
me.
IL remember some one Offering to
help me and saying l shouldn't risk
being murdered and robbed by going
home and telling me l could have a
bed in that house where | could sleep
off my wine and excitement and be
perfectly sale till daylight protected
me.
II remember, too, shaking his hand
and vowing eternal friendship and. arm
in arm, going with him to room up
stairs and getting into bed and hear
ing him wish me a bon SOir, Monsieur
and then softly close the door and
leave me.
IL must have fallen asleep imme-
diately and slumbered not long. When
/ awoke, though my head felt weak
it was clear and in few minutes l
came to myself a bit and lay there try
ing to think if all was dream or
reality.
The room was handsomely furnished
and lighted by a gas jet turned rather
low.
"a picture hung on the wall at the
foot of the bed. which began to no.
tice had four high posts reaching to
the ceiling and holding some sort of
top canopy extending over the whole
with short curtains at the sides.
The picture which / was watching
listlessly was a figure of an old soldier
standing grimly, stern and straight,
gazing, too, at me. After a while j
got tired of the old fellow and shut
my eyes When l opened them after
some minutes half doing my grim
sentiners hat had disappeared. That
seemed strange, and l closed my eyes
again. When | locked the old chaps
head was gone.
II lay puzzling over the affair and
wondering if my head was to be de-
pended on yet until, to make sure, /
stepped from the bed to the floor.
The first thing that struck me was
that the canopy top of my bed looked
queer. IL seemed lower and the four
posts holding it seemed to have
pierced through its corners and into
the ceiling above. While l was trying
to understand saw between the can
opy and the ceiling glistening, long
thick iron rod, apparently grooved
like an immense screw. and twisting
so noiselessly and slowly as to be
scarcely perceptible.
"At once it flashed on me that / was
in peril of some kind and though
badly startled l managed TO avoid
making noise. while tried 10 COM
prehend what deviltry was going on.
Soon i saw through it all. The
canopy was bogus-merely hiding a
soft mattress. or something. which was
being forced gradually down by the
screw worked from the room above,
and was intended to Catch and smother
whoever slept on the bed, after win
ming the gamblers gold and being
dfugged with their wine, like myself.
Judging from the movements the
screw was making. l calculated a half
hour must intervene ere my murderers
would pay me a visit-providing l
didn't bring an attack sooner by alarm
ing them.
Without q sound ] got a window
open and gazed out in the darkness.
The wind was blowing and rafting
shutters, and might prevent the noise
of an escape being heard, in case one
was possible.
Thick clouds were flying over the
sky obscuring the moon, just rising.
II could SEQ that my room was in