The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-18
WHICH WAS HEP
. no extraordinary Story or tho Quiet Mar
In the Corner.

The drummer had told story which
was II corllrr. 1t was that kind of Il
story which makes u quiet, good man.
oered dog on the rug get up and howl
Us II bell were ringing, or there was
gong to be Il death in the house 1t
was true story. too, for it was OF his
hwn experience and he said il WAS true.
Nobody was saving IL word. when u
hitherto quiet man, who looked rs if he
might be II professor in Il theological
seminary, coughcd ncryously ana re.
marked:
Our friends story, here, reminds me
OF an experience ! once had. You may
have observed that have u clerical APP
pcarancc at least us To my face Idon't
blame you for that, and you should i OF
blame M; it is not my fault; it was my
anisfortu&e. In my youth | was by no
means good young man. and for som.
OF my miSdccdS [ WAS compelled to f;v
the country. L flew and landed in
China, where, by some strange chance,
/ fell among missionaries. The natives
had become ugly and were making
threats daily, but we had Il colony OF
two hundred or more foreigners and
being we'll armed we We're holding the
Tort bravcly One day | went with a
missionary of about my own age into
The Chinese town and the yellow devils
swoopcd down on us and under some
plea or other put us in pr son
anu the nc%t day after Il farcical
trial we were taken out into an
open lot to pe behcadcd, as is the Chi
ncSc custom. Oar friends had heard
OF ourplightand we hopcl for IL rescue
but none had come when we went forth
to our execution, nor was there any
sign of 1t when our foes fore ID us &c
Inecl aud bow our heads ready for the
sword 1t isn't necessary, gentlemen,
to go into our feelings ut this awful
moment. We did us other men have
done under sim!lnr circumstances As
the cXecutioncr came beside me anc
took his place with his cleaning SWORD
IN hand, knew the end had come anc
ncrvcd myself to take it, My missionary
friend was praying for us both All al
once heard u great shout, the firing o.
guns, Il sharp, quick pain rs if n rcd hot
cord around my neck and then knew
no more. for can not say how lonr
Suffice it, that did recover conscious
ness and that had been rescued by 2
force of British soldiers, and that my
poor friend had boon executed lust Il:
help was ut hand. Nothing more WA.
told, and for Il week lay in II kind o.
stupor, with u strange burning pain il
my neck and the surgeons watching
me with the greatest interest and solci
tudc, permitting no one but thcmsclvc.
to see meat any t-mc. Then began tc
improve, until one day was wei
enough, they said, to hear their story
which was also my own. They tolc
me that just rs their force fired on til,
Chinese, the cxccutioncrs performed
their task and within a few second:
they had rushed up and found two
hcadlcss bodies on the plain. Instantly
the surgeons clappcd the heads or
again, closed the wounds, and by ever,
means known to science had sought tc
undo the work of the iicnds in Chinese
shape. With my friend they had bcc1
unsuccessful but with me success hat
crowned their efforts, and now, they
said. handing me Il mirror:
q" Look at Yourself
IL took the mirror, looked ut myself
hurled the glass AT the surgeons
" Great heavens, shrickcd 'yor
have got the mssonary's head on my
shoulders and then tainted away. \
''ssS AiSNi q iNtO|Nitt anu liiNN were DN
my bedside waiting anxiously They
asked me a question or two but an
parcHtly knew nothing. Then They
told me the story over again and handed
Inc the glass. | looked at my face anc
then down ut my hands and at my body.
flung the glass ut the surgeons
"'Mcn and brethren cried, what
have You done? You have put my hcad
on the body of my friend, and with a
scream tainted away. From this re
covered again by the next day, and
once more the awful thought that
had another mans head on my shoul
ders almost crazcd me. When / slept
and woke again the Thought that
had another mans body affected me as
seriously as the other thought. Thus
alternating slowly grew stronger
until | was able 10 leave my room, and
gentlemen, since that awful experience
i am divided man; one day what you
sec now, the next my missionary friend
and the fearfulest thought of all is
which one Of us is dead"
The strange speaker ceased, and the
drummer in deep humility handed him
bottle.
"ralse it ali. he said. 1.-THE mission.
airy, presume, isn't Il drinking man
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