Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-06-16
DEATH CONFETTI SOON OR LATE

fastened his death for charity's sake.-From the
| Detroit Free Press.l
1t was Aick Robbins who named him
the Living Skeleton, and probably remorse
| for having thus given MIN title SO de-
| scriptively accurate, that caused Robbins
to make friends with the Living Skeleton,
man who seemed to have no friends
| Robbins never forgot their first CONVEX
sation, 1t happened in this way. 1t was
the habit of the Living Skeleton to leave
his hotel promptly every morning at 10
o'clock, il the sun was shining. and to
| shuffie rather than to walk down the
gravel street to the avenue Of palms.
| There, picking ont seat on which the
sun snone, the Living Skeleton would sit
down and seem to wait patiently for some
one who never came. He wore a shawl
around his neck and soft cloth cap on
his skull. Every bone in his face stood
out against the skin, for there seemed to
be no flesh, and his clothes hung as loosely
on him as they would have upon skele-
ton. 1t required no second glance at the
Living Skeleton to know that the remain.
der of his life was numbered by days or
hours, and not By weeks or months He
dldn t seem to have energy enough even to
read, and 50 it was that Robbins sat down
one day on the bench beside him and said
sympathetieally: Il hope you are feeling
better to-day"
The Skeleton turned toward HIM and
laughed a low, n0iseless and m1rslIess
laugh for menent, and then said, in q
hol!Sw, PARKWAY voice that had no lungs
behind it. 81 am through with feeling Ell
ther better or worse.
hf0h I booa II ic bod
said R 1bbins; 1.-THE climate is doing 70 u
good down here, is it mott"
Again the Skeleton laughed silently.
and Robbins began to feel uneasy. The
Skeleton 5 eyes were large and bright and
they fastened themselves upon Robbins in
a way that increased that gentleman s I'M
easiness and made him think that perhaps
the Skeleton knew he had so named him.
Il have no more interest in climate
said the S leleton. II merely seem to
live because have been In the habit of
living for some years; presume that is
It. because my lungs are nearly gone.
Why can talk or why | can breathe is a
mystery to me. You are perfectly certain
you can hear me?'
"Oo, bear you quite distinctly" said
R ,bbins
"Well, if it wasn't that people tell sme
that they can hear me, | wouldn't believe
that am really speaking, because, you
see, | have nothing to speak with. Isn't it
Shakespeare who says something about
when the brains are out the man is dead?
We'll have seen some man who make me
think S lakespeare was wrong in his dag
nosis, but it is generally supposed that
when the lungs are gone man is dead
To tell the truth | am dead, practically.
You know the old American story about
"a man who walked around to save funeral
expenses; well it isn't quite that way with
me but can appreciate how the man
fe't Sill take a keen interest In life,
although you might not think So You
see, | haven mucn time left; I am going
to die at O'Clock on April 30-8 O'Clock
at night, not in the morning, just afre-
table d note is done with
You are going to what?' cried R ob.
bins, in astonisbment
I'm going to die that day. You see
| have got things to such point that |
can die any time [ want to- I could die
right hear now if wished. If you have
any mortal interest ia the matter I'll do
it, and show you that whatI say is true.
| don't mind much, you know, although
have fixed On April 80 as the limit T.
wouldn' t matter bit for me to 90 off
now if it would be of any interest to you
81 beg you" said Robbins, very much
alarmed, mot to try any experiments on
my account. | am quite willing to believe
anything You say about The matter-of
cour9e you ought to know
eyes, I do know" answered the Living
Skeleton, sadly. "Of course, | have had
my struggle with hope and fear, but that is
ali past now, as on may welt understand
The reason that have fixed the date for
The Both of April is this: You see have
only a certain amount Of money! do not
know why ] should make any secret Of it
i have exactly $40 francs to-day, over
and above the 100 francs which have set
aside for another purpose. J am paying s
francs day at the Golden Dragon; that
you see will keep me exactly thirty days,
and then | intend to die"
The Skeleton laughed again, without a
sound, and Robbins moved uneasily on the
seat.
81 don't see" he said finally, what there
is to laugh about in that condition of af
fairs. y
Don't you?" said the Skeleton. well,
I don't suppose there is very much; but
there is something else that consider very
laughable, and that | will tell you if you
will keep it secret. You see, the old
Golden Dragon himself always call our
innkeeper Che Colder Dragon, just as you
call me the Living Skeleton.
"Oh, | beg YOU; pardon, said Robbins,
stammering, 60
ooh, it doesn't matter at all. You are
perfectly right, and consider it very apt
term. Well, the Golden Dragon makes a
great deal of his money by robbing the
dead. You didn't know that, did you ?
You thought it was the living that sup
ported him, and goodness knows he robs
them WHEN he has chance. Well, you
are very much mistaken. When man
dies in the Golden Dragon he, or his
| friends, rather, have to pay very sweetly
| for it. The Dragon charges them for re-
| furnishing the room. Every stick of fur
niture is charged for, all the wall paper,
and so On. | suppose it is right to charge
something, bat the Dragon is not content
with what is right. He knows he has lost
customer, and so he makes all ne can cut
of him. The furniture so paid for is not
replaced and The walls are not papered
again, but the dragon doesn't abate one
penny on that account.
"Now l have inquired Of the furnishing
man on the street back of the hotel, and
ne has written ON his card just the cost Of
mattress, sheets, pillows and ali that sort
Of thing, and the amount comes up te
about so francs. have put in an envel-
ope 50-franc note, and with it the caro-
of the furniture man. | have written al
so in the letter, telling the old Dragon
just what the things will cost that ht
needs, and have referred him to the caro-