The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-06-26
sPoNr ANEous COMBUSTION.
A Grotesque and Hideous Picture Drawn bJ

A Grotesque and Hideous Picture Drawn By
lola in "Dr. Tascai."
Jeanette l.. elders Review of the Novel
One of the minor characters in the story
is Uncle Macquart," eighty or more years
Of age, the son of the old MAD woman. he
lived alone and was gradually drinking
himself TO death. He gives Zoia an oppor-
tunity for painting picture that Tor the
hideously grotesque 1t would DO hard TO
equal. Spontaneous com bustion 10 not new
to the nov elist Dickings got rid OF one Of
his characters in that way. and so did Capt.
Aarryat, If l mistake not Nine. Rougon
has occasion to visit him at his house. The
door stood open and she called him from
the outside. but he made no reply. AT last
with a vague feeling that all was not right
she went inside
The door on the left of the hall opening
into the kitchen. whore Uncle Macquart
generally slept. was closed. She pushed it
open. but she could distinguish nothing 8t
first as the blinds had been closed. proc
ably in order to shut out the heat. Her
first sensation was one of choking, caused
by an overpowering odor of alcohol which
filled the room; every article of furniture
seemed to exude this odOr; the W hole house
was impregnated with IL At last. when
her eyes had become accustomed
TO the semi-obscurity, she perceived
Macquart He was seated AT the table. on
which were glass and bottle OF spirits
of thirty-six degrees completely empty.
Settled in his chair, he was sleeping pro-
foundly. dead drunk. This spectacle re-
vived her anger and oon tempt
leone. Macquart.' she cried. is 1t not
vile and senseless to put ones self In such
q stated Wake up. l say: this is shameful
"In vain she raised her voice and slapped
him smartly on the hands.
"'Macquart Macquart Macquart! Alb,
faugbl You are disgusting, my dearv
Then she left him. troubling herself no
further about him. and walked around.
looking for something to drink from.
Coming down the dusty road from the
asylum she had been seized with q con-
Stunning thirst and she wished to get glass
| of water Her gloves embarrassed her and
| she took them OFT and put them on q corner
| OF the table. Then she succeeded in find
| ing the jug and she washed glass and
| filled 1t 10 the brim and was about to empty
| IL when she saw an extraordinary sight. q
sight that agitated her SO greatly that she
set the glass down again beside her gloves
| without drinking.
"By degrees she had begun to see objects
more clearly in the room, which was
| lighted by a few scattered sunbeams that
| filtered through the cracks of tho old shut
| tors. She now saw Uncle MacQusrt dis
| timothy, neatly dressed in q blue cloth suit
| as usual. and on his head the eternal fur
cap which he wore from one years end
60 the other. He had grown stout
during, the last five or SIX years.
and he looked like Q veritable
mountain of flesh overland with rolls of
| fat. And she noticed that he must have
fallen asleep while smoking. for his pipe-a
short black pipe-hac fallen into his lap.
| Then she stood still. stupehed with amaze.
| ment-the burning tobacco had been scat
| tered in the fall and the cloth of the trou-
sers had caught fire, and through hole in
| the stuff. as large already as hundred. sou
| piece, she saw the bare thigh, whence Is
sued little blue flame.
| AT first Felicite lad thong ht that ir was
| llneD-tue drawers or the shirt-thRt was
burning But soon doubt was no longer
posi- BILE: she SAY distinctly the bare flesh
| and the little blue flame escaping from IL.
| lightly dancing like flame wandering
| over the surface of a vessel OF lighted
alcohol 1t was yet scarcely higher shan
| the flame of a night light. pale and soft.
and SO unstable that the slightest breath
of air caused il to change it's place. But it
| increased and spread rapidly, and the skin
cracked. and the fat began to melt
| An involuntary CRY escaped from Felici-
| ta's throat.
| "'MacQuart! Macquartp
! "But still he did not stir. His insensibil.
| ity must have been complete: intoxication
| must have produced q sort OF coma. in
which there was an absolute paralysis of
| eensation, for be was living, his breast
could DO seen rising and falling in slow and
| even respiration.
"'Macquart! Macauartp
| Now the fat was running through the
| cracks of the skin, feeding the flame,
which was invading the abdomen. And
Felioite cOmprehended vaguely that Uncle
| Macquart was burning before her like
| sponge soaked with brandy. He had. in
deed, been saturated with 1t for years past
| and of the strongest and most intiammabIe
| kind. He would no doubt, soon be- blazing
! from head TO foot like bowl of punch"
| Beng an extremely selfish person and
| anxious always to avoid annoy ance, Nine.
ROugon left Uncle MacQusrt to burn. Soon
| after her departure DIR. Pascal and ClotIlde
| came shat way ana stopped to see the old
| man. They were surprised that he was not
| at his usual place at tho edge of the terrace.
| Clotilde remained outside while Pascal
| went into the house to lind him:
| Then the scene presented to the Doctors
| view filled him with am8Zement Every.
thing was in it's place. the glass and the
empty bottle of spirits were on the tsole;
only the chair in which Uncle Maoquart
must have been sItting bore traces of fire:
| the front legs were blaokened and the
| straw was partially consumed. What had
| become of Macquarti Where could he
have disappearedf in front of the
chair. on the brick floor, which
tie heap of ashes beside which lay the
pipe, black pipe. which had not even
broken in falling. All of Uncle Macquart
was there. IN this handful of fine ashes;
| fiOated through the open window-in the
layer Of sOOt which carpeted the entire
kitchen-tbe horrible grease of burnt
| nesh envelOplng every thing, sticky and
| foul TO the touch"
Clotilde soon returned and was greatly
shocked by what had happened. DIR.
Pascal did not think that IL was 30 ter.
| ribie.
Just think of itv he exclaimed. To
be drunk TO the point of not feeling shat
one Is on fire; to set ones self on tire, like q
bonfire on st. Jeans day; to disappear In
smoke TO the last bone Think of Uncle
Macquart starting on HE journey throngh
space; first ditfused through the
four corners Of the room, dissolved In air
and floating about bathing all that be-
longed to HIM; then escaping in cloud of
dust through the window when opened il
for him, soaring up into the sky. filling the
horizon. Why. that IL an admirable death.
To disappear. to leave nothing of himself
behind bnt little heap of ashes and pipe
beside it,"