The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-09-19
AN ADVENTURE WITH A SKULL

ghosCs or IN other supernatural ter
rors9"
81 had such a contempt once but 1
was completely cured of it years ago."
You surprise me. May I ask
whether you healed yourself or EN-.
ployed the services of some other
physician9"
DR.. Weymouth caught the humor in
the remark of the young medical stu
dent who was questioning him, and
laughed.
II was cured by something worse
than physician" he replied.
What was it97'
ga human SKILL"
Your story must be a strange one."
ut is; but I will not tell it to you I'M
less you will solemnly promise not to
repeat it."
"Why so much ~secrecy2"
cit is not necessary to satisfy your
curiosity now. My reason will be
plain to you when my narrative is
ended"
very W61l; L promise.
ITO give you a thorough understand
ing of my singular experiece, it is
necessary for me to recall a series of
events which preceded the s~upernatur-
al horror which I shall describe.
when I began to practice medicine
in a small inland city, I became &C
quainted with a beautiful girl who so
charmed me that I sought her society
frequently. have since learned that
she then regarded me with favor, and
no doubt l would have conducted a
regular coUrtship which would have
ended in a happy marriage, had it not
been that entirely unexpected circum-
stances suddenly separated us. Ny
father was stricken with a fatal illness,
and my presence was required at his
home in Massachusetts until his death,
which took place after I had been with
him six months. When I returned to
the West and. resumed my medical
practice, 1 learned to my great chagrin
that Miss Wilkins, the girl to whom /
A4AN OOCA OO CLSCA4bANO s CL4SdSCN W
be married to a young lawyer named
Goodwin. He had been as rapid in his
love affair as l had been slow in mine,
and 1 then learned the bitter lesson
which many other young men who
have been dilatory in courtship have
also learned, that if a prompt and
Jealous rival appears, and be is pretty
sure to do so if the girl is highly at
tractive, he will win the prize during
an absence of even a few months on
the part of the dilatory sutton.
"Of course there was nothing for me
to do except to accept the inevitable. I
bore my disappointmentas best could
and gave assiduous attention to the
duties of my profession. Meanwhile I
learned that I was not the only disap-
pointed sutton. Mr.. Callahan, a hand
some photographer, had tried to win
the hand of Miss Wilkins during my
absence in Massachusetts, but he soon
found that Goodwin was preferred to
himself. Callahan was a moody and
d~isagreeable fellow in spite Of his good
looks, and I was decidedly glad that
he had been unsuccessful. Knowing
what his disposition was, I was sur
prised to observe that after Miss VIII
kins had become Mrs. Goodwin he cul-
tivated the husbands acquaintance,
and within a few months became his
intimate friend. I often saw them to-
gether, and used to wonder whether
Callahan was sincere in his friendship.
Several years passed away and brought
about interesting changes. Goodwin,
who was a pleasant fellow, but was not
a man to heed the claims Of morality
when they strongly conficted with his
inclinations, fell al easy victim to the
wiles of a fair adventures. He kept
his infatuation we'll concealed from his
wife, however, and she was entirely
unsuspicious until she finally discov-
cred his unfaithfulness in a most sing
ular manner One night, while Mr..
Goodwin was absent on a long journey,
his house was entered by a burglar
who went to the library and broke
open a desk in which Mr.. Goodwin kept
private papers and letters, and which
was never left by the owner unlocked.
In the morning Mrs. Goodwin found the
contents of the desk scattered on the
floor, and among them a package OF
love letters from the adventures. The
cat was now out of the bag, and the
wronged wife instituted proceedings
for a divorce, which was granted.
Soon after she had accomplished her