The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1893-12-02

| began to speculate on the number of
things one could do with ones hands
alone. This occupied me for what
seemed to be an hour: but as the train
of Thought was interrupted by clock
striking the hour o. midnight. con-
cluded it must have been much longer,
and wondered had not heard the pre-
ceding hours.
Suddenly the full horror of my condi-
ton flashed upon me. was not only
doomed to remain where | was, helpless
and alone. during the long chilly hours
of the night, but there was no certainty
that would ever get away alive. My
| friends would never dream that was
there. They had undoubtedly con-
cluded that | had gone down. and If |
they missed lie would search every |
where but in the right place. 1t might |
be days before the particular spot IN
which lay would be visited. and in
that case it would be too late. Starva-
ton would do for me. even if the injury
| had received did not. In my anguish
| shrieked aloud. but WAS duly con-
scious all the time that nobody could
hear me. Visitors and custodians alike
must have departed hours before, and
even if my cries were heard from the
streets below nobody would attribute
them to their real source.
To the feeling Of acute anguish sue
ceeded one of blank despair. no longer
hpeculated on the possibility OF being
discovered, dead or alive. There was
dull leaden feeling at my chest, and
found myself repeating mechanically
old rhymes and jingles and saying the
alphabet backward, as | once learned to
do in seeking relief from insomnia. Yet
at the same time was conscious that
, my whole life was passing in review be-
! fore me, as they say it does when one is
! drowning or being hanged. | remem-
Q bered that saying, too, and without any
r cessation of the review wondered in
g my doubled consciousness if | were
:, undergoing the sensations Of drowning
It man. or of one being hanged. and wished
d could put them down on paper for the
= benefit of the rest of mankind.
What struck me as singular was thai
+ the clocks kept on striking twelve. Thu
It second time they did this thought mus
It have lost consciousness for an entire day
and that this was the second midnight
It But when the third stroke Of twelv
n came from half dozen clocks. knew
g it could not be two days since ! ha
d fallen.
le thought first that had become de
a. mented: and then it occurred to me tina
= if | were could not reason about it /
ID that fashion. so the clocks themselve
r must be crazy. This theory satisfied NJ
g. until the striking began again. when
c. went off in another fantastic speculation
ID My friends had discovered that | WI
to missing. and were having the bells run
II to keep my spirits up.
r. Oh, the long. long, weary hours
ut spent in waiting for glimpse of da,
IS light. had no hope that dayligl
would bring me any relief. but the pro
en- pect of staying where it was endless init
o. night seemed uncomfortable. groane
ne and wept and dug my nails into tt
Is palms of my hands until it seemed as
to the blood would come: but did n
er even feel any sense of pain.
ne 1t must have been after the clocks b;
all struck midnight a dozen times or mo
ac- Il kept no exact account-that ga
in the distance at what seemed to be &
lie, farther end of the cathedral roof tv
OF faint glimmers OF light. Presently the
7as were two more and then two mo,
ms until there was regular procession
rst them tried to shout but had beech
ore so weak with cold and suffering that
could not raise my voice above q VIII
on per.
The lights nevertheless approache
OF growing gradually stronger, until
the could see that they were borne by sew
but al black-robed figures who were MARI
ms ing beside coffin. AS the processi
isle moved slowly toward me ! began
llso wonder what it meant, and whett
ght funerals took place at midnight on
an roof of Milan cathedral. Then spet
nd. lated moment on the propriety of d
my turbing the obsequies even in my
hts IRENE need. Suddenly it dawned up
ant me that this was my own funeral, an
owe knew that was either dead or had &c
mad. In the supreme anguish Of t
the discovery all memory of past suffer-
OF was blotted out. and entered on n
pass period of the most exquisite tortu
me Fortunately. it was Of brief durati
pail As the foremost Of the moving fgu
pro- reached me | felt grasp on my u
1t ! and voice called in my ear:
one "Wake up, father; it's time to
be- going down. guess you must have
any your yoke turned"
On l Il was my daughter, and beside