The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-02
OUT OF DARKNESS INTO LIGHT.
A Novel: BY DR.. j. A. Houser.


much as to say 81 have you now"
The yelping dogs had reached the val
ley Immediately beneath the beast, but
to gain his position would have taken
them long way around the hill With
head, for an instant erect, Strengthening
himself to his full height, then with
head near the ground, with ears laid
back. step by step, measured, but not
slow, he advanced on the trembling, de-
fenseless woman. Her screams availed
nothing and she was silent With great
est terror comes profound silence, as
with greatest grief there are no tears
and with greatest joy but emotion.
After all. joy, grief and fear ends in
emotion.
She stood. motionless. speeches.,
transfiXed, resigned. Looking still at
the eyes, now lighted up by the dark
ness, and now dimmed by the light, as
If nature waited for a perfect picture
of weakness and strength, a helpless
woman before an Infatuated beast. He
is near enough. one spring and he could
reach her. He crouches low, his hind
legs doubled under his body as he drops
far back on his launches to have a
greater action of the muscles. With
low growl he springs high in the air
and lights full upon the now bending
body of the helpless victim, who. stand
ing near the edge of the cliff, was car
ried over by the weight of the body,
and animal and woman went down the
crags, amid the screams and shouts of
the witnesses that had now reached
the little valley below Over and over
they went. The beast had loosened his
hold upon the woman. thinking ii well
TO take care of himself, for he found in
the fall he was almost as helpless as
she. No sooner had the animal reached
the ground than ne was seized by the
dogs and hunters, who were there with
axes, guns and such implements as
were gathered quickly when they heard
the screams of the woman and the pan
Their. The fight was not long, but
fierce. The animal was dispatched. The
groans of the woman attracted the at
tention of the hunters, and now to see
who and what she was. was their next
duty. Under the torchlight they per-
ceived what they could hardly give a
name to, but finally discovered that it
was the same fortune-teller who had
stopped with them Il few nights before.
who was lost and came back the next
night. The beast had scratched her
flesh, had bitten her arm, but the fall
was worse, she had broken the bones
of one of her legs.
When the rude mountaineers had
slain the panther and turned their at
tention TO the unfortunate woman who
now lay upon the ground suffering and
groaning, and discovered her deplorable
condition, their savage visages softened
down into that true sentiment of human
ity. pity for its kind. Each tried to
surpass the other in some little. gentle
attention for the creature whose late
experience had ended in little short Of
her death, or conditions We're promising
to bring it about at the earliest con-
venience. When they attempted to
raise her and the fracture of the limb
was discovered, every hand lent willing
assistance to carry her TO the cabin on
the adjacent hill, and did it as gently
as If each being was pity itself. Sue
ceeding in this, the poor outcast found
a kindness that is alone found where
the claws of restitution have busted
themselves in scratching for existence.
There was but one bed in the house. I'm
which slumbered a mother and young
babe. The crippled woman was forced,
even against her protest. to take that
while the weakness of maternity found
a bed upon straw on the floor While
this was being done the physician. who
lived a few miles away. was sent for.
Awaiting the arrival Of the doctor, the
story Of the panther his leap upon the
woman. falling of both over the cliff,
the killing of the panther and the car
rying of the woman to the cabin was
rehearsed to the wonder and surprise
of the women and children. and suggest
ed many other panther stories
On the arrival Of the medical man.
VINO proved to be a typical; backwoods,
Oid-fashiOned, good-natured, homespun,
fat doctor, such as were common at this
period in the hills. His knowledge of
the healing art was a mongrel between
the batOnic system and witchery. He
doctored much in the moon; that is. at
certain stages of the moons waxing or
waning he could cure certain diseases
with certain YARDS" that would be. as
he said. "pisen," at another time. His
knowledge of surgery was even less
than il was Of medicine. IT is possible
that he knew a bone from a muscle
he draa Cd Of ha
ferentiation of endomosis and eXesmosis.
He believed in greasing babies from he
ing "hver-grown." and had implicit
faith in measuring with charm-strings
for erysipelas. This measurement.
which is even common yet with some
Of the benighted, was carried on three
times a day for ninety successive days,
and of course, usually these diseases
would get we'll by resolution, a natural
recovery, but the charm got the glory
For the urinary troubles of small chill
dren. he would prescribe three honey
bees put into a bottle, to which must be
added water from a south running
brook; about the neck OF the bottle must
be attached string. 1T is best to have a
blue ribbon, and tied about baby'S neck,
and when the bees had. by some cabal-
istic way. assumed some certain posi-
tiOn in the bottle diurisis would take
place In a way that would bring TO the
infantile's dreams pictures OF Niagara
cially for tumOrs. nine little muslin bags
were filled with some dry herbs. with
which. of course, there was connected
some mystery, all tied about the neck
Of the patient Every third or ninth
day one was removed and taken away
and buried, accompanied with some in
carnations. After the burial OF the last
one, If the patient did not get well, he
would die, which seems quite probable
For sore eyes and scrOfula, he pre-
scribed a blue yarn string worn about
the neck. The jaw bone Of a frog
worn in the bosom. never failed to cure
pocket was a dead shot on rheuma-
tism However with all his ignorance,
he had look Of profound wisdom.
Upon the doctors arrival. the noun
taineers in the cabin gave him an ample
opportunity for an exposition of what
he did not know. InveStiga ton
soon showed him two fractured bones
midway between the knee and ankle.
This discovered, he asked for assistance
in Setting the bone"
In this case as in the fracture Of
bones, the contraction Of the muscles
draws one end of the broken surface
past that Of it's fellow, and IL takes con-
siderable force, sometimes, to stretch
these muscles and bring the broken
parts together. To accomplish this, the
left open for the old doctor, was to have
a strong man or two hold the woman,
with hands under her arms, while one
or two would pull in opposite direction,
at the foot, while he would adjust the
broken bones.
He had no trouble in finding men to
do the first part, but to stand before