The herald., 1895-01-21
THE DOCTORS FALSE PROPHECY

he smiled as he street he'd out his arms.
'.My dear friend" sighed the doctor.
The sick man stared aghnst.
.Pull Yourself together" he continued
"You are a man who can stand the truth
"What do you mean"
Your symptoms are those of the Nona''
''Of WHAT"
"A curious plague When the state OF leth-
argy is over the ,tient has three lucid hours
at the end OF which he dies suddenly"
"Whewr'
'Now ook here keep your spirits up, Ike
the piuckly fellow that you are. After all is
said and done. life is not worth living LOT.
Goodbyc-goodbye, my poor friend-gooopE''
Ten minutes later the comte had risen. Ctad
in his flannel smoking jacket he was putting
the last touches to his toilet. The doctor hao
Withdrawn that his friend nigh have time 20
settle his worldly affairs.
When he had done brushing his mustache
and smoothing his finger nails, Raymond chose
one of his iest cigars and lit 1t, whlle SUING
d sor. owful look at the other-those which he
was not to smoke Then he threw himself on
the divan and began to reflect.
However brave he might be, however fear
less OF death Comte dc Villemere soon came to
the conclusion that his case was peculiarly
aggravating one.
The day before so soon as he was taken with
fever ne had made up his mind to prepare
for the worst-he had sent for his lawyer anu
priest and destroyed all his letters. Then he
had laid down his giddy head and ia len
asleep with the conviction that he woulu hot
awake gain before doomsday.
But now he was like condemned man who,
after having made sure OF a rcprieve, found
himself suddenly on the way to the scaffold
outside the CHEEKY atmosphere OF bright
lima dav the Chnmps ElVs WIRE alive with
a continuing stream of smart carriages Ev-
erything spoke OF happiness and health. he
himself had never felt so tit Ana he WAS
asked to believe that tomorrow there would b :
nothing left OF all this, so far as he was con-
cerned, but mournful crowd OF iriends'
trip in Slow iolting hearse, ana the mum
bling priest before open grave!
Tomorrow the joys and friendly ties OF his
whole life would be gone forever.
While he was finishing his cigar. reclining
listlessly on the cushions OF his divan, Kay
mond saw all his life fit past MIN as IN
dream. Nearly forgotten episodes OF his child
hood cropped up as II they were quiet recent
then, in rapid succession, ms mlhu u"elt Oh
the many times he had lallen IN love between
ID and 20, until be came to the hrst month Oh
his married llfe
How full of unmitigated joy those days had
beenl Raymond remembered the minutest
events OF his honeymoon or moons. spent in
fun, and froic, with pleasant excursions vere-
ing on bachelors dissipation, and freaks winch
made lively gossip Tor fashlonaple 1olK. De-
lighted beyond measure by the admiration
which his wife excited wherever ne TOOK her
he was more madly in love after his marriage
than before. He would have been jealous II
the mere possibility OF such thing could nave
been seriously entertained by either of them.
dali hiu iODo IN ar
to an end by a scandalous separation, owing to
a blunder of his and rash escapade of the
little omtesse.
By Mutual consent they had separated. Yet
strange to say, their love for each other had
continued. So far as the world Was concerned,
their relations were restricted to icy bows
whenever they met on the boulevards. but
their professed Indifference for each other
scarcely deceived their common friends.
The idea of dying without having seen once
more the woman he loved above all others ap-
peared preposterous TO the comte. Studied OBJ
stinancy and stern re olive seemed 10 be alto
gether out of place when brought face to face
with everlasting separation.
What risk did he run now in attempting q
reconciliation, even if il were not to succeed?
RAYMOND sprang to his feet. and seating
himself before his writing desk scrubbed hur-
r edly q short telegram and sent it off by his
valet
ra ,oo,,ed at HE watch. he had two hours
nova ~ 1.-Two the CONT sse would have time IN
oo,,o
vor,d she ooroe9 wor1d sbe he ,orcbed br
no,o contoining DIVING MANS farewello Or
-, ~ no,antIoss dion,tv NJ o4ondod woman
.o,,Id 10 rof,,so ~ forgive oyan ,nder tbeso
so1ar,r circnmsToncaso
rho anonisb Of rncertaintr edded m tho mn.
roi tortnre rooda povmond vince desnite al,
IL o,o o,,d r,solution 10 tore bis iraritoh,o
,ato oaoiI, yith sornethino verv liz TO-,
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| on lle tHitsHol", ier i%ulures cOHtructeu VIII