The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-19

nv name is not published Ii ls a chapter
IA terrible chap-er-of autobiography I
write i because 7 think i may act as a
warning 90 others
There are three little words En- an old
private diary Of mine which have literally
eaten themselves into my heart-thrce
short words written In Greek. I am not
roinS 10 say what these words are They
are 10 dreadful 10 be exposed % the eyes
Of a public who could not feel the horror
felt when wrote them.
These were the Circumstance which
compelled me 20 write them I had been
going through a period Of dreadful hard
work. Smallpox had been raging furious
~ IL the small northern town I'm which I
had lived for several years. one night
felt 1 was in for a spell OF the malignant
disease. 9ly eyes seemed TO have gone
woefully astray. I could see certain things
IN my surgery which / knew did not ex-
ist; ! could not see certain things which
] knew were right before me.
I was just feeling as bad as I could feel
when there was a ring at the surgery bell.
The surgery door was half open, and
could hear the message, Please ask the
doctor 10 come up to the Squire at once"
Squire Chesters was one OF my oldest
friends. I could hardly struggle into my
coat. but 1 did my best and succeeded.
] could not sit upright on the back Of my
old mare; all I could do was to throw the
reins over her head and trust to instinct
and Providence.
When ! reached the sick room I saw
my old friend sitting upright on the bed.
well, Jim, I'm glad you have come.
You can't do me any good. J. m done for
m going TO die before morning. but
a 4 ton. e.,
you before / go. The curse has been
heavy on me, and I feel that IL Is descend
ing TO my lad-or it viii descend if 1 do
not get II on my mind"
The old man looked dreadfully terrified.
but could not see any sign Of disease
about his face.
Nonsense; don't talk such rubbish You
are the most robust looking dying man /
ever saw, and have seen good many"
:, w at am telling you is true. and we
maven much time
/ sounded his chest; applied the stethe-
scope 10 his heart Still. I could not find
q dangerous symptom. The heart was
10 cause any anxiety. / tried to pacify
my old friend, but he refused all my min
istrations.
He sent the NURSE out of the room. and
then said to me, Jim, bend down TO me
man"
%Y9u are not dying, and I would rather
not listen TO any story you have TO tell
that is, II 1t is anything which will make
the blush rise to your cheek when we
meet in days that are to come"
Listen. Jim, once / killed a man."
Killed MANI l cried, aghast
moaned.
Here was something beyond nv skill as
a physician. An l could do was to COM
fort him.
Yes. he stepped in between me and my
loVe-and-and killed him, stabbed him
TO the heart in a deep, black wood which
grows on the borders of Cape Town. 1
followed him for months, followed him
nearly round the world and then I brought
him to bay. oh, my God light up the
room There's his ghost coming to laugh
at me now. See. see, sect Can't you see
This is absurd. Charles. You are dream
ing. III send you a tonic and I'll bet you
a hundred pounds to one that you are
about all right before the end of the
IT'S, no bet. can't gamble on my
death-bed."
ingly told him that 1 would mix him a
bottle that would soon put him all right
mo, I've done with your three doses a
day, he replied, with an attempt at light
We'll. .good-day, I'll see you in the
yes, IN be lying here, dead Good
me, and ! shook it.
AS l rode through the gathering twilight
/ felt convinced that my friend was not
He was in a state of extreme nervous
prostration, and just in a condition for
inviting all manner of real and imagin-
airy terrors to take possession of him.
That was all
1t was not dark when 1 entered the sur
gerry. The twilight was rapidly fading
into night, but as / knew the position of
every bottle in the surgery did not think
II necessary to put light to the gas.
| took down a bottle of quinine, meas
ured good strong dose, filled up with in
diSpensable aqua pura, handed the bot
tie to the coachman, who had come with
me for the purpose of taking it back,
heaVed sigh of relief, and went straight
20 bed. Just as l was getting into bed l
suddenly remembered that / had not re-
placed the bottle on the shelf. l had left
1t on the table. / was too tired to go
had left it.
I was not at all anxious about my
friend. / knew there was no danger 1
did not believe in the ghosts of murder
ed men coming back to the earth to haunt
TO the grave the men who had given them
talr qulttance from this world. l am
TOO much of materialist to believe any
such nonsense. But l did think a great
deal about the terrible story | had been
compelled to listen to. My friend was
one of the most loveable of men-upright
honorable, grand. noble to a fault. But
behind the peaceful face there was, /
knew, heart that knew something of
passion, heart that would almost com
pei his hands to Stay any one who had
bitterly and cruelty wronged him l be-
lieved the story / was compelled to be-
lieve IT. The old man was not delirious
when he told it, He was excited that
was all. Certainly he was in the possess
sion of all his faculties.
When l awoke in the morning I was
soon convinced that ! had come to the
point of tragedy. Going straight into the
surgery l saw a bottle standing on the
table. There was a terrible word staring
at me-glaring at me like a wild tiger
That one word was Poison"
MY God, 1 have killed him. / cried
l staggered about the little surgery like
a drunken man.
The echo of that wild, self-accusatory
cry had hardly subsidized ere the main en-
tered. stared at her wildly.
Are you i'll. sir? 1 knocked three times
but could not get an answer"
What is it?' 1 asked, excitedly
THE coachman from Mr.. Chesters is
here, sir"
Show him in" was all l said
/ made a strong effort to be calm, but
ct was difficult work. Here l was face to
face with a mistake which was crime
That bottle was pointing the finger of
condemnation at me. 1t may be Moth
ing but Imagination, but it is none the
less terribly true that as l gazed at the
small bottle it faded away before my
eyes, and its place was taken in the twink
ling of an eye by a rope which dangled
from a cross-bar The maid had heard
my cry. OF that 1 was certain. The maid
and / had never been an good terms