Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1896-10-15

| then a little tug with MS IOrceps.
Presently he held up to the candle,
in the clutch of the forceps, long
white spine, and regarded it curiously.
Then he said in a hollow voice: do
you know wha, it is? It's not fang
at all its cactus-spike"
What =
A strangely perplexed little group
of men gazed into each others faces
with questioning eyes, under the stars
that twinkled out over the snow-topped
edges of the Sierras.
"Only a horn"
Look at it, the doctor said. '"You
can see the thing for yourselves
One after the other we examined the
spine, feeling its point with finger
that we certainly should not have ven
tured near it had it been a poison
fang. "And there's nothing else in
the wound p Jock asked
Not a thing else"
"And you mean to tell me that I've
wasted two hours of my time, to say
nothing of bottle of our best brandy,
in walking about Greaser that has
nothing the matter but thorn in his
foot &? Well, | am darned.
That's about what you've been DO
ing" the doctor said quietly.
well, am darned' Jock turned
with a look of righteous wrath to the
wretched Mexican, who was lying in II
comatose heap in my arms but the
first sight Of his face checked the words
unspoken.
"Shake him up; keep him walking;
the doctor cried
But You don't mean to tell me,
Jock began again, when he had sue
ceeded in arousing some sign of life in
Louie, "that all that, pointing at his
distended features, is the cactus
thorn?"
"There's not a mite else in the
wound"
"Well, I am darned."
"All the same, the doctor added
quietly, "he'd have died if you hadn't
kept him going"
Died What OFF,
"Snake-bite-shake him up there
don't let him 90 drowsy.'
"Snake-bite Heavens and earth, |
thought You said there was nothing in
his foot beyond the thorn.
Then the doctor went up to Jock
and laid hand on each Of his shoul-
ders, and said, very slowly and dis
tinctly: "You mark me, Jock Peters,
we're in face of bigger thing tonight
than snake-bite. We're in the face OF
one of the biggest and ultimatest mys-
teries-the influence of the mind upon
the body. I've heard Of something
like this case before, although I've
never seen it, nor ever thought |
should and that in connection with a
coolie and a cobra in India. In that
case, too, there was no snake-bite, al
though there was a snake. The coohe
saw the snake it darted from beneath
his feet, and at the moment (ikely
from the start he gave) thorn pierced
his foot-just as it Mapped to the
Greaser. And that man, too, the
same as this man here, swelled up,
showed all the symptoms Of snake-pois-
oning and died. This man we'll save.
You, Jock, have practically saved him,
by keeping him moving and counter
acting the poison by the brandy. Look
at the man; isn't he snake-poisoned ?
mRv all that's blue he looks II.
Jock admitted.
"And all the hurt he's got-the
physical hurts just the prick of that
thorn. The rests all mental-all the
swelling, the surcharging of the vessels,
mental. Now, tell me, how do you
think that man would be but for his
morbid mental state with all that bran
dy that you have given him.
Dead, I suppose"
You're right-dead; as dead as
YOU or | would be if We set to drink
the same Just now. But he-he's hard
ly drunk; he's sober. And he's better
now-heart acting better" He bent
and listened to Its beating as he spoke.
You've seen a strange thing tonight,
gentlemen" he added, rising again
and addressing US collectively; such
a thing as neither you nor l are likely
ever to see again. And I'll tell you
another thing about it, gentlemen It's
a thing that you won't get great deal
Of credence for when you come to tell
it to the boys. There's fashion in
this world for men to believe they
know the way things happen; the thing
that happens in a way they don't
II Il 1 L