The San Francisco call., 1897-09-19

answer passed from eye to eye, and then
the waiting. statuesque figures wakened
into sudden life. The gorgeous plaid
wrapper, previously uniastened, was
thrown open and the thin and pallid
body, with the ribs standing out in bold
relief, looked like hgure carVen III
ivory Yell wed by time.
The operator, with the deliberation OF
fate, selected knife out of the assortment
at his side, and the otheZs, moved by
comm on impulse, drew nearer.
Gripping the towel he intrusted TO me
like grim death, /, too, stepped closer to
the loot of the table, where | could see
every movement of the skiIful white hand
which guided the keen blade.
An instant, and a thin red line appeared
on the cream colored skin az though the
surgeon were marking out his work with a
pen dipped in crimson ink. Then came a
.wift, sjdewise motion, and another ap-
peared at right angles with it; and then
another-each widening slowly as the
blood crept over the edges of the clean
cut flesh.
The woman had begun moaning family,
plaintive, choked little means that came
and died away with every breath-ths
protest OF the suffering body while the
brain slept.
At signal from the doctor who was
measuring each beat of the artery under
his finger, the chIoroform cone was moved
aside and the face colorless as death itself,
with halfopeu. lusterless eyes, and thin
lips drawn away from the teeth, was ex-
posed to view.
There was an oblong crimson hole in
the patients throat tnow, and the surgeons
hngers were crimson. One of the nurses
was busy with cloth blotched and spot
ted with the same dreadful color, and the
hands of the assistant, who was busily
working in that CHASTITY opening with nip
pers and bits OF thread, were SINE Jared with
crimson also
turned faint with the sickening horror
of IL all The hawk like eyes of the
operator, as he Strengthened up for 8
moment to reIieve the strain on his mus
eles and nerves, fell on me.
I'VE do not need you," he said, sharply,
but not unkindiy, land you will be better
off elsewhere. You can be excused"
There was no help for it. His word was
law, and, to tell the truth, l was glad TO
get away without being compelled to beat
an ignominious retreat, for my knees were
shaking under me. l was outside the door
in another minute and leaning against
the wall trying TO gain control of myself
and breathe naturally once more.
Half way up the hall man stot d. ook-
ing blankly out into the garden, bright
with Gods blessings of flowers and sun
shine. He was thick-set man, in COM
mon clothes, with scrubby beard, mixed
with gray, and round shoulders, and hard
gnarled hands, which stamped him as be-
longing to the working clas, es. HIS
scanned face was ashen underneath its
tan, and his fingers clutched the edge Of
the window-sill with a grip which had
drlvtn the blood from under his broken
and dingy nails. He looked at me slowly
and duly as l passed, and then looked
out into the garden again, his lips NOV
ing uncertainty under bis ragged mus
tache. Perhaps he was praying, for he
was the patients husband, and he was
waiting-for whatP
l hurried up to my friends room, and
throwing myself on her narrow bed buried
my face in her skinny pillow. An hour
afterward the rightful occupant of the
apartment came in serene and smiling.
II told you so" she said. with true
feminine aggravatingness. ~ knew that
you couldn't stand it; but it was a fine
operaIionP'
''Successful2' / queried breathlessly,
blaming my self. now that it was all over,
for the cowardice which had prevented me
from seeing the affair through.
Perfectly" was the enthusiastic
answer; mot single thing went wrong.
Dr. X is certainly one of the finest sur
geons in this country, and brilliant
operator. 1t is privilege to assist him.
How glad he must have been to be
able to give that poor woman back 10 her
husband l cried. "They will be ever
lastingly grateful to himr'
The nurse coughed half apologetically.
"As for that" she said, cit was their
own fault of course, for she did not come
to us soon enough. The operation was
brilliantly successful from a scientific
point of view, but unfortunately the pa
tient was very weak and the shock was
too much for her"
"And she is
Dead" said the hospital nurse, pla.
cidly. FUNEGAL MCVAHoN.