The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-07-21
CHAPTER VII.
THE AUTOPSY.

Wy bulIoWs, LNNis Crossel tue hull aut
went into the parlor. Though New
England farm people usually aris
early, he judged from the stiffness il
the house that no one else was yet astir
He heard tho detective go up stairs ant
close his door behind him. In the Guie
Of morning in the country the leas
sound is heard afar off. He wondered
how it was that Burrows had been il
the hall so early and why he had re
turned to his bedroom, but there was nj
way of having his thoughts answered
He stood near the fireplace for a lonl
time with one elbow on the lnantel hi
head on his hand, gazing upon the spo
where the corpse had been found, a!
though fascinated.
There are some who avoid the pres
ence of the dead, or places where the
dead have been. These would strenuous
ly deny the possibility that spirits of the
departed return to earth, yet in their sc
cret hearts they admit that 1t might be.
They scof at ghosts, yet avoid "A chance
of meeting ono. There are others who
would no more enjoy such an encounter,
but who, having speculated little as tc
the possibilities or probabilities, yet. in
an undefnable, half conscious way. won.
der whether such things can be. These
are attracted to the scenes Of deaths, and
especially Of bomicides, for, If any
ghost should have the desire to return,
would it not be the grim specter Of one
who had been forcibly elected from his
earthly she'll? Night not his unfinished
career contain some incompleted pur-
pose, so strongly impressed upon the
soul, that he would try to get back into
communication with some ono whom
he might inspire to do his bidding, SO
that he, poor ghost, might continue
upon bis long journey lighter heartfelt
Or, in case Of murder, might it not be
that the keen following Of a scent by
the quick mind Of a shrewd detective
results from the whisperings of the
spirit Of tho deceased, which hovers
about tho scene till Justice be done? II
this bo possibility, would it not bo a
probability that such would be the case
where suspicion had fallen upon some
beloved one? For whether she, if a
woman were suspected, were even truly
guilty, might not kindly, loving ghost,
be willing to save her from vengeance,
even though some other, perhaps his en-
emy, would suffer in her placer
However this may be, the fact re-
mains that, though we may speculate
and speculate, VIC know nothing. And,
knowing nothing, we speculate. Thus
it was not strange that In that room
and on that spot Lewis should allow
his thoughts to wander afar Off, so far
indeed that we need not follow him.
But while he stood there blind and deaf,
as the distracted always are, Though
their eyes and ears may bo in perfect
order for the reception of impressions,
there entered one whom he neither saw
nor heard.
use this pronoun, although I am al.
luding to the great mastif, for it was
the dog who stalked silently into the
room. I believe that religicnists, in
their cgotism, have selfishly appropri-
atcd all the souls in creation and be-
slowed them upon the king of all ami
mails, man, To my mind there is some.
thing inherently wrong about this dog.
ma. I have met too many good dogs
and too many bad men to easily believe
that man alone is immortal, for surely
if there be any Immortality at all the
good in the world must share 1t. So /
think the good in the dog is more
worthy Of perpetuity than the evil that
resides in man.
The mastiff, having entered the
room, went close to where Lewis stood,
and after suiffing at his legs moment
gently licked tho hand which hung
down. reaching 1t without au ,trcrt 60
tall was he.
Lewis must have indeed been lost in
thought, for he needed not the "Good
morning" Of tho brute, His salutation
urnoLiced the nastiT dropped down
upon his launches and so sat staring
into the face Of the man as though to
ask wherefore he was not observed
There is the ricture--the man leaning
against the mantel, present il the body
but absent in mind or spirit and tho
dog sitting patiently waiting for The
return Of consciousness in the man SC
that he might be recognized. AS he con.
tirued to stare up at Lewis, who will
cay, that. dog though he was, he would
net be able to note the first expression
on the face which would show that TIC
mans mind had returned from its pur.
suit Of the unknowablc2 The position
remained unchanged for many minutes,
till at last the dog must have concluded
that he deserved more than was accord.
ed TO him, He raised enc Of his huge
paws and placed it upon the uan S leg,
repeating the action, as though intou.
tionally touching him to attract his at.
ten,ion, Still failing, he reached q lit
tie higher and let his paw rest on Lew.
is hand
This aroused Lewis. and even before
he fully recovered from his reverie he
closed his fingers upon the prodrrod
paw, grasping it tightly, ho looked
down, but as he met the mastiG's eyes
they were turned away, What is there
about dog which causes him to do
thisr He will stare at you by the hour,
but look at him and be turns away as
though caught in an act Of which he is
ashamed Ia it recognition Of the su.
n i 4.