The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-09
1T WAS THE DOCTORS NJ
THE END CAME THEN he FAD
PREDICTED IT WOULD.
Found by His Comrades Filmed Under tn
Moose That HAD Killed Him which witt
lHis Dying struggle ITO HAD brought Down

up In tho forests OF tho Rangelcy country, nnd
tho days sport had boon n triflo heavy. II empty.
They had done n long tramp: tho broad fireplace
yawncd q cracking comfort; there was soothing
punch on the table and our pipes worc drawing
we'll. Tho talk had driftod TO casualty and fatal
ity, and to the exchange OF views upon the hair.
breadth line which divides tho chance OF life
from that OF death in peculiar cases.
The guido told of a young follow who had
been literally frightened to his death n few
years before by the onrush OF a big bull mooso
which he had wounded with his last cartridge
Tho brute had boon knocked over by n shot
from tho guide before IT reached the boy, who.
though unmarked by a scar, through simple
terror had lost his hold upon tho spark of life
Instances wero named where n fall OF o fow
inches had brought death. and others who're
men had fallen distances Of fifty or sixty feet,
only to get up and walk Off unharmod. VI.
The doctor had boen q silent listener to all
this talk, and sat gazing into the glowing Goals
until our stories wcro ended. Suddenly he went
to his shakodown and from beneath 1t drew IN.
old and weathcrbcatcn satchel. from which,
! after some search. no took all envelope and resf
turned to his chair. OIL -rvs
my theory is. boys, that a man lives until hin
/ times UP. and no longer, and that II makoa
littlo or no difference in his length Of life what,
he does or doesn't do. l seldom air this theory.
In fact, l don't generally like to speak of DEATH
but tonight, for reasons. I'm going TO tell you Of
al experience which strangely bears out my
theory. and which lies many years back.
IL had just fairly settled into the business left
me by an old practitioner in q small mountain;
town In Vermont. 1t was not n town of woalthf
or great mortality, and 1 was not a busy man..
Still, my reading kept mo occupied for thee
most part. and l had just enough Of OUT
side work to give me exercise and main
tenance. Even then / had formed opinions
and read widely upon the doctrine gen.
orally referred to as fatalism. / had observed.
nothing which controvcrtcd my ideas, while
there had come to me much In their support.
Early on a blustcry. stormy evening I was
l~ounging in my easy chair. before q roaring
fro. bordering over q very strange deposition
which / had just read, when my thought was
interrupted by the sound of wheels. and a mo-
ment later there was determined knock o. the
door. and l opened up. A guarryman whom i
know by sight was my caller.
"'For Gods sake. Doc he said, come over
with mo to the quarry and help Big Griggs out
Of his misery. He's got n tamplng iron clean MP
through his head
II got my case. slid into a heavy coat. and We
were Off. The Overlook quarry was six miles dis.
tant. and during the drive l gathered particulars.
Big Griggs had been drilling for a heavy blast all
afternoon. and had loaded for an early morning
firing just before the Knockout. He had been
tamping down the powder charge. short time
/ hdu iau niIl hhu luoIo u ucUh y
premature explosion. Tho tau,ping iron had
been driven up through both jaws and through
the top OF the Uranium and still remained 10. tho
was either drawing tho tale o'crstrons through
excess Of excitement or else That there would
patient.
locked firmly together and with about seven
inches Of iron protruding from his chin and q
f.@i Mss ' sosaa, ' s%o i test "R {sax q w III s 8 SIams The
of one-quarter inch at one end and one and one
S% saiFISssd s seSe1s or a" eight Int po Ssnds. 4 vent %st to 8oTe
and made him as comfortable as | could. think.
to o tell him that the long hight must soon COMET
] was n bit surprised that he was sane, since the
S SGHnd but must Se hS wss h fsiiy vs sosns sr%s to sS sss s6' In
Finally. I asked him If ho wished any partic.
%'N 70 to be done: I shall live for years
looked At him closely. BELIEVING, that. aftsy
s sbs he o1r Tss mot %o pTssii esrSf lsys' and R wouI sT%n hasa
insured his life for forty:sight hours on any
ing all that time l attended him carefully. and
m ms had b 1Sns s ia f iHG,Ss diSe Hs Srsdi ssSSt v srE
sISssI; tSe dats q lis death; aaa issss !. !! pro-
cured He a is,s f fpo@ tbe e ghasitlS p a 0bafospphnb Of !.
skull pinned through by an iron bar. and In
from from T Tsn sfs so haSa 'e EACH Rh1'ifa aee m AZ + 1t %i' t RRs'sSS &c.
pressing thought Of the years Of gnseasing sui.
attentions. and the talk broke away into forced
and Gimless channels; difficult for men to srs;
efIors to Tighten the mood Of tho hour, said:
inc "W We Iim Doc g., when When 6 have you n nsHredi on Tr reach. .hs
plan to finish this hunt with US. for, we are
bound to strike q moose before We arc through"
word since the telling Of his story. but his lips
now parted in a slow and melancholy smile as
| hn CALMLY nQwpran.
fancy. boys, that it will come tomorrow.
80 sure am l OF this that shall ask you before
your comfort; friends; II YOU can dismiss ny
night, but we shall seo." He continued in muir.
-. rs a pretty World; senior but not all has
He rose and filed his glass: II and drink,
tinued: Drink to the unsolvable riddle OF life;
to the u~ntathomHhle arbitramGnt OF fate. and to
Three CLASHES were replaced with trimming.
edge untouched upon tho table. one-the doc
t%or's-lay shattered on the hearth, Hurried
good nights we're said; and a half hour later
Der Of the party went out an hour later TO view
the neds skies lean and H. Judge a6Tn Of the morrow' t,N weather;
s".Whait a damned CHASTITY finale for an even.
ing's good cheer! / wish the doctor had kept
his Internal fancies and his uncanny toast 10
himself"
The next days hunt promised to be as empty
OF results as was its predecessors. With the
dusk three had returned to camp with royal
a%ppetites as the sole capture OF the day, and
the guide was rushing up IL supper, encour-
aged by II running fire OF adjuration. At length
al wns ready, and they drew up chairs. The doc
torhad not vet shown mp. but he was n stayer asia
sportsman, and always the last man home. They
knew no had gone over TO a blind which no had
thrown up near a promising lick at an In
let of the lake. He had sailed the lick some
days before, and had since noted sure signs of
moose. Against the judgment of the guide, who
secuted his ability to fool a moose by a blind In
the location which he had chosen, the doctor
had sworn that IL he took one at all he would
take him there. and his patience and repeated
failure was a Joke OF the camp. Probably no had
waited until darkness had fairly shut in before
giving up his vigil. and even then was STUN
bling homeward through the gloom.
| Still, while the boys yariously accounted for