The Press., 1898-07-07

''But found his statement of condi-
tions literally COZ Poor Griggs sat
there with jaws Iced firmly together
and with about seven inches of iron
protruding from his chin and similer
length from the apex of the skull The
bar was round, two feet long, with a
diameter of one-quarter inch at one end
and one and one-quarter inches at the
other. 1t must have weighed seven or
eight pounds. went to work and made
him as comfortable as I could, thinking
meanwhile of the least brutal way in
which to tell him that the long night
must soon come. l was bit surprised
that he was sane, since the wound must
have been very snug to the brain cells,
ut he was fully conscious, though in
at pain.
Finally / asked him if he wished
4ny particular thing done or o
sent for. Motioning for a PEI g
wrote:
"'Nothing to be DONE I shall live
for yea and there's no hurry.
al 1t him closely, believing
shat, 49, Il, he was not precisely
level [ .ad examined the curious
wound carefully and wouldn t have in
Bured his life for 48 hours on any terms.
But, boys, Big Griggs lived with that
iron in his head for more than six years.
During all that time attended him
carefully aid we had long sign voice
discussions about our mutual belief in
fatalisn. He predicted very closely the
date of his death, and later l procured
= boE rfo nh nh
He drew from the envelope photo
graph of skull pinned through by an
iron bar, and in turn we examined the
picture. AS it was passed from hand to
hand each face mirrored the depressing
thought of the years of unceasing suffer
ing which had preceded the awful
nakedness of the skull. The punch bowl
received renewed attentions, and the
talk broke away into forced and aimless
channels, difficult for n en- to sustain
long. AT last u.4~ .-2u, III We'll IN
tended effort to Tighten the mood of the
hour, said:
''Well, doc, when have you figured
on reaching the limit of your earthly
mission? Try and plan to finish this
hunt with us, for we are bound to strike
moose before we are through"
The doctor had gazed into the Goals
without a word since tie telling of his
story, but his lips now parted in slow
and melancholy smile as he calmly an
swered:
81 fancy, boys, that it will come to-
morrow So sure am l of this that /
shall ask you before we have good
night to join me in what l believe will
be our last toast together. 1t will be to
your comfort, frienGs if you can dis
miss my statement as but the vagary of
an overtalkative comrade who finds
himself i'll strange mood tonight, but
we shall see. y He continued to murmur
to himself:
sits a pretty world, senior, but not
all has been happiness. | have seen of
the travail of my soul and am satisfied. :"
He rose and filled his glass. "Fill and
drink, boys he called, and as the,
gathered around without volition to re-
sist his whim he continued: Drink to
the unsolvable riddle of life; to the I'M
fashionable arbitrament of fate and to
the untroubled sleep which follows all
in God S good time. J."
Three glasses were replaced with
trimming edge untouched upon the ia
BILE, one-the doctor 's-lay shattered on
the hearth. Hurried good nights were
said, and half hour later quiet ruled
the camp. But one unsleeping member
of the party went an hour later to view
the skies and judge of the morrow s
weather And there he found another
sentinel, who growled:
"What id CHASTITY finale for an
evenings good cheer. wish the doctor
had kept his Internal fancies and his un
canny toast to himself. -
The next days hunt promised to be as
empty of results as was it's predecessors.
With the dusk three had returned to
camp with royal appetites as the sole
capture of the day, and the guide was
rushing up supper, encouraged by a
running fire of adjuration. At length
all was ready, and they drew up chairs.
The doctor had not yet shown up but
he was slayer as a sportsman and al
/ ways the last man home. They knew he
had gone over to blind which he had