The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-02-02

the spine, feeling its point with a
finger that We certainly should not
have vcnturcd near it had it been
poison fang. "And there's nothing
else in the wound?' Jock asked.
"Not a thing else
And you mean to tell me that | vc
wasted two hours OF my time, to say
nothing of a bottle Of our best brandy,
in walking about Il Grcaser that has
nothing the matter but thorn in his
foot? Well, | am darncd'
That's about what you've been
doing the doctor said uuictly.
"Wcll, am darncd' Jock turned
with look Of righteous wrath to the
wrctched Mexican, who was lying in a
comatosc heap in my arm but the
first sight Of his face checked the
words unspokcn.
"Shakc him up; keep him walk
ing, the doctor cried.
But you don't mean to tell me"
Jock began again, when he had sue
crcdcd in arousing some sign Of life in
Louie, that all that. pointing at his
distcndcd features, is the cactus
thorn
"Thcrc's not Il mite else in the
wound
"Wcll, am darncd.'
All the same" the doctor added
quietly, "hcd have died if you hadn t
kept him going
"Dicd! What OFF,
Snake bite IS shake him up there {;
don let him go Irowsy.'
"Snakc 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.
dcrs. and said, very slowly and dis
tinctly: "You mark me, Jock Peters,
were in face of bigger thing to-
night than snakc-bitc. We're in face
OF one of the biggest and ultimatest
facts of human nature, and one of its
biggest mystcrics-thc 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 con-
ncction with coolic and cobra in
India. In that case, too, there was
no snake bite, although there was a
snake. The coolic saw the snake it
darted from beneath his feet. and at
the moment Qikely from the start he
gave) Il thorn pierced his fcct-just as
it happened to the Grcascr. and
that man, too, the same as this man
here, swcllcd up, showed all the symp-
toms Of snakc-poisoning, and died.
Phis man we'll save. You, Jock,
have practically saved him, by keep
ing him moving and countcracting the
poison by the brandy. Look at the
man isn't he snake poisoncd?"
"By all that's blue he looks it,"
| Jock admitted.
"And all the hurt he's gothic
physical hurts just the prick
of that thorn. The resi- 8 all mental
all the swelling, the sureharging Of
the vessels. mental. Now, tell me,
how do you think that man would be
but for his morbid mental state, with
all that brandy that you've given
him?"
Dead, | suppose.
"You're right-dead as dead as
you or I would be, If we set to drink
the same just now. But he-he's s
hardly drunk he's SOBER And he s
better now-hcart acting better He
bent ami listened to its beating as he
spoke. "You've seen a strange thing
tonight, gentlemen he added, ris-
ing again, and addressing us collec-
lively; such thing as neither you
nor arc likely ever to sec again.
And Ill tell you another thing about
it, gentlemen it's a thing that you
won t find you get deal Of credencc
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 and the thing that
happens in way they don't know
they put aside as thing that didn't
happen. So Of this" the doctor add
ed simply, II should only speak, as
among gentlemen, with hand on the
pistol-pocket at the hip"
After awhile the awful distortion Of
Lcuie's face began to go down. "You
eau almost see it settling, like batter
pudding MS Jim Kelly said ahd the
I fearful purDlc tinve died ant of IL