The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-03-23
THE CATALEPTIC.

2oddy-for | must tell you that he was
Tof the old, heroic school, and we mad
most pusillanimously agreed that
when they were all abed we would
honor the past by shutting the dining
Aroom door, so that the penetratISe
Iodor OF lemon and Scotch could not
get up stairs, and then give ourselves
With the serene recklessness of ma
n.urity TO old times.
h AT last the doctor said as he stirred
plis glass. Il doubt if anybody who
has not had my experience knows
what desolation is"
Were you ever in an army post
IN an Indian country, 600 miles from
supplies, with weeks blizzard rag
eng, and the wolves trying to jump the
n1alisades?" asked Palfrey.
No. said the doctor; that is
biomething like effeminate luxury be-
sides my experience. You never drop
,,)ed off the stern of vessel in the
aniddle of the Atlantic, without any
soody's knowing of it, did you?"
mo, replied Palfrey, with a smile
Ibid you?"
81 did," said the doctor, with that
CONSCIOUS superiority which a man
a;hows only when he has been worse
off than anybody else. Il did, indeed;
tand, by Jove, the curious part of it,
acome to think, is, that it's Christmas
Story"
The doctor STOPPED for moment as
II trying to recall something; then he
tsaid to me, why, you must have
known of the Pearsolls-they came
tfrom Westbury."
J DO you mean the school Pear
soils? Why of course, | knew them.
I'VE used to call them the school Pear
soils because old Job had four daugh-
tiers who were all school teachers"
Eyes: but he had a SON."
81 never knew anything about him.
He was black sheep, wasn't he?"
We'll that depends on how you
qout AT it, am inclined to regard
him as an angel Of light" and the
tdoctor emiled in his own benignant
tw7y and presently resumed: 81 could
mot tell this story tonight if it had
not been for him. He ran away and
went to sea, to the disgust of his
sisters. who would never tolerate him
lafterward When I came home from
school in Germany in "a on a sailing
lpacket he was the mate of that yes
isel He had changed his name, and
was known aboard as Dick Pearce.
When we had been out for two days,
word came to the cabin that Dick was
dead. The captain an old Gloster
man cursed at his luck, and asked me
to make out some kind of certificate
before they shot the fellow overheard.
Well, l was a pretty fresh young
student, and had all the recklessness
OF my kind. | went % ward and sat
down in front of a bunk with official
complacency to frame some kind of
authoritative excuse for his dying
without any of the usual prelimin-
aries. He was rolled up in a dirty
blanket, which tore off, and. pulling
the body over so that could see the
face, l was astonished at the delicacy
or 1t, which death had apparently en-
HANGED. All the superficial roughness
OF the seaman had left 1t. | sat there
with pad in my hand, trying to think
OF the easiest way out of it. and was
Just about to write heart disease on
my pad as the safest conclusion, when
looked up and saw two men behind
me holding large canvas sack
Is 1t all right. doctor?' he asked.
You see, there's a squat comm up.
and we've got to get him over at once
As he said this, was looking at
the corpse and thought saw the eve
lid twitch. You are very apt to have
such an Illusion when you stare at an
object in the dim light; but said to
the men, Wait a minute" and | Jam
med my ear down on the cold breast.
Not the faintest murmur, and yet 1t
rUo m op1d 7
me a candle | said One Of them
brought light, and held it close to
the dead eye. At first it was no use
the pupil did not stir. But something
made me push the experiment point
further. / made the narrow room as
dark as could. and then struck the
light suddenly, and | thought there
was slight contraction.o the pupil
That decided me. l sent the men
away. took off my coat, and put the
flame of the candle close against the
flesh of the mans arm The smoke
blackened II so that | could not plain
ly discover anything but | persisted.
and after wiping away the SCOT saw
something like a little blister. The
man was not dead 1t was one of
those cases Of suspended animation,
which so often deceive the superficial
observer
While | was watching, the captain
came in, cursing and swearing. and
wanted "a know by all the fiends what
the devir was monkeying with the
corpse for. Then ii flashed into nv
mind that perhaps the man himself
was conscious and could hear our
conversation, and | said with con-
siderable energy, Captain, he is not
dead
mot dead?' shouted the old sailor.
Let me tell you, young man, I've
seen more dead men than you have.
and this one can't stay aboard my
craft with black nor-wester comm
up hand over hand. My men are wait
ing to shove him over
He is not dead | said, and If
you shove him over I'll stand against
you with charge Of murder unless
you shove me over. too
HE let out an oath and went on
deck think he hated me from that
moment with the stupid hatred that
only a superstitious man can engender.
Well to cut the matter short, pulled
Dick Pearce out of 1t. | worked over
him for hours with not drop of am
monia on board. aus nothing but Med.
ford rum and hot water, and a gale
raging overhead and turning every
thing topsy-turvy. AS soon as he was
conscious and could speak, asked
him If he heard my conversation In