The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-02-02
AS DEATH DREW NEAR.

IFrom Phil Mays Winter Annual
Well doctor said the man on tire
COUCH what i the verdict2s
Frankly ~
Frankly I've strong nerves. Dale. as
you know Of old; 7 can bear it, whatever
it is. Is 1.-THE Beyond2' ~
why, no, Inderwick, I trust no; I
trust not. But Sir James agrees with me
that only an operation on the brain can
save your reason, perhaps your life"
And you doubt If it will do either =.
Come, Dale, old fellow, be honest with
me We've known each other since We
were boys, and you never knew me -
funk the risk, whatever it was"
My dear Gilbert. the fact Is don
think there is more than about one
chance i'll a thousand that you'll pull
through. MACPHERSON says the odds are
a great deal more in your favor; Dlt
you know what Sir James IS You are
ease to him, and though I don't doubt
that he honestly thinks he believes what
he says I've still less doubt that the op-
portunity of performing such an opera
ton gives an unconscious bias to his
Judgment
II see. said Captain Inderwick; Ibis
optimism is bred OF the opportunity Of
demonstrating his skill Wen, suppose
we abandon the operation; what then2'
DR.. Dale was silent
Dale. do YOU want me to still further
imperil my already threatened existence
bv throwing the sofa pillow at your
Gilbert, old chap" said Dale, tie
one circumstance in your case about
which there is no doubt whatever is that
if the tumor is not removed nothing en-
earth can possibly save your reason
And if it is removed ] have about
one chance in a thousand of surviving
it2"
YES I may be wrong and Mac may
be right; but you asked me for NY
fra IL and honest QDinlOu. and I've given
Thanks, old man. That's what I
wanted. It's rather hard lines, perhaps,
but's=and he held out his hand, which
the other man grasped affeetionately,
and they both lapsed into silence
Hard lines2 Yes. How old was he?
Thirty-three- thirty -four2 Well say be-
invaded home from the war before
it had well begun, by reason of this cor
founded tunor, or whatever it was
which had suddenly manifested itself II
his brain; cheated out Of the glory ne
might have won during the campaign,
and cheated too, perhaps, out OF the
great JOY of his life, his union with
Margaret Orne, which II all went Wen
was to have taken place in the early
summer, or at any rate, as soon as pos
sible after the trouble in South AfTlcss
was over
And now? What hfghwaymen these
doctors were: Your reason or yoA-
hfel"
And there was one chance in a thous
and that he would recover; none what
ever that he would retain his sanity ua-
less he took that greater risk
He had lost his reason once already,
and although the sea voyage had helped
him back to mental health again h.
knew well enough that this respite
would not last.
Better be dead than mad-what? NIuch
better; much better Margaret would
sorrow over him dead; mad, he would ile
q haunting nightmare to her, a. constant
chastity grief
Better much better dead. Perhaps, in
the Beyond-who could ell2-he- might
see her. watch over her, wait for her
when can it be done, Dale?" he said
suddenly
You have decided then, Gibert2'
"Oh, yes; there's nothing else for it,
1T could be done on Friday. but you
would have to come up to the hospital
for it,"
Wei, old chap. arrange it for me, viii
yOu2 In the meantime I'll put my af-
fairs in order in case that one small
chance Of mine does not come off
Captain Inderwick had not said more
than the truth when he reminded his
old friend DR.. Dale that he had strong
nerves.
When he arrived at the hospital he
looked as sound and healthy, and to the
full as cheerful a subject as any sur
geon or student in the building.
He shook hands with Dale just before
the chloroform was administered, and
Dale was moved to say: Good, old
chapi Not a tremor, upon my wordI''
We'll, I'm in good hands, said Ider-
wick. and hoping for the best; and aft
ter all man can only die once, whether
it's by Boer bullet or a surgeons knife,
eh2 If 1t is to be the Beyond, well good
by, old fellow, and God bless you Tell
Margaret that her name was the last
word on my lipsl''
Then Oblivion, and the trepanning
saw
Sir James Macpherson did not belle
his great reputation. He had located
the situation Of the tumOr with marvel
lous precision, and he extracted it with
the dizziness Of a magician.
Serious though the operation was
Gilbert, somewhat to his SURPRISE suf-
fered no inconvenience from it, nor was