Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1901-07-05

res, an inquisitive student asked him
point-blank the very question we all
'onged to hear answered.
DIR. Lee, why do you dislike these
hings SOP"
He was smoking; but he laid down
his cigar, looking very pale, yet SEEM
Tug willing to answer.
Il will tell you why" he observed.
Long after l had mastered the sci
cnce OF anatomy, received an invita-
| ion one evening to attend a private
meeting at the rooms Of classmate
a meeting where a fine subject
would be dissected by the students
sione. l went gladly. The corpse lay
ace downward on the floor, and they
we're trying to lift it on the frame
mad placed in readiness. / assisted
hem; and, as l did so, fancied l felt
Z slight pulsation OF the heart be-
Meath my hand. But when we laid IL
On the board, saw only cold, pale
ACE and stiff and rigid form. 1t
vas the face Of man some thirty-five
years of age-dark and cold and proud.
Even the heavy hand of death could
not erase the naughty curl Of the lip
or the settled frown upon the brow.
| His hair was long and dark, but slight
| ly sprinkled with gray; so were the
thick mustache and beard. His eyes
we're half-unclosed, and through the
long lashss l could see that they had
been black as night. The careless
hough rigid attitude in which he lay
the strong hand clenched, as If in
| come spasm after death, and those
large eyes half revealed, filled me with
a nameless terror. It seemed as II,
though dead. he yet had the power to
watch and understand our motions. I
lad never seen a corpse that gave me
such feeling before. Upon his breast
and face was the stain OF blood. I
pointed it out to my companions.
Buried alive, most probably said
one of them, carelessly, as he handled
the scalpel. He must have struggled
hard, for he is powerful fellow
Look at his hand said another,
lifting it from the bench. 1t is
clenched so that the ring cut into the
palm below. Buried alivei 1t is as
tonishing how people can be SO care
less now, when they have not even
ignorance for an excuse. There is
something in this face that unnerves.
Mr.. -, can you not close those eyes?'
Nonsense! let the eyes alone-he
can see the better that we do every
thing right exclaimed the third. Are
you all turning towards over a dead
body? Give me the sponge. Who be-
gins?'
HE sponged the blood away. I
stood near, still looking at the face OF
the corpse. The sponge, by some
strange chance. had been filed with
ammonia instead of water. The oper-
ator flung it carelessly upon the board
close to the face of the corpse. In an
instant. as the subtle vapor found its
way upward, I saw a quick shudder
pass through the limbs. The operator
started away in terror.
"'Good heaven, he is aliven he ex-
claimed, in a low, hoarse tone.
Il bent over him. bathed his pale
face with water. and poured cordial
between his shut teeth. Life came
back, but slowly and painfully.
"He was quiet in my arms for few
moments; then, with a desperate ef-
fort he lifted his head. and took in The
whole scene at glance. The lighted
skull-the shining instruments. and
the careless faces beyond-the love OF
life taught him what they all meant.
He was too weak to speak: but he
groaned, and looked up in my face
with these eyes-and they were brim-
full Of horror and despair.
"'You will live.' whispered. Drink
this-it will revive you
Il snatched bottle from the shelf
beside me, and held it to his lips.
thought it was a cordial-it was a
deadly poison.
He drank. and fell back-dead this
time beyond all hope Of revival. But,
as hs died. he gasped out, You have
murdered me. and to the day Of your
own death l will haunt you!'"
There was a long pause.
Gentlemen" said DR.. Lee, solemnly,
he has kept his word. Heaven is my
witness that l would not have harmed
him intentionally-but l killed him!
and night after night he comes to me.
l can hear him speak, and those dread
full eyes look into mine wherever |
may go. My bitter repentance avails
me nothing. He will always be beside
ME. This is the reason why my pro-
fession terrifies me. And yet some
strange spell binds me here; l could
not go If / would. l know we'll what
the end will be. Some day he will APP
pear to me-to all of you-as 1 saw
him that unhappy night. And then it
will be my time to go''
He ceased to speak, and it was u
relief when, a few moments after, some
| one started a conversation Of the most
imaginative kind. DR.. Lee listened as
We talked. smoked his pipe, but said
nothing
We heard no more from that day
OF the vision that haunted him. His
fts OF silence and gloom grew less fire.
quent; he mingled moro with the stu
dents, and seemed in a measure to
lose his dread of the deathly objects
by which he was surrounded.
One day, at the college. on my way
to tho dissecting-room. I opened the