The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-05-20

who seemed to have a most singular
and unaccountable repugnance for all
the details OF the profession he! mad
chosen. He would shiver if by chance
he touched the skeleton in the lecture
hall; he would turn pale over opera
lions, and often faint in the dissecting-
-oom, scalpeI in hand. No one could
imagine why he had chosen to study
medicine. We often discussed the
question among ourselves; and one
night, when he entered the hall soon
after we had been exhausting conject-
7res, 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
once Of anatomy, 1 received an invita-
ion one evening to attend a private
meeting at the rooms of a classmate
"a meeting where a fine subject
would be dissected by tie students
alone. l went gladly. The corpse lay
face downward on the floor, and they
we're trying to lift it on the frame l
had placed in readiness. l assisted
hem; and, as 1 did SO. fancied 1 felt
= slight pulsation OF the heart be-
meath my hand. But when We laid it
on the board, / saw only a cold. pale
face and stiff and rigid form. 1t
vas the face of man some thirty-five
years of age-dark and cold and proud.
7.ven the heavy hand of death could
rot erase the naughty curl of the lip
or the settled frowr upon the brow.
His hair was long and dark, but slight
ly sprinkled with gray; so were the
thick mustache and beard. His eyes
were hdlf-unclosed. and through the
been black as night. The careless
,hough rigid attitude in which he lay
the strong hand clenched. as if in
some spasm after death. and those
large eyes half revealed, filled me with
D nameless terror. 1t seemed as if.
though dead, he yet had the power to
watch and understand our motions. l
had never seen a corpse that gave me
such a feeling before. Upon his breast
and face was the stain of blood. |
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 a 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 alive! 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 dead
body? Give me the sponge. Who be-
gins?'
He sponged the blood away. /
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 fiung-it carelessly upon the board
close to the face of the corpse In an
instant. as the subtle vapor found its
way upward, l saw a quick shudder
pass JAlTOuSn llG. L ne operator
started away in terror.
Good heaven! he is alive he ex-
claimed, in a low. hoarse tone
Il bent over him. l bathed his pale
face with water and poured a cordial
between his shut teeth. Life came
back, but Slowly and painfully
He was quiet in my arms for a few
momenta; then, with desperate sf-
fort he lifted his head. and took in the
skull-the shining, instruments. ana
the careless faces beyond-the love OF
life taught him what they all meant.
He was too weak to speak: bat ne
groaned, and looked up in my face
with those eyes-and they were brim-
full of horror and despair
You will live. Whispered Driuk
this-it will revive you
Il Snatched a bottle from the shelf
beside me, and held it. to his lips |
thought it was Il cordial-it was
deadly poison.
He drank, and fell back-dead this
as he 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 DIR. Lee. soiemnly
'the has kept his word. Heaven is my
witness that l would not have harmed
him intentionally-bu / killed him.
and night after night he comes to me.
I can hear him speak, and those dread
full eyes look into mine wherever I