The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-14
lRs. FRANCES STAFFORD.

nally, my distracted gaze fell a second time upon my detested implements. A new impuse arose in my breast Bessie
 was dead, but no vital organ had been dethroned. Like the mariner in a rag ing storm at sea- when every effort has been used to prevent disastrous wreck
 to no avail, the ship goes down; but science and skill come to the rescue.
 The life saving station throws its bomb
 from a cannon's mouth in which lines
 are incased, the mariner seizes them and is saved. Thus science shall accomplish
 that which was done in the case of the
 mariner I will recall her back to life.
 Locking all the doors, l shut myself up in my laboratory. Day dawned, but stopped not. In breathless expectation
 I stood beside my instruments, refining the life bestowing fluid There was a
 loud knocking at the door. but did not answer. Then solemnly, slowly came the
 toll of the funeral bell. Each stroke was like the blow of a sledge hammer upon my heart, which seemed to break with
 the intensity of it's pain. l longed to go out, to see Bessie once again, to clasp her inanimate form to my bosom, and to
 be buried with her Oh, if l could only
 lie with her in the earth, pressing her to
 my breast and moulder away with her,
 holding her closer to my heart as we
 crumbled into dust; and thus to hold
 her forever as mine own. With a tre- mendous effort I resisted the inclination
 to go forth to join her at the tomb
 brink, and devoted an my strength and
 energies to my work. At length. about noon when the suns rays were bathing
 the whole room in radiance, 1 lost sight
 altogether. My heart sank within me.
 I sat down, faint and dizzy. I reached
 out, seized d bottle of brandy and took a long, deep draught. Strength returned
 to my exhausted limbs. 1 rose up. picked
 up the glass vessel containing the elixir,
 and with a curse was about to dash it
 upon the floor. when a sudden hope man
 ifested itself. Trenblingly l set down
 both the vessel and the glass. and took
 another strong draught of brandy to
 steady my nerves.
 Upon the floor lay the carcass of a
 rabbit that 1 had drowned the day be-
 fore. Filling my little syringe with the
 fluid. l gave it a hypodermic injection.
 Breathlessly I waited the result For some time there was no change. Then
 noticed a slight tremor in the limbs. There was a quivering of the eyelids. They opened and closed again 8 few times, then remained wide open. The lit | the moon shining through the window the sight my senses reeled, I sank into an arm chair and lost consciousness.
 WheH I awoke it was quite dark save for
 tn emon shining through the window. l lit the gas and looked at my watch. II was a little past midnight. l was much | refreshed by my sleep, but 1t was a long time before I could realize the situation. | Slowly all that had happened. the death of Bessie, my long struggle with the elixir and final success, came back to me. In one corner sat the rabbit eating a cabbage leaf. On the table were the vessel and glass of elixir. Hope awoke | in my breast. The moon was at it's full ! shining brightly. I went to the stable; | there I found my horse, I put the har- ness upon him and htched him to the | buggy. Then I put in a screwdriver, a | pick and shovel that I had just bought | for my new home. I drove to the new cemetery and entered cautiously. I knew | where Mir. Preston's lot was to be found fortunately near the center of the grave. yard. at a distance from all habitation | soon found Bessies grave. covered with a profusion of be Iutifu flowers With pious care I removed these. I could moi