The Jennings daily record., 1902-05-22

p dark, silent, unhappy looking man.
who seemed to have a most singular
and unaccountable repugnance for all
the details of the profession he had
chosen. He would shiver If by chance
he touched the skeleton in the lecture
hall; he would turn pale over opera
tions, and often faint in the dissecting-
-oom, scalpel 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-
nres, an inquisitive student asked him
point-blank the very question we all
'onged to hear answered.
''Dr. Lee. why do you dislike these
'hings so?"
He was smoking; but he laid down
his cigar, looking very pale. yet seem
ing willing to answer.
Il will tell you why" he observed.
Long after l had mastered the sci
once OF anatomy, received an invita-
ton one evening to attend private
meating at the rooms OF classmate
"a meeting where fine subject
would be dissected by tie students
alone / went gladly. The corpse lay
face downward on the floor, and they
we're trying to lift it on the frame i
had placed in readiness / assisted
hem; and, as did so, l fancied felt
4 slight pulsation of the heart be-
meath my hand. But when We laid IL
Oh the board, saw only a cold, pale
face and stiff and rigid form. 1t
xas theeface of man some thirty-f1ve
years of age-dark and cold and proud.
Tven the heavy hand of death could
rot 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
| were half-unclosed, and through the
| long lashes 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
| 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 l
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
no
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 VINO be
gins?'
2 He sponged the blood away.
r stood near, still looking at the face o
r the corpse. The sponge, by sopl
/ strange chance, had been filed witt
. ammonia instead of water. The oper
I ator flung it carelessly upon the boart
= close to the face of the corpse. In al
t instant. as the subtle vapor found it
i way upward, l saw quick shudde
r pass through the limbs. The operate
a started away in terror.
- Good heaven, he is alive!' he ex
4 claimed, in a low, hoarse tone.
/, Il bent over him. l bathed his pal
n face with water, and poured a cordia
K between his shut teeth. Life cam
:. back, but slowly and painfully.
He was quiet in my arms for a fey
: noments; then, with a desperate el
!. fort he lifted his head. and took in tn
= whole scene at a glance. The lighte
:, sl<ull-the shining instruments, an
n the careless faces beyond-the love c
q life taught him what they all mean
r He was too weak to speak; but Il
!. groaned, and looked up in my fac
{ with those eyes-and they were brim
" ful of horror and despair.
You will live!' l whispered. 'DTin
v this-it will revive YOU
, Il snatched a bottle from the she
= beside me, and held it to his lips.
= thought it was a cordial-it was
x deadly poison!
!. He drank, and fell back-dead thi
time beyond all hope of revival. Bu
q as he died, he gasped out, You hay
murdered me, and to the day of you
10 own death l will haunt you!"
~ There was a long pause.
ri Gentlemen" said DR.. Lee, Solemnl.
"he has kept his word. Heaven is m
> witness that I would not have harme
y him intentionally-but l killed him
d and night after night he comes to m
IL l can hear him speak, and those dread