Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1903-09-24
CHAPT XII.
The Dreams of a Fever.

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head and fading away directly, thei
more darkness and stumbling on, ant
once more a dull yellow glow, anC
this fading away, with the darkness.
increasing. Then a slight struggle, ant
few petulant remonstrances.
Why wouldn't the doctor let hin
sleep?
Then another feeble struggle, sen
sation of passing through the air, {
sudden plunge into the icy water, anC
then utter darkness, and a noise, as
II of thunder in his ears.
But the sudden immersion was elec
tric in its effect, sending a thrill
through nerve and muscle, though this
brain remained still drowsily inert
while the natural instinct OF desire tor
life chased away the helpless state OF
collapse and Mark Heath, old athlete
expert swimmer, man hardened by his
life in the southern colony, rose to the
surface, and struck out, swimming
slowly and mechanically, as If it were
the natural action of his muscles.
On and on, breasting the icy water
keeping just afoat, but progressing
blindly where the tide willed; on and
on through the darkness, with the
yellow fog hanging like a solid bank a
few feet above his head, as If the
rushing Of the water were cutting the
lower stratum away.
Now a yellow light shone weirdly
through the mist, came into sight and
after glowing for moment on the
murky current, died away.
On still, as If it were the tide-that
last tide which sweeps away the part
ing spirit--stroke after stroke, given
mechanically; and then there was
another Iight--a dull red light, then an
angry glow-a stain as of blood upon
the black water; and it, too. died
away, but not TIL IL had bathed the up
turned face with it's crimson hue.
Onward still. the icy wafer thrilling
the swimmer through and through, but
seeming to bring with it no dread, no
sense of horror, no recollection of the
past, no fear of what was to come: the
sensation was that he was swimming
as one swims without effort in a
dream
A blow from some dark Shiny object
along whose side he glided, and then
on once more.
Another blow against something
which checked him for time and
turned him face downward, so that the
laundering recommended in his ears;
there was the sense of strangulation
on once more. past moored barge with
its light, past steamboat pontoon. and
then with a rush he was driven against
stone pier; lbs hands grasped at the
Shiny stones without avail, he was
turned in an eddy around and around,
sucked under, and rose again, to swim
on and on, till at last, in the darkness,
his hands touched the muddy pebbles
Of the river shore, his knees struck
heavily, and he crawled through a
pool, and then staggered to his fee,
with the water streaming from him.
What next? 1t was all as in dream,
In which. in the gloom of the thick
night, he stumbled upon flight of
slippery steps and walked up and up,
and then along a road which he
crossed again and again, and always
walking on and on.
At times he guided himself by
M ,ho ~ n
stony wall, till somehow it was dit.
ferent and felt slippery, and his hand
glidod over the side.
Then darkness, and sense OF wan
dering. How long? Where? Why
was he wandering on?
II was all dream, but changed to a
time when his head was as it were Oh
fire, and he was climbing mountains
whore diamonds glistened at the top.
but which he could not reach. though
ne was ever climbing, with the sun
burning into his brain, and the
diamonds that he must find farther and
farther away.
And SO on, and so on in one long
weary journey to reach that whcS he
could not attain, and at last oblivion
with nothing wrong, nothing a trouble,
no WEAKNESS or care. II was rest.
sweet rest, after that toilsome climb.
The next sensation was of a cool
soft hand upon his brow, and Mark
Heath opened his eyes, to gaze INTO
those of pale grave-looking woman
in white, curiously shaped cap: and
she smiled at the look of intelligence
in his face as he said softly.
Who are you?"
Your nurse" was the reply.
Nurse"
One word only, but a chapter in its
inquiriug tone
Yes she said gently; you have
been III. Don't try to talk Take This
and lie quite still"
Another long, dreamy time, during
which there were noises about his
head-the gentle, pleasant voice of his
nurse, and the firm, decisive voice o.
the doctor, 1t might have been hours
It might have been days or weeks, he
did not know; and then came the