Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1903-05-06

llOfe aCcuSCOlneu 10 my StrlnSe-1u -1ullc-
tior, 1 found / could distinguish the
outlines of objects more or less distinct
ly according to the material out Of
which they were made, but only metal
lie objects were very plain. AS for the.
doctor, in the stronger light I could
dlmly make out sort Of transparent
gelatinous covering to his skeleton, but
not well enough to tell one feature.
from another. The people in the other
rooms, those passing in the street, even
the animals which Went by, were all
skeletons to me, and skeletons only
Neither could 1 distinguish ,colors; the
world was all black, or rather drab,:
and white to me.
ut was days before could really
convince the doctor that this was So,
days filled with every conceivable test
his ingenuity could devise, days when
first frettcd and chafed continually
about my condition, days passed in
longing for the blessed night to come
and shut out in its friendly darkness
all the grucsome sights which torment
cd me from my eyes, but as the time
dragged on became more and more
rccorciled, rs grew more accustomed
to the society Of a skeleton-fllled world.
And then came day when a great
happiness was mine.
"'Well old chap said the doctor,
throwing himself disgustedly into q
chair at last, 4 must believe you; It's
beyond any mans comprehension, but
1 must believe you. It's unnatural and
unscientilic and absolutely idiotic, but
the only guess can make at an expla-
nation is that that swipe you got across
your eyes has in some mysterious way
altered the retina or optic nerve SO
that they. or one Of them, is sensitive
to what are known as the X rays, to
the exclusion of the ordinary rays. We
know next to nothing about these X
rays, but all the tests I've been able.
TO make seem to support this theory.
You had better get leave and pull out
fnli-IiiC fni-,ihiCS States as soon as you Can, and
consult specialist. I can't help youI
any. and It must be q dreadful condi-
ton to be in "a
"'Oh, it's not so bad, after all;' re-
piled reassuringly. You see, Willie
you've been testing and tinkering
around learning to believe what was
perfectly true all the time, I've been
getting used to things as they are, and
there are some consultations find. /
can feel, and taste, and hear, and
smell just rs well rs ever. My eye
sight is the only thing abnormal about
me, and I've got used to skeletons by
now. They're not nearly as repulsive
rs YOU might suppose; quite the con-
trary in some cases I've learned to
tell you and all the rest Of the fellows
who drop in here apart by your bones;
they're quite rs individual as your
faces and lot handsomer sometimes.
and I've learned to move around, with
out falling over things with a little
care, and-and, as I was saying, some
skeletons have beauties of their own.
For instance, there's q dainty little
orc comes in here every day to
straiglItcn up the room thats-tlat's
Just delicious. I believe I'm head over
heels in love with 1t, though I've never
spoken word to it. So that l don't
know that I'm so awfully keen to be
cured, after all
What? yelled the DOCTOR, begin
ming. to grin.
".I mean every word Of it. I said,
doggedly. oh, doctor, you can't real
lie what lovely, enchanting, tantaliz-
ing little skeleton it is. All the bones
are simply ravishlng IN their perfec-
tion, and every joint works with n
smoothness and ease that are really n
poem. Why, compared with the great
coarse, clumsy bones you fellows
clump around with, all Jumps and
twists and gnarls Of cartilage, hers,
for it surely is q woman, are like the
most delicate carving, an exquisite
etching, or the filmiest cobweb osslfed.
If only you could see 1t, doctor, could
only see the gentle sweep of the collar
bone. the sweet curve Of the ribs, the
tender lines of the arm bones, the dell
cate tracery Of the leg bones, you
wouldn't sit there grinning like n
Cheshire cat. I've Jain here day after
day and watched that luscious little
skeleton move about the room with
such grace, so perfect in form, so raw
ishingly beautiful in its matchless'sym-
metry, until 1 know those fragile little
finger bones have stolen into my
breast and arc forever clinched around
my heart. Who is she, doctor? Tell
mer'
"Thc doctor burst into great
guffaw of hoarse laughter. rocking
himself back and forth where he sat-
"DTell me who she is, doctor; tell me
who she is, for the love Of Heaven! /
implored.
"Again the doctor roarcd with laugh
ter.
"My temper never was OF the most
patient, and being treated in such an
important matter with such ill-timcd
lcvity made II boil.
"'There's nothing to laugh at, you
hec-hawing ass I growled. If you
could only sec those delightful bones,
il you could only realize that adorable
skull, If you could for minute imagine
such u huggable, kissable, caressable
little skeleton you wouldn't roll around
there spluttcring and splitting like q
gibbcring ape
"Again the doctor shouted with
laughter, and my temper gave way en-
tirely.
"'Stop it, you grinning baboon? ]
shouted, springing on him, and winding
my fingers about his throat with all my
fury in my grip. Stop it, I say! Tell
ME who she is, OF, by Heaven, I'll tear
it from your
"'Let 60, you fool, you're choking
mel gaspea the doct0ri Yalnly