The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-24
AN OVERDOSE OF MORPHINE.
SENSATIONS OF A MAN WHO VAR
ROWLY ESCAPED DEATH.
Stages In the Poisoning Marked by Visions
OF Running Water and Flowers-BoOm
Of the Heart Beginning Its Work Again
Rheumatic Attack In the Woods.

'h'N"SN w VIC VoOuS'
man who had just got back from long
stay abroad was telling some of his friends
the other night about the picturesque
beauty of the ripe grain fields which he
. saw In Francs last summer. lie was say
ing that tbev we're dotted with bright rcd
patches Of "i'a poppy blossoms and that
some fields which had been neglected were
completely overrun by poppies and looked
from n distance almost like great fam
ing blanket stretched gu, and famed into
folds by the breeze He was talking about
peoples when one of his friends, a South
erner, interrupted him.
why" he said, "I've seen peoples in
just az great numbers and much more
brilliant than those you describe right up
in the Maine woods.
-In the Maine woods!" chorused the
others.
"Yes, in Maine, in the northern part of
Maine" asserted the Southerner,
"But | didn't know peoples grew in
Maine" said the man who admired the
grain fields of France
well. neither did till last summer"
the Southerner replied, "and then I found
them there, good and plenty. Ii you'll
wait" he added, till absorb the remainder
of this highball, III tell you about them
provided, of course, you care to have me
"There were" he began, a minute later.
three OF us besides myself. One was a
New York physician and the other two
were business men, also from this burg.
I 1t was in July, and we were after trout.
wed gone by rail as far as Moosehead
and had struck across country from there
for the Chesuncook Lake region when We
ran into a bunch of bad weather, 1t rained
for three days straight, not one of those
mild, balmy rains that go trckling cheerily
down the back of the overheated lobster
doing heavy carry, but stern, raw nor
wester that filtered through into our very
| marrow.
Il did az much as any Of the others to
protect myself against the ev il effects OF
the wetting. But, then, you know, the
best sort of man can't carry provisions
and blankets in Maine and be distllery
1 wagon at the same time. Anyway, whether
failed to put in the proper amount of
liquid ballast or whether it was just ding
hard luck on my part. got prime attack
OF rheumatism the third day out, and We
had TO squat down just where we were, on
the bank of the Roach River.
I'D had touches of rheumatism before,
but never so badly as this time. They
threw up bed of fir boughs for me. and
pitching the tent carelessy. settled down
| in the hope of patching ME up in day or
| two at the most.
But l wouldn't patch. The raw damp
ness continued, and my leg kept getting
worse. / suffered frigntfully. 1t seemed
to me as though a red-hot poker or some
| thing Just a. bad was being run up my
h.t
| tiendish tormeutor was beating a rag-tiine
! accompaniment to its progress on my skin
| with a lot OF needles
Il had got no sleep in three days. For
seventy-two hours had not closed an
SAY, old man. TIE one who had just
got back from Europe interrupted. I'VE
sympathize with you, sure enough You
must have had hard time of it.; but, then,
we hardly expected TO listen to any such
narrowing tale of rheumatic distress. and,
, about peoples.
talking about. peoples. that's right. and
here's where the peoples come in, good and
strong. =.
I AS was saying, hadn't had wink OF
sleep for seventy-two hours and we all
: knew ii was up 70 me to get some, II l was
ever going to do any fishing in Maine or
white pills on the blanket beside my couch
along with the other medicine and. telling
! me TO take one every hour until doZed
off, he went out to fish took all six pills
at once and went out, too-but not fishing
| Il slipped out by inches from beneath
| the blankets on the bed. ! could feel my
self going and l was durn glad of it. The
! pain was all gone and at the time you
! couldn't have hired me with any amount
of money to say word, for really l hadn I
Il was very much satisfied with myself
, and quite well pl astd with everything
in general, and. best Of all. realized all
the time that / was moving out without
that seemed to please me more than any
thing else.
THE tips Of my toes just touched the
ground as | bobbed airily around tn. in
terror OF the tent three or four times. Then
l left the ground altogether and foated
straight out into a meadow Of ric! green.
! THE grass was long and thickly grown.
A hot, spicy breeze was blowing across
the stretch, but not thing moved. The
blades of grass as hoated Just tickled the
sole S Of my feet, and l laughed loudly with
, delight.
| reminded me of Broadway. trolley car,
/ but didn't, my speed increased, end at the
I same time water courses Iull OF fotrlng
! rapids broke out and thrci ded the meadow.
. In a short time | slowed up Gg; in End rs
, ! did so the streams ell disappeared and
/ peoples began to spring up out Of the turf
| W OECeTlui ilp itu IoIPieS' eeeH "''i "
! grcit black eye in the centre.
Il could see them break through the
| ground in full bloom and grow up by inches
| at first only few of them ind then hun
| dre,ls and thousands and millions of them.
/ until the whole expi.nse Of meadow. was q
fleming color plain polka-dotted with
myrfds of the jet black eyes. At first
| merely grf zed the tops OF the flowers in my
| course, but they kept growing with mar
vellous T.; pidity, and finally | was winding
in and out among the stems and leaves
| with my head just above the intermlm.h!e
, sea of red
I Il never saw so many porp'es before.
, I never expect to see 80 mt.ny fgaln; l
ass;ert confidently thtt nobody else ever
| win, unless he does what did.
"Slddonly, when it seemed to me at
! though / was going to be sutfocated and
crushed down by the very. extent OF the
gorgeous growth, the whole shooting
match sank from under me out OF sight
md LEFT IN, floating in a bunch of black
! rothiugness. I be gan to drop.
Il went down slowly at first; then faster
1 | Clropp, d down-down-down with more
4 frightiul speed each second.
/ 1t was terrible sensation. | can't
tell YOU how ! felt, but do know that 1t
seemed as though | was bting fairly con.
sum, d with heat from the very rush OF