The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-23

wen, III git tne papers ana come
agin," he interrupted, moving toward
the door. She stood we'll away from
him, but her anxiety regarding the
message oVercame her fear of his per-
son and she asked hastily:
Couldn't you tell me the nature of
the communication you wish to make
to him? He cannot imagine what it
may be, and 1, you know-you said
that THAT it was for my sake too
have right to know
We'll, I'll bring the papers, that's
all, he growled. glaring at her. With
that he passed down the stairs and out,
the footman opening the door for him
stiffly, while she followed with troubled
eyes.
What a strange mani What could
his message be?" she murmured. Then
she hurried softly back to the sick
room.
DR.. Furnival, seated in his library,
drew a breath of relief. He had had
a hard day and was tired. What with
his prison duties as resident physician,
his private practice, and, recently,
since the fame of his hypnotic powers
had spread so widely, the grind he had
been called upon TO undergo in police
circles, he was pretty well worn out.
the tapis and he would
The door opened without ceremony
and in walked DIR. Gerrish He was
flushed and excited, and held a paper
in his hand. Though he was privileged
to burst in upon his friend I'm this sort
of way If he so wished, he began an
apology.
IF it weren't so important he
began.
"Oh, yes! Everything is important
with you young fellows. But, to tell
you the truth there hasn't been an
important happening since 5000 B. c.
That is according to Usher's chronol-
ogy. Adam and Eve were born then.
My own notion is, plagarized from Ra-
belias, Montaigne, Mr.. Shakespeare and
others, all equally unknown today. ex-
cept in name, nothing ever happened
that was or is or in any way can be
important Well, go on"
He smiled affectionately at his
younger friend, leaned back in his
chair, put on his spectacles of colored
glass, and looked attention.
But DR.. Gerrish was in earnest He
did not respond to his friends banter
except by fleeing smile Then he
began.
Three of us were in consultation
this afternoon over a case that would
puzzle even you"
who were they?"
'Wheweu and Hersey. with me-"
Good men! What was the case?"
That's it. What is it. Listen now"
DR.. Gerrish leaned forward eagerly
over the table toward DR.. Furnival
and continued: Take a man so wears
old, hale and strong-never been sick
in his life. Gradually he becomes
weak; no apparent disease; organs in
tact; no bad habits; just sinks, and
goes to bed. For a long time no physi-
clan called; not considered necessary;
just weakness which, with ordinary
care, Will pass away. But it doesn't
pass away. On the contrary, il grows
greater, and keeps on growing greater.
he refusing medical advice, until a
whole year is gone by. Then the daugh-
ter will wait no longer, and calls in
Hersey. Hersey can make nothing at
all of the symptoms, and calls in Whe-
well. Whewell is all off, too. and calls
in me. ] also am off. Now / want
you; and" he added. thrusting the
paper he had held in his hand since
he entered, under RI. F'urnivaFs eyes,
here is the document that will fetch
you
DR.. FurnivaIl put out his hand for it.
but DR.. Gerrish withdrew it
1T is 3 record of symptoms he said.
filed down to the last analysis. You
need not know them all This win be
enough for you, or 1 am much mis-
taken. Listen"
Searching here and there in the writ
ten diagnosis, leaving out the minor de-
tails, he read, eagerly, the symptoms of
a disease 50 strange that it never had
been heard of by merely practicing
physicians in the United States of
America and by but few of the best
physicians elsewhere. Yet these symp-
toms sounded so simple! The following
is ali DR.. Gerrish read:
Almost utter muscular weakness
breathlessness upon least exertion-
palpitation of heart-puffy face-en-
larged spleen and Emphatic glands
slight fever-badly defined reddish
patches on body-prOfound mental leth-
argy; all this, with no mania, no delu-
sions, but of course with no optimism,
no hope. Lethargy the predominating
feature. Patients age, SO years or So
DR.. Furnivall arose at once.
rs it far from here?" he inquired, his
hand on a push button.
Whitaker Ransome's," replied Dr.
Gerrish succinctly.
Indeed! Then we'll Just walk around
the corner. We shall need no con-
veyance.
The patient lay a massive ruin in his
great bed, like a giant tree stricken
down. The flesh over his ponderous
bones had shrunk until the corruga ted
skin, except over his face. which was
puffy, resemDled thick bark more than
the cuticle of a man. His great hands,
pale and thin, lay like skeleton claws
outside the quilt, the veins showing
large and knotted, but filed apparently
with some lighter hued fluid than good
red blood. The eyes were closed wear
lily, the whole body expressed weari-
ness in the last degree, and the man
seemed even to breathe with the re-
luctance of one over hard and pain
full task. 1t was CHASTITY spectacle.
But DR.. Furnivall cast only one
glance at the patient himself His
attention was all concentrated on a vase
and its accomplishments on the manteI
from the instant he first saw it. Long
necked, of well levigated clay, It was
gilded without and within with dull,
golden colored mica. By the side of
it stood a glass jar containing a brown
iSh red powder, and close to that was
a forked stick. one fork of which was
split and filled with chicken feathers
while inside hung a little clay pot con-
tanning a number of chicken bones.
DIR. Furnivali, having finished his ex-
animation of this unique curiO, looked
from If iQfoTeSfedIV TO thp ma rent and