The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1907-06-07
WHEN THE SPIRIT CROSSES THE
BORDERLAND.
Passing OF Life as Seen by One
Who Is Not a Physician-Death
Rattle a Shock to
Listeners

New York Sun was sitting in one of
the rooms of the house surgeon of
hospital in New York city, smoking
cigar and chatting with the doctor
while the latter busted himself with
looking over some instruments that
he had taken from a case.
An orderly entered and said: Doc
tor, | think he is dying now"
Are his brother and mother here?"
asked the house surgeon.
mo, they said they were coming,
but they are not here yet"
ITS a case of severe operation"
said the doctor to the reporter. HE
took his ether all right and rallied
from the shock, but he has been
losing ground for two days. Will you
come along with me?"
The reporter followed the physician
into one of the small rooms devoted
to private patients.
Lying fiat on his back on the mar
row iron cot was a young man, per-
haps little more than 80. The bed
clothing was in perfect order. The
mai v" NChAibNi IsiliO Noo oBlNou
smoothly on the cot and folded over,
with the sheet across the patients
chest.
His arms lay straight on either
side. His face did not indicate enact
alton. His breathing was irregular,
and there seemed to be a considerable
! interval, sometimes longer and some
| times shorter, between the end of an
! expiration and the beginning of an
! inspiration. The orderly stood at the
| foot of the cot.
How long has he been uncon-
scious?" the physician asked.
"A little more than an hour" re-
| piled the orderly.
I'VE may talk" said the doctor, che
won't hear us" But this was spoken
in low tone, as befitted speaking in
the presence of death.
Does every person die uncon-
scious?" he was asked.
MANY persons are conscious when
they believe they are dying. They
! become unconscious, and they may
or may not regain consciousness and
lose it again before death takes place
"A period of Inconsistencies is i'm
measurable TO the subject. A second
minute, a million years-there is
no difference so so far as he is con
cerned."
The death rattle" whispered the
orderly
The intermittent breathing of the
man on the cot had given way to g
sound that was strange TO one not &C
customed TO hear it-a sound so fal
from human that it is made but once
in a lifetime, and that is when one is
passing to the other side of the Dor
derland of human existence.
"Unearthly' is perhaps the one
word that comes nearest to designat
ing this sound Because, maybe, o.
the silence of the death chamber, i
seems loud to ears not acquainted
with it, It seems even loud enough
to be heard through the brick wall!
and out in the street
The sound ceases. and the watchers
turn their eyes toward the face Of tn,
physician. 1t begins again, as if tn,
dead were awakening.
They will not come before HI
dies" said the DOCTOR
Us he likely to regain conscious
ness, even for a moment?' the ply
stefan was asked
q don't think So" was the reply.
MAY | hold his hand, so that if h
does be may feel that he is no
alone?"
The physician nodded assent.
The mans finger tips seemed yer.
cold to the warm hand that took them
There was no sign of permission o
resistance The death rattle contin
ued with longer intervals between
the breathings.
For how many minutes this cor
tiuued cannot be told; it seemed al
age. The strange unearthly soun
ceased, and two faces were turne
toward that of the physician.
Then there was convulsive move
ment of the body on the cot, followe
by a jerk of the head as if fror
strangulation. The jaw of the patien
fell and his eyes, which had opened
; stared at the wall
, There had been no sign of respons
from the hand OF the dying man.
The orderly stepped to the head c
the cot, and with the thumb and fiji
ger of one hand pushed down the eye
, lids over the sightless eyes.