The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-10-04

The sick man listened at~tent1Veiy 20
the surgeon; and, while ms race was
somewhat saddened, there was 10 -
NOR Of his voice Or visible laii,i7
away Of his nerve, as he replieo .la'
the information conveyed gave MIN
no surprise: that he had long known
his condition as we'll as an improves
sional man could know 1t; that ne was
in the hands Of the physicians, and Tue
issue was in the hands Of GOD. Inree
days later William Garv1n was car
| ried into the operating ROOM, put en-
feebled nature could not SURVIVE .ns
shock Of the ordeal and he passed
away a few days afterwards, never
having regained consciousness.
Being without family his body was
removed to the residence of ms
brother, from which the funeral exer-
| cises took place. While the attend
ants were preparing his remains TOT
| the coffin, one of them was on the
point of drawing a ring from one OF
the fingers. when Mr.. George GarV1n
saved his hand. s"Th-t ring ne SAID,
"was my brothers most precious pos
| session, the gift of our mother, and ne
has often declared that even IN deatf
he did not wish to be parted from IT,
Let the CLEAN and glitter Of this poor
stone be extinguished in the grave
with his cold clay This decision OF
Mr.. Garvin. unimportant in itself,
| was productive of mOmentOus cOnSe-
The ring was a handsome
piece of jewelry Of a single diamond,
but not of great value. having cost
probably $35 or $40. But everything
connected with the case of William
Garvin created great interest IN the
communicates long stay IN the nos
pital, the fatal operation, the funeral,
etc. An exaggerated rumor spread
from one end Of the city to the other
~ ~4I Md bnnn hJ1rInd
with a cluster diamond ring on his
finger worth s 1000, and a magnificent
gold watch and chain, worth $500 or
$500.
Two or three nights after William
Garvin was laid to rest, and just az
ter the night nurse in the hospital mad
gone on duty. While a group of day
nurses, off work, were 0
midway of the corridor on the second
floor. from the lobby on the first floor
on which the main entrance opened. a
man, barehead, came slowly up the
stairway. looking upwards. his face
very white. and a smile on his lips. Al
first he attracted no notice, being TAX
en- for a convaIescent patient walking
about. But as he neared the landing,
one of the nurses turned toward him,
when her face ~blanched, her eyes
dilated with horror, and she threw out
her hands with amaZement and ter
ror. The man slowly passed the
group OF nurses. all gazing at him.
petrified, "as if some Gorgon horror
had turned them into stone upon the
spot mounted the second stairway,
supporting himself with his hand on
the baluStrade, looking down on them
with white face and set SMILE, as ne
said: IT suppose / can go up to my
old room ?"
Then shrek after shrek rent the
- ~ ~ ~ q frn - - hn xyn
as this mysterious visitor reached the
next corridor. One nurse tainted dead
away while another rushed down into
the lobby and into the office Of the SUI
perintendent, who was seated at his
desk, falling down on her knees and
crying Great God. Doctor Blank, the
dead man, Mr.. Garvin is walking
about the corridors! He spoke to us.
he smiled at US; we all recognized him.
He is up there now" She fairly shiv-
cred in an ecstacy of fright. DR..
| Blank. at first much incenSed at such
| a breach of discipline and such sense
less behaviour, probably growing out
Of a cruel practical joke, was
about to berate the poor nurse severe
1y, when her agonized face stopped
him. Raising her from the floor. he
said: "My poor girl, all this is folly.
practical joker'-but she broke away
from him, throwing herself on a
lounge and sobbing pfteously.
DR.. Blank fastened up to the second
floor, where he met the resident phy-
stefan and the head nurse. both at a
loss to understand the excitement. The
fainting nurse had come to herself,
and was crOuched in an angle of the
wall and rocking herself to and fro.
shut all the patients room doors and
quiet these FOOLS" he said to the head
nurse, going on with the resident phy-
stefan to the room on the third floor
to the room occupied by Garvin. The
door was wide open and the electric
light abIaze, which was unusual, as
the room had been vacan since his
death. The window was also open.
and the curtain vas flying out hort
zontally. as if under the impulse Of
a violent wind, though there was not
even a light breeze at the time. OF
course there was no one in the room
and the two men stood there for q