The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-02-03
up erect, as tall as the doctor, and

floor, swaying from side to side. 1t
had reached the age of childhood now;
infancy was behind it, and it was time
for the appearance of the normal psy'
Geological instincts of affection.
We saw the light of intelligence
come into its eyes as it turned them
on us and gazed at us, puzzled, appar-
emily, and uncertain, as some house
pet that sees its image for the first
time in glass. But it manifested
none of the child's affection for its
parents. 1t seemed to divine, by some
horrible intuition, the awful circum
stances of it's birth. 1t shrunk back,
retreated into corner of the hall,
and crouched there, glazing and glib
bering at us. AS it sWayed uncertain
ly from side to side it stumbled over
the projecting edge of mummy case
and fell. It leaped to its feet with a
shrill scream of pain and fell upon the
inanimate wood, reducing it to splin-
tiers with few well-directed blows of
its naked fists. And now it had
learned the secret of its strength. It
came out of its corner, its eyes fixed
savagely upon the doctors.
Take care!" l screamed.
Twas too late. With the cunning Of
cat it had crouched down, it averted
it's gaze one moment; then, straight
as an arrow, it leaped for the doctors
throat, seeking, with the wild beasts
instinct for the great vulnerable art
cries. Brodsky staggered under the
impetus of the attack; glanced hast
lily round me and perceived an instru-
ment of iron with long handle Of
wood. such as is used for opening
packing cases. l flung myself upon
the thing and belabored it with all
my strength. 1t left the doctor and
turned upon me, snarling hit it with
all my force upon the bridge of the
nose, and with whine it fell at my
feet, fawning upon me. 1t had dis
covered the meaning of its second
lesson, the strength of others. Brod-
sky rose slowly. His shoulder had
been bruised, but he was not other
wise injured.
We three withdrew into corner of
the room and watched the creature.
The fight had been beaten out of it.;
with the short memory of the savage
it seemed already to have forgotten
it's sudden murderous onslaught. 1t
was now crouched upon the floor, fin.
gering the tool which l had let fall
patting and turning it over with an
aspect of intense curiosity. This was
the stage of prehistoric man, the sep
aration from the beast by the faculty
of imagination.
Professor Adams found his voice
"This is terrible, DOCTOR he whis
pered TREMENDOUSLY, plucking at Brod
sky's sleeve. What will you do with
it? l have some chloroform in my
room; l keep it for cleaning the
papyrus. Shall bring it in? You car
destroy"
1T is not necessary" l answered
Look"
They glanced back at the creature
1t was still seated upon the floor, but
had dropped the tool and now sat
crouched in a heap, staring before II
idly, while a low whimpering SOUND
came from between its lips. And it'E
aspect had changed With the arriva
of adolescence the features had in
sensibly altered; already had noticed
how the soul within, working upon thu
plastic clay, moulding it in it's owl
image, had thrown back the fine fore
head of the mummy, enlarged thu
jaws, heightened the arms and bowed
the lower limbs, until it began to SHOW
the semi-human appearance of thu
primeval man. But now the muscle!
had wasted upon the limbs, the fac,
was lined, the thick growth of bearl
that had sprung out upon the lowe
half of the face was turning white
The creature was aging visibly befor
our eyes. It's span of normal life wa
almost over.
And then occurred the most patheti
of all the incidents that remember
Perhaps primitive man feeling hi
strength 60 from him, might hav
wondered in his dimly developed min
at the slow approach of death, poi
dered upon the unknown gulf befor
him, toward whose edge he was al
preaching with irresistible movement
and longed that his little, helples
life should not 60 out alone, withou
some human companlonshlp. The ere;
ture half rose, and, very bent an
faltering, stumbled toward us and COW
cred at our feet, laying it's head dow
upon the ground before the doctor
much as an old dog might seek it
master in the hour of death. In spit
of my repugnance tears sprung int
my eyes. This was our first ancestor
the father of the race. Brodsk
stopped over the thing and laid hi
hand upon it's head. The head wa
raised one instant; l saw an agony {
question in the eyes. Then the bod
collapsed, it moved family once G
twice, and long sigh shook the frame
A moment afterward it began to gro
cold. turned it upon its back. TIL
face was that of an old savage in tn
last extremity of old age.
We placed the body back in the cas-
and left it with Professor Adam
Then we departed. We did not kno'
whether hours or days had passe,
whether it were night or morning. BIZ
the streets were still dark; and whe
the doctor pulled out his watch W
saw that it lacked an hour Of midnigh