Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-02-17

floor, swaying from side to side. II
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 1t 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 a glass. But 1t manifested
none of the child's affection fer 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 1t swayed uncertain
| ly from side 20 side it stumbled over
the projecting edge of a mummy case
and fell 1t 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. 1t
came out of it's corner, its eyes fixed
savagely upon the doctors.
Take care!" screamed.
/ was too late. With the cunning Of
a cat II had crouched down, 1t averted
its gaze one moment; then, straight
as an arrow, 1t 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 a long handle Of
wood, such as is used for opening
the thing and belabored 1t with all
my strength. 1t LETT the doctor and
turned upon me. snarling. hit 1t with
| all my force upon the bridge Of the
nose, and with whine 1t fell at my
feet, fawning upon me. It 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
| 1t seemed already to have forgotten
it's sudden mwderous onslaught. II
was now crouched upon the floor, I'm
| gering the tool which I had let fall,
patting and turning it over with an
/ <zf Int ~
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? ] have some -chloroform in my
room; I keep 1t for cleaning the
papyrus. Shall bring it in? You can
destroy"
'Tt is not necessary" / answered
Look"
They glanced back at the creature.
It was still seated upon the floor, but
had dropped the tool and now sat,
crouched in heap. staring before 1t
| idly, while low whimpering sound
came from between its lips. And it's
aspect had changed. With the arrival
of adolescence the features had in
sensibly altered; already had noticed
how the soul within, working upon the
plastic clay, moulding 1t In its own
image, had thrown back the fine fore
head of the mummy, enlarged the
| jaws, heightened the arms and bowed
the lower limbs. until 1t began to show
the semi-human appearance of the
primeval man. But now the muscles
had wasted upon the limbs. the face
was lined, the thick growth of beard
that had sprung out upon the lower
half Of the face was turning white.
The creature was aging visibly before
our eyes. It's span of normal life was
almost over.
And then occurred the most pathetic
of all the incidents that / remember
Perhaps primitive man feeling his
strength go from him, might have
wondered in his dimly developed mind
at the slow approach of death, pom
dered upon the unknown gulf before
him. toward whose edge he was ap
preaching with irresistible movements
and longed that his little. helpless
life should not go out alone, without
some human companionsbrp. The crea
ture half rose, and. very bent and
faltering, stumbled toward us and COW
cred at our feet, laying its head dowr
upon the ground before the doctor
much as an old dog might seek Its
master in the hour of death. In spite
Of my repugnance tears sprung into
my eyes. This was our first ancestor
the father of the race. Brcdsky
stopped over the thing and laid his
hand upon its head. The head was
raised one instant; / saw an agony d
question in the eyes. Then the BODY
collapsed, it moved family once o.
twice, and long sigh shook the frame
A moment afterward II began to grow
cold. turned 1t upon its back The
face was that Of an old savage In the
last extremity Of old age.
We placed the body back in the case
and left it with Professor Adams
Then we departed. We did not know
whether hours or days had passed
whether it were night or morning. Blu
the streets were still dark; and wheT
the doctor pulled ouS his. watch VIZ
saw that AZ lacked an hour of midnight