Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-28

despair, awaiting death
"Suddenlv with great crash, what was left of the
window sash gave way, and dark object was launched
into the room, almost hurting him from his refuge He
grasped it for support and held until it found lodg
ment by his side Gradually, as the moments passed,
something in the texture under his fingers awoke sub
conscious memory and by comparison paved the way
for knowledge-it is an everyday process. His hand
began of its voition to pass along the object 1t
touched First 1t found some queer set-screWs, then
heavy wet fringe, and then with one frantic sweep
cold coapsibe handle He plunged away to corner
of the and cowed in the muddy flood, an AFFECT
panic stricken animal. The subconsclous far con-
trolled him. even his fight was instructive.
presently Reason laid hand the keys OF his nine
tenth century life He not coward, evidently or
would have been defeated On the contrary the
mind of the reacted and the casket on the table
became his messenger of hope: the ausoeums IN the
OF the city had been destroyed and their contents
scattered and if the flood not now on its ebb this
caSket would not be travelling seaward-so he argued
He made his way the table and found its surface out
of water; and the gray of dawn was in the sky.
"Then he gained the experience that made his story
apropos of the symposium of condolences in the smoker
for take it he would not have lied graously. When
he stood with his hand that caske the pact made IN
Paris flashed to mind the first time IN many years
Something he did not know what, touched the network
of his subconscious mind and the memory eaped forth
picture. He brushed away the gulf ooze from the
coffin plate and read without tremor what he already
knew was written there,the name OF his artist TREND
of whose death he had not heard strange story, is
it not' DO weary YOU"
THERE was third story-again have forgotten.
: The doctor spoke with a abored effort for the
casual.
Again the mrthless smile and flash of white teeth
The strangers brows contracted slightly. You
beginning to coordinate now; but then it idle
tale, coincidence ! wonder If you will accept the
supreme coincidence such9 The third story? Yes
"The other doctor was, you resident OF
Georgia He was hunting in the Altamaha swamp, a
noble river born of the union OF the Ocnulgee and
Oconee, and returning from deer drive stopped to
shoot squirrels 1t the year of the great drouth
and the lagoons dried out. Darkness descended
before he aware and he lost his bearings lmmed
ately. He camped IN the dark, having no matches
under of muscadne vines that overran number
of small haw trees; but in the night, alarmed by the
cries of puas and the footsteps of wild hogs and pos
siby bears he crawed up and stretched himself top
of these vines, which constituted natural mattress.
1T when doing there that Of those happen
ings you gentlemen call condolences natured,-an OBJ
ject, left by hghwater with other drift, slipped from
its odgment and rolled against his face Even IN the
dark he recognized skull, and it natural that IN
sudden disgust he should hur far possible
But it not natural that when morning and
he descended he should in passing this skull turn back
and pick up because patch on the side was visible
Doctor it is marvellous thing, when you come to think
OF it. that he should find the skull trepanncd, the little
metal disk still held in place by the caous nm nature
had thrown up round its edge This Of course, was
matter of deep interest to OF his protcsslon but
we have his word for it-before he removed the disk
with his knifeblade from his far away youth,
long forgotten scene, flashed to mind and impeled him
to rub away the corrosion from the metal thereby gam.
ing the greatest story of his life On that little disk OF
silver he found his initials and date
"You remember all the story now,-how boy he
the bit of silver defamation contest, how the
young of visitor to his town kicked by pony
the calk Of the iron shoe piercing the soft SKULL the
surgeons sudden need for just such piece of metal to
childs life 1t pretty story, and rather
relief from the grim ones preceding it. You must admit
that | present.
THE doctors level, questioning gaze the
speaker as he finished. admitting it, why this
visit, Is it to repeat these stories onlyo'
"Not to repeat only, Doctor: that were indeed idle
/ am, pardon me, too much an artist for that | am
here to help you connect these stories.
he twist ted himself in his with