The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-01-15
CHAPTER XIV.
AmyI Pearls.

Amyl Pearls.
Who will deny that sturdy
physique is a valuable asset? Had II
not been for a deep chest. a powerful
pair Of lungs, heart without a flaw,
and an underlying vitality such as Is
possessed by but a small minority In
these degenerate times, l must Ger
tainly have succumbed For, as !
learned later, l had inhaled enough
carbon monoxide gas to have killed
the average man Of my age, twice
over. The stove on which the caul
dron Of peanuts steamed was a char
coal furnace. and the tiny space within
that back room was impregnatcd with
the heavy poisoned fumes to q dis.
tance Of four feet and moro above the
floor.
Sitting on a low stool, bent for
ward over my sprained ankle, which
for relief I had raised and rested
across nv other knee, I had cone in
contact with the deadly gas, breathing
II without suspicion, until drowsiness
intervened and stupor. insensibility,
and eventually coma followed.
II Is customary, I understand, to EN-.
ploy rigorous treatment In such cases
to effect resuscitation. II am to be.
lieve what have been told Of my con.
dition when discovered, was very far
on the way to dissolution. was. in
fact, moribnnd, and in the eyes OF
those who carried me from the cellar
to an upper room I was already dead
II 10 perhaps needless to add that no
steps were taken to revive me. Even
had I been regarded as still living
doubt that should have received any
other treatment.
Providence, however, favored me. I
was thrown into a bunk under one Of
the few open windows OF Chinatown,
and door left ajar, by accident, prob
ably, drew across me a current Of com.
paratively pure oxygen. Thus invited,
nature reasserted itself, and respira-
tion, which had been temporarily
suspended. gradually resumed It's Of.
fee.
With dawning consciousness came
acute discomfort. My head and back
ached nigh unbearably, and my ankle,
swollen TO twice its normal size, shot
pains TO my thigh. My tongue seemed
too large for my mouth and my throat
was raw. Later, memory started
train Of questions and surmises. A
half light admitted through the open
window gave unsatisfactory answer as
TO time and place. 1t might be dawn,
midday or evening. might still be In
the same building into the basement
Of which l had plunged after the So
called Peter Johnson, or | might be
miles away. Yet of one fact | was
assured. II was no longer night. Day
had come again and eight hours at
least must have passed since l stood
killing time on the sidewalk in front
OF the restaurant In which | was to
have met Yup Sing
And, as my mind cleared. there
rushed in upon me a recollection Of
Evelyn's apprehension and OF my
promise to reassure her not later than
eleven o'clock. Suffering as was,
physically, / know ny mental distress
at thought Of how she must have
waited with growing solicitude hour
after hour for that expected ringing OF
the telephone bell; how, indeed, she
must, even now. be distraught, not by
uncertainty, but by the conviction that
some ill-some serious ill-had befal-
len me, was more poignant.
In my eagerness TO relieve at once
this unrest which | knew TO be hers
j would have risen, but my strength
was not equal to the test. Ny muscles
refused TO obey my will and | lay sr-
pine, Inert, powerless. would have
learned the time, but to seek my
watch, which l fondly fancied was
still Ia my pocket, seemed such an
enormous eXertion that / reluctantly
gave over the idea. To breathe. to
draw air into my lungs and expel it,
was prodigious labor, wearying me- it
appeared, TO exhaustion; though with
every Inhalation lucidity OF thought
and, ] suppose. physical force as we'll,
were being imperceptibly augmented
Ing intently for sounds that might
prove informatory. while with head
slightly turned | made scrupulous In.
ventory OF the room In which | was
tribbed. II was cramped. confined
place, upholstered. and furnished with
four rough board hunks, one OF which
l occupied. The other three were
empty; but In the scant passageway
between my resting place and that op
posite was stool. and upon the stool
the pipe and other paraphernalia De
culiar TO opium smoking.
Then. very slowly, there came TO me
a realization Of the vulpine cunning OF
these orientals into whose hands had
fallen. was TO be found here, dead
not from Inhalation OF foul air i'm an
ill-ventilated cellar. which might ex
cite suspicion and provoke inquiry