The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-01
TheWhiteAnn
By Horaio Winslow
Copyright. by Daily Story Pub. Coz

AS 1Or me nave no theories ABOUT
it whatever, for though am medical
student such thing as the death
of Anje lies out of our province; We
deal only with things observed and
noted down and approved. So if l tell
the events as | saw them that is all
that can be expected. for l am neither
a theory spinner nor student Of psy-
chical research.
1t began in the laboratories when
Thompson called me in to the end
room which we used for Typographical
anatomy and where sometimes the
cadavers lie for a day or so before
they are disturbed.
81 have an idea" said Thompson.
''for a practical joke on Anje. You
know how Anje has always set him.
self up as a heartbreaker among the
ladies?"
Eyes"
And how he has told Of his conquests
until everyone Of us is sick of them
and him? Well. this is the joke"
He threw back a cloth from the
bench at his knees. For q good min
ute l stared at the body as II l had
never seen a corpse beforehand for
that matter had never seen one like
this
In our dissecting rooms we get the
bodies black with preserving fluids
and looking less like modern beings
than Egyptian mummies. But this
| was as white as a living body; whittier.
for it was rather like marble. 1t was
! in her time, with regular fea-
lures and neither fat nor thin. And
she lay on that bench as II she were
piece OF statuary fresh from the
I sculptors hands.
| Suicide" Thompson said, but they
she jumped in. What do you think
of this new preserving process?"
Lord" I said 1T makes you
think you are looking at piece of
statuary and that right arm is espe-
cially perfect
He broke in on my speech.
IT knew you would notice that right
arm Isn't 1t beautifully turned and
chiseled? It is masterpiece and
with it we shall play joke on Anje
that will be a masterpiece. You know
Anje has always been so internally
conceited about his love affairs and
his strong stomach. Now this is my
idea. We will take the white arm and
put it in Anje's bed with the hand
sticking out from the bed clothes
We will get Anje drunk and then
we will let him go to bed and wake
up and find the arm there and then
while he Is still dizzy reason things
out for himself Won't that hit him?'
There was no opposition from me
for, like the rest, was rather sicl
Of Anje's love tales. Moreover
thought since he had been SO melan
choly and depressed for the past weel
or two an uncanny shock like thi'
might wake him out of his broodinl
and make him cheerful again A mer
ry cad is very much more enjoyable
than a sad one And then the ide'
. of Anje waking up in bed with tn
arm appealed to me.
So the practical joke gathered head
way and in due course of time 1t be
came known to everyone at tn
boarding house-that is, to everyone
except Anje.
On the night on which It was to b.
perpetrated took Anje up into m.
room and talked to him till eigh
o'clock, when Thompson came up ant
winked signifying that the arm wa
in place Whereupon the three o
us sailed forth into the night.
As the liquor rose in Anje he be
came communicative but he RENAME,
unutterably sad and dreary. He wa
no longer boasting Of his conquests
; instead he was reproaching himsel
because he had played too fast ant
loose with some woman.
; Now it's no use" he kept repeat
ing IT'S too late It's no use. Sh
might have given me chance"
And then as he got drunken: Ssh
didn't have any reason to do wha
: she did. I treated her right. | neve
was any worse than anybody else"
And when he was still farther gon
: he repeated: ELLEN. Ellen, Ellen" a
though it were a charm.
! Thompson became very much dis
gusted with him.
whats the use?" he said, drawin
me aside. I'VE can't get him decent
ly under Let's take him home tn
way he is"
So we shifted Anje into cab and
! once more back at the house, W
: watched outside his door while he ur
dressed But there came no cry no
} word nor movement of surprise from
Anje's room.
, After his light went out we hear
him creeping into bed.
We waited little longer but sine
, Anje made no sound we climbed ava
, to our bedrooms
As to Anje's death. no doubt yo
, ! have read in the papers the detail
of that very unsatisfactory affair
how he was found the next morning
how the detectives and the polio
rummaged about the house and tn
neighborhood looking for clews; ho'
all the suspects arrested proved thei
innocence completely.
But only two OF us know what
was that really killed Anje.
When Thompson and ! on that Sur
day morning first knocked on hi
: door and then broke our way in, W
saw him still lying in the bed. hi
face black from suffocation, his fea
lures twisted in agony and abou