Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-06-16
reHAPTER xxxI-continued.,

-22-
srily.f u an
he shook his head, his stern mouth
uaping the strangest, twisted smile.
+" was indeed twisted smile, for it
was on the left side only, the facial
, 1t all.
inat was the last play Of the WOLF"
ue said. l am paralyzed. shall
never walk again. Oh, only on the
other side." he added, as though divin.
ing the suspicious glance | flung at
nis left leg. the knee Of which had Just
tnen drawn up and elevated the blank.
cts.
It's unfortunate" he continued.
: ia liked to have done for you first,
hump. And thought I had that much
= left in me-"
But how can you account for n ,"
asked. Where Is the seat of your
trouble?"
Inc BRAIN" he said at once. 1T
was those cursed headaches brought
It on"
Symptoms" said.
he nodded his head. There ia no
accounting for it. l was never sick
In my life. Something's gone wrong
win my brain. A cancer, a tumor.
or something Of that nature-a thing
tnat devours and destroys. It's attack
ing my nerve centers, eating them up.
DIT by bit. cell by cell-from the
pain"
The motor centers, too" I sug.
gested.-
$50 it would seem, and the curse
OF 1t Is that must lie here. conscious.
mentally unimpaired. knowing that
the lines are going down. breaking bit
Dy DIT communication with the world.
cannot see, hearing and feeling are
ieav1ng me. at this rate shall soon
cease to speak; yet all the time shall
De mere, alive, active and powerless."
When you say you are here. I'd
suggest the likelihood of the SOUL" I
said.
Bosh! was his retort. 1T simply
means that in the attack on my brain
the higher psychical centers are un.
touched. can remember, can think
and reason. When that goes. I go. I
am not. The soul?"
He broke out in hooking laughter,
then turned his left ear to the pillow
as sign that he wished no further
conversation.
Maud and / went about our work
oppressed by the fearful fate which
mad overtaken him-how fearful we
were yet fully to realize There was
the awfulness of retribution about II
Our thoughts were deep and solemn,
oAand we spoke to each other scarcely
above whispers.
You might remove the handouts"
he said that night, as we stood in con-
sultation over him. TITS dead safe.
I'm paralytic now. The next thing
to watch out for is bed sores"
He smiled his twisted smile and
Maud. her eyes wide with horror, was
compelled to turn away her head.
DO you know that your smile is
crooked?" ! asked him; for knew
that she must attend him, and wished
to save her as much as possible.
Then l shall smile no more" he
said calmly. Il thought something
was wrong. My right cheek has been
numb all day. Yes, and I've had warn.
4 ings Of this for the last three days:
by spells. my right side seemed going
to sleep. sometimes arm or hand.
sometimes leg or. foot"
so my smile is crooked?" he ouer.
led a short while after. We'll, con.
slider henceforth that I smile inter-
nally. with my soul. If you please, my
soul. Consider that l am smiling
now"
And for the space of several min.
utes he lay there. quiet. indulging his
grotesQue fancy.
The man of him was not changed.
1t was the old. indomitable, terrible |
Wolf Larsen. imprisoned somewhere |
within that flesh which had once been |
so invincible and splendid. Now II
bound him with insentient letters,
walling his soul in darkness and 81.
lence, blocking 1t from the world
which to him had been a riot of &C.
ton. No more would he conjugate the
verb ito do" in every mood and tense.
ITO be" was all that remained to him
to be, as he had defied death. with
out movement; to will. but not to ex-
ecute; to think and reason and in the
spirit of him to be as alive as ever.
but in the flesh to be dead. quite dead.
And yet. though even removed the
Aandcuffs. we could not ADJUST our.
Olives to his condition. Our minds
revolted. To us he was full of poten-
TALLY. We knew not what to expect
Of him next. what fearful thing. rising