Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-01-03

All these weeks | had looked for.
ward with eagerness to the supreme
moment. but always with the thought
that WAS TO be merely spectator, IN
assistant The doctors. | had always
thought. would assume the risk and
hear the blame il any blame there
were 10 be. How differently had all
ffallcn,
rgrhe task must be done, and at once.
.3possihle TO oppose Alexandra long
Er, The results to her would surely
l1he deplorable. yielded.
4 will set you free. Alexandra"
said TO her Half the responsibility
1hall be yours and half mine BE calm
be quiet just a minute longer Lie
still."
She became passive al once i'm
mediately set to work.
First | switched Of the ray.appa
ralus a. Brodeur had instructed ME to
10 before releasing her. The hum
quickly died 10 u dull murmur and
then ceased altogether After so many
weeks Of it It's absence made ghast-
" kind OF stiffness. through which |
clearly lef d the railrdrive and the
bulfeting wind az inst he house.
I then lotsened and disot meet 4
The glass instrament.ease / Ola h r
left Arm. and laid this and It's appara-
tus asi,e. The arm now freed rom
J. the tiresome burden which had op.
pressed II for SO long. moved Il little
and then lay still. as IL resting. Alex
andra'e right hand rubbed il few
timee; then her two hands clasped
themselves together in gesture of
mute and eloquent appeal. Those
Joined hands Mere themselves a pray
Or.
Neat bearing Andres directions
well in mind, dimmed the light, then
adjusted the thcrmostai for de.
crease Of five degrees of temperature,
and the humidity apparatus for an in
crease Of % pei cent.
now took pair of Ions, curved
surgeons shears and began eating
the handages which enveloped her
chest, neck and head As the silver
feeding-tube, The audiphone wire, and
the respiratory apparatus came free |
threw them on the floor amid the
growing pile OF cut bandages--al now
equally useless. since the great eX.
pertinent was at an end. With a most
precise and accurate care unroled
the wraDpings, cut them and still un.
rolled them hundreds upon hundreds
OF Yards Of fine cotton. all sterile all
specially prepared.
As the outlines or Alexandra's neck
and head now began to appear my
heart began TO play fantastic tricks.
Weakness stf0ye 10 assall me, but
fought 1t back Time enough for
moods and vapors when his work
should be at an end Nov. if ever in
I Me, needed al my strength and
skill.
What was the result TO be-~the re-
-sult i was so soon to behold with my
own eyes?
Was Alexandra really to emerge a
wondr0us, perfect creature?
l Or was she to come back into the
world again a disfigured, mutilated
wreck?
Had Ergazy and Brod aur based
their work on real and sound scien
tific truth, and had their procedure
achieved the end they had anticipat
ed?
Or had this woman. the subject oil
their impious experiment, become on
" a horrible and CHASTITY thing?
dared not even speculate. In a
moment---all TOO soon, II seemed i
should know
Heaven grant the end may be sue
cess!" | prayed despite myself as
Iabored over the still, waiting form.
Now ] could see the woman's mag
nificent hair and the general outline
Of her features was beginning to grow
somewhat visible again features hid
den away from light and air anc
sound 80 long ago, Had It been onl.
somewhat less than three weeks? In
credible! Three centuries, II seemed
Ioosened Alexandra's hair ant
threw 1t buck and away, in wonderful
masses Of glossy blackness. That sb'
was very nervous | could not help OBJ
serving: more SO, perhaps, than ever
/. Her claspcd hands now were twist