New Britain herald., 1927-01-21
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WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE

a woman who had tainted on a train. That night twin girls are born to her and she dies without re- vealing her name.
 Then the story moves forward IS years. The twins have been adopt ed and named Margaret and Eliza beth. They are called Rusty and Bet ty.
 Jim Elwell. the son, enlists In the World war. He then discovers that one of the twins loves him.
 He Is she'll shocked at Sedan and reported dead. Much later he is identified in a New York hospital, where his parents find him with his speech and memory gone. He is like a living dead man.
 The day before he is to be taken home he wanders away from his nurse. Late that night he is found in Bellevue hospital with his skull fractured. expected to die. He had been hit by truck.
 The twins, meanwhile, had been identified as the nieces of the wealthy John Clayton of Indianapo- lis. Their father is dead.
 Mollie writes, saying Jim will live but his memory Is gone for ever, and they are to brng him home shortly. ...
 When the Elwells arrive. there is a scene and suddenly one of the grief-stricken twins cries that she is Jim's wife. Jim then speaks, and be- gins to tell strange story.
 NOW BEGIN THE STORY
 CHAPTER xLVII ..
 You see," Jim Elwell went on, when I did wake up, 1t looked like I'd be just the same as I was before If lived. But it didn't look like a sure thing that I would live.
 'Tn addition to my noodle being al tangled up, there was piece of bone pressing on my think tank from the fracture. That had to be removed, or else I'd croak as sure as shootin'.
 "Of course, they knew that even if they did remove it my chances were still pretty slim. But one thing was sure: if they didn't, I was a goner.
 "Of course. Prof didn't want me to die so he told them to go ahead and do their best. And then they called in this Dr. Lawson, didn't they, Prof"'
 That was right, Prof said. He be- gan carefully to fill his pipe.
 Well. when Dr. Lawson got there they were operatin' and they had re- moved the bone that was doing all the pressing. But when he arrived on the scene they were so impressed with his greatness and all that they didn't stop for lunch, and under his direction they kept fool1n' around until they had removed a blood clot or something or other.
 Now, 1t seems that that clot there was what had kept he from doing any thinking, so when they got it out of the way they strengthened out my brain for me-"
 "Oh, how wonderful" Betty
 Exactly" he agreed. That did the trick. It seems that this Dr. Lawson thought all along that that was what might be the matter with me, but he didn't want to operate without Prof and Mollie's consent because he wasn't sure that I'd come out of It.
 And now here's funny little side to It that even Prof and Mollie don't know. I'm tellin' them now for the first time. Nellie Downing-that was my nurse, Betty, the lady that looked after me over in France and followed me to the United States and"
 T know all about her." Betty said primly.
 "Oh, you do?" We'll, he went on to say, Nellie Downing had told him that Dr. Lawson had confessed to taking a big chance when he re- moved the blood clot.
 Tt seems that when they removed the bone, I was still so far gone that It was a toss-up with me anyway. so Dr. Lawson had the nerve to 20 ahead and see the whole thing through-figuring," of course. that lnasmuch as I was so close to death he might just as well do the thing he hadn't dared to do before an operation was necessary to keep me alive"
 You mean to say" Mollie gasped, that they went ahead with that. knowing that it might kill you?"
 Sure. How did they know but what I'd cash In anyway? Believe me, he did the right thing. I don't mlnd telling you that if I had had anything to say about 1t he'd have operated right away-before I got my skull fractured"
 It was, Prof agreed, the thing to do.
 The day that the nurse cam. in to tell me that Jim had opened his eyes, they were might doubtfu, about him. They told me that an operation was absolutely necessary in order to give him even a fighting chance; that he was weak and the thing might kill him; but that if was absolutely necessary.
 T told them to go ahead, and. be- lieve ne, l did some tall praying. r., ever man got religion. I got if then. Dr. Lawson did the right thing. ] figure that it would have been criminal not to have finished the job, as long as they were operat- ing anyway. I'm going to write Q letter to the doctor and thank him. He's a wonder"
 Well, anyway" said Jim. mt all turned out right. I'd rather have been dead-I'll tell you that-tban allve and in the condition was in