Year: 1869

Many years ago young Englishman,
a medical student named Ashley, went
TO Lima. The love of adventure was
strong upon him and all he met with
there was too tame to satisfy it. Proud
of the profession for which he was study
ing and trusting to it for q subsistence,
strong and healthy in body and mind, he
left England with bold heart, and this
was the life he led and what became of
it. -f .....r


AT time when the difficulty of pro-
curing subjects for anatomical study was
great, and when to procure them hon
estly was impossible, and the prejudice
against dissection was TO strong that no
one was willing to submit the body of
any one connected with him to eXamina-
ton, it is well known that there were
men who made it their business to oh
tain, at no small risk bodies, generally
those of the newly-buried, which they
sold to selgeons, medical students, or
indeed to any one who stood N need of
the ghasily commodity.


This class, known as body snatchers,
and resurrection men, has died out
since there is happily now little pre-
judice against what has been triumph
antly proved to be a necessary branch cf
scientific study; but at the time of our
story their hdious work was thriving
and profitable one.


Richard Ashley, in common with the
rest of the profession, availed himself of
their services, and many times in the
black night his door was opened to those
who did not knock, hut who were ex-
pected and waited for, aud, who entering
stcalthlly deposited dead burden upon
the table prepared rits reception. Old
and young men, women and children,
all at time lay upon that grim table,
and Astley's skilful instruments cut their
way to secrets that wele destined to
benefit the living.


Though he was not hard hearted, it
was not unnatural that in time he should
grow so much accustomed to the sight of
his Subjects as to feel nothing but a
momentary feeling of pity as he put
aside the clustering curls of infancy, or
uncovered the face of man struck down
in the glory of his years.


One night, as many nights before, the
stealthy visit was paid, and Ashley took
his lamp to examine the subject Neither
strong man nor tender child this time
but young and beautiful woman. The
dead face was so lovely that it seemed
impossible that the light in the closed
eyes could make it lovelier. The fair
hair had fallen back, and gave no shade
to TIE white brow, and the long fair
lashes lay in thick fringe upon the
violet tinted under-lids. .-.


She was very tall and slender, and her
hands, one of which hung down as she
lay upon the table, were long and per.
fectly shaped. AS Ashley lifted the hand
to lay it on her breast, he thought how
beautiful it must once have been, since
now when there was not the slightest
rosetint to relieve the dearhly pallor of
it, it was so exquisite. She wore one
garment long flannel shroud, very
straighlly made, through which scanty
drapery her slender limbs We're distinctly
visible, and below which her delicate
feet were bare to the ankle.


Ashley was troubled as he had never
been before. The idea of treating this
beautiful corpse as he had all Others
brought to him in like manner was re-
pulsive to him, and he recoiled from it
as from the thought of sacrilege. But
how could he rid himself of the lovely
incubus? 1t was possible that the men
who had brought it might be bribed to
take IL back again, and if they should
refuse, but he was incapable OF distinct
thought upon the subject, and could
only determine that in any case the beau
tiful thing before him should be treated
with reverence and respect. He gently
covered it from head to foot with long
white cloth, and locking the door of
communication between his bedroom and
the room in which it lay, threw himself
upon his bed without undressing, for the
night was nearly gone.


But his sleep was broken, and his
dreams were feverish, and in some way
all connected with that which lay in the
next room. Now it seemed to him that
it glided through the locked door, with
hands folded on its breast, and its eyes
still fast closed, and stood by his bedside,
and now the dream was that he had
opened n vein IN one of those delicate
arms, and that warm blood came from il
fast and finally he awoke with cry of
horror from CHASTITY dream that some
one had anticipated him in the work OF
dissection.


The horror was upon him when he
awoke to find it was a dream, and open
ing the door he looked upon the table.
1 Il ~ L IT,