The Argosy, Vol. XXIV No. 2 — page 150: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

342 A MONTH IN THE MOON. As they passed along the road that ran past the tomb of the dwarf of Rhadameh, a most unexpected sight met their. eyes. The stone closing the tomb had fallen down, and the corpse lay exposed to view in the hollow of the rock where it had been deposited. Norbert and Virgil instinctively turned away from the sight and began to lift up the stone in order to replace it. But the doctor went up to the body and examined it with scientific curiosity. All at once he stooped, took the dead man’s hand, and looked intently at a red patch on it that appeared to have been the effect of-the sun’s heat. _ Turning back to his companions, and seeing that they was evidently sur- prised, the doctor wrote on a page of his note book: ‘‘A corpse burned by the sun! Such a thing was never yet seen! It is too preposterous, even in the moon !’’ : Norbert was aware of the physiological truth that there is no more certain sign of death than the fact that the skin is insensible to burning. The doctor took up his stethoscope and put it to the dead man’s chest. Alas! He suddenly bethought himself that there was no sound on the moon, and therefore the absence of all noise in the heart was no proof. So he hastened to uncover the wizened wrist and felt it with the palm of his own hand. There was a very feeble pulsation, scarcely perceptible, but still unmis- takable. Before Norbert and Virgil, who stood by, lost in amazement, could make out what the doctor was about, he caught up the dwarf as if he had been a baby, and ran off with him to the observatory. The doctor passed quickly through the Hall of Motors, ard, rushing to his room, laid the dwarf on his own bed and actually went to work to scrub him vigorously from head to foot with a clothes brush. At the same time he inflated the lungs of the supposed corpse by blowing down a silver tube which he had taken out of his surgical case and inserted in Kaddour’s mouth, having first, with his forceps, pulled forward the singu- larly shriveled tongue. : Norbert saw the dwarf slowly coming back to life. His breathing be- came stronger, and he twisted and turned, coughed and sneezed under the brisk manipulation of the brush, which left him red as a boiled lobster. At last he opened his eyes, and faintly murmured in French : ‘* Something to drink.’’ Norbert wondered if he were in a dream. Yet there was no room for doubt. There, before his very eyes, was the dwarf of Rhadameh, who had been buried fifteen days back, now all alive, speaking, SeEnius like any one else ! The doctor was too busy to be spoken to. After he had well rubbed his patient, he made him breathe pure oxygen, and poured half a glass of wine down his throat. Exhausted with his hard work, the worthy man then swallowed a bumper himself, and wiped his forehead with a self satisfied air. “At last !’’ cried Norbert, no longer able to suppress his impatience. “Will you explain this mystery ?’’ / oO + ‘ Gomicboo Ss