Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 580 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

+ ; - —_ . pe A eS ee a vs ~ 10 Shadowing a Shadow. ! ** Mother, allow me to present my friend, Mr. ' Dugald Cambeth, of Philadelphia, whom I have | invited home to tea with me, turning to him, ‘‘tbisis my mother; and this is my sister,” indicating Giuletta. werful electric battery. That he adjusted. Raising the head of the dead man, he fastened Mr, Cambeth,” | one of the poles of the battery to the back of his neck by means ofaclamp. Ther he attached the other pole, in divided sections, to the soles of Cambeth bowed low, and Mrs, Blackwall | the feet in the same manner. rose, offered her hand, and said: “My son’s friends are welcome here, Mr. When these arrangements had been com- leted, he carefully let on the current—little by Cambeth. Let me make you known to Miss | little—stronger and stronger—intensely watch- Parmilye and also to Mrs. Swann.” Cambeth turned, ready to bend low as before, but at sight of Essylt he came to an abrupt stop, and his face turned violently red. Every one noticed it, and all eyes were turned ; slap the dead man smartly upon the breast, upon Essvlt. Her face showed nothing of recognition, as with an inclination of the head she acknowl- edged him, and be soon in a measure recovered, aldemar and his friend sat down for a few minutes, Mrs. Blackwall engaging the latter in | gave a convulsive movement, uttered a gasp- some trivial conversation, and presently her | like groan, and opened its eyes. son rose and remarked: ‘“‘Tf you will excuse us now, mother, I will | stopped the breast-blows, drew back, and with take Mr. Cambeth up to my rooms,” Mrs. Blackwall inclined her head, said ‘‘ Cer- tainly,” and the two left the room and went up- stairs. ita ve you ever seen him before, dear?’ Mrs. Blackwall immediately asked of Essylt. ““Tsaw him on the ferry the other night,” Essylt answered, ‘*T thought he had seen. you, by the way he colored.” Of course Essylt offered no further explana- tion, under the circumstances, and tlie matter was dropped. When the two men were in Waldemar’s rooms ie” above, Waidemar exclaimed: ** Jove! but you looked cut up, when you saw Miss Parmilye; what was it about? Have you met her before?” ** at first glance I thought I recognized her as another person,” the man offered in excuse ‘but I was mistaken, of course. Why, did I show it?” **Did you! You looked like a lobster.” CHAPTER XII. DOCTOR GONSALVO’S MIRACLE, For some minutes Dr. Gonsalvo stood and | that I can assure you.” | | ) glared at the body on the rude table before him, | his scalpel ready for its duty. To any oue not accustomed to the borrors of the dissecting-chamber, it would have been a | that yet,” was the explanation. terrible sight. But, it had no horrors for the dark-visaged aloctor. “Ten thousand dollars,” he presently chuckled | again. ‘‘Thatis quitea neat sum for such a trifling bit of work. Not so trifling, either, but Ten thousand | of no great magnitude to me, dollars, and a chance to study the effects of the | drug. I am in luck, truly. But, this is not getting at work,” He felt of the edge of the scalpel, and moved the light into a better position, and turned it up brighter. *“T can hardly resist the temptation to ex- plore your vitals, sir,” he said to the corpse, ‘but, that is not according to our agreement, If you were in condition to say anything about it, you would no doubt demand to be brought back to life. Very well, sir, I will see what I can do for you.” nat omy | aside the scalpel, the doctor took up another knife, and with it cut the grave-clothes from the body. That done, he took up the scalpel again, ad- justed the light to a yet more favorable position, and bent over the dead Parmilye. He felt of the neck, laid the head over on its Tight -ide, ran his finger up and down the side of the throat several times, and then carefully brought the point of the scalpel to the skin. With steady hand he made a slight incision. That done, he adjusted a magnifying-glass to his eye, pressed open the cut he had made, and carefully examined it. **That will do,” he reflected, as he laid the glass aside, ‘“‘[ have hit the right spot. I could not do it better if I had a hundred trials,” Putting away the glass, he brought out a syringe of peculiar shape and construction, That he laid down, and produced next a small bowl and some small bottles of differing con- tents. What he did then he did with slow careful- mess and with steady hands, Into a graduation lass he poured about two ounces of colorless iquid from one of the bottles, To that he added _ drops from the other bottles; two drops of one - thing, four of another, eight of another, and so forth. When he had done, he stirred the mixture and held it up to the light. It met his approval. _Picking up the syringe, he filled it, and insert- ing its point into the incision he had made in the neck of the body, discharged its contents therein, This was repeated three times. After that the incision was caught ere and closed with some very adhesive substance, and it could not be noticed. Putting away the things he had thus far em- ployed, the doctor brought out next a small but HM ; and quiver, and the dark-faced doctor greeted as though caught by a sudden crick in the back, | this result with a smile of satisfaction, ing the effect. The muscles of the corpse were seven to twitch Presently he stepped forward and began to making the blows quick an! sharp, and in har- mony with the time of the normal] Deating of the human heart, This was kept up*without cessation. Fifteen minutes passed; the corpse suddenly With an .exclamation of delight the doctor folded arms calmly surveyed his work, Sigbert Parmilye was alive! Other convulsive movements followed the first, other groans were uttered, and some inco- berent words spoken, and finally the resusci- tated man essayed to sit up. Dr. Gonsalvo stepped forward to bis assist- ance, ‘*Mr, Parmilye,” he said, ‘‘ allow me to wel come you back to earth.” The banker looked about him in a terrified manner, ‘* In the name of evil,” he gasped, ‘‘ where am **You are on my dissecting-slab, or at any rate on one which I have more than once found it convenient to make use of,” the doctor ex- plained. ‘* How do P her feel?” he inquired. ** Feel!” exclaimed the resuscitated banker, ‘*T don’t feel atall. I baven’t a particle of sen- sation. Am I dead?” The color was returning to his flesh, his mus- cles were regaining their power, and he was far from being dead. ‘* Ha, ha, ha!” the doctor laughed, ‘‘ you are not as dead as you were a little while ago, of ‘But, why can’t I feel?’ the banker de- manded. ** Because you are not quite alive enough for “Sit right still for a few minutes, and when you bein to feel a tingling sensation in your body let me know.” * Ajl right, but hurry this thing up as quick as you can. How long have I been in this state?” ** About seventy-eight or eighty hours, I guess,” ** So long as that?” 4s Yes,” ** And where have you been keeping me? How did the funeral work without a dead man in the coffin?” ‘It did not work at all without a corpse,” was the answer. ‘‘I found that the insurance companies were keeping their eyes on you, and Il had to let you be buried, It was not safe to do otherwise. If the coffin had been kept closed at the church it would have aroused suspicion, and I did not dare to risk it.” . , ‘* And I have actually been in the dead vault!” with an exclamation of horror, ** Worse than that,” was tbe smiling answer; ‘** you have been in the grave.” ‘* Good heaven!” ‘‘Ha, ha, ha!” the doctor laughed, ‘‘ Yes actually dead and buried. But, what matter,’ he added, ‘since you knew nothing about it? You were no worse off there than you would bave been in the vault, and [hada better chance of getting you out,” ‘It is all a borrible dream,” the banker gasp- ed. ‘It cannot be true. What arisk I have run! If I bad suspected that, I would never have undertaken it? ‘*T knew that, my dear sir, and I lied to you liberally. Of course you will forgive me for that now, since it has come out all right. How do you feel.” ** Why, my arms and legs begin to feel asleep.” ‘That is right. You are coming around. Sit still fora few minutes longer, and then I will remove this electric battery and assist you to your feet. In the mean time I will prepare something to give you strength.” Making a mixture from several of his bottles, the doctor put it into a tin cup and held it over the lamp to warm, when he gave it to Mr, Par- milye to drink. The effect was almost magical. The subject’s strength returned: he stretcbed his limbs, and, as soon as the electric appliances were removed, he got off the table and stood upon his feet. The dead was quickened again! ‘“T begin to feel like myself,” he observed. ‘Where are my clothes? hope you haven’t forgotten them!’ ‘“‘T have forgotten nothing, sir,” was the as- surance. ‘* You will find everything you want here imthis big valise, I will take my tool-bag and other traps out of it.” el ———— TO i Se 0 OO eee ee eee Oe -—S—CC “ECE Oe OOOO Suiting action to his words, the doctor took his things out of the valise, and handed it over. Mr. Parmilye took it and explored its con- tents, and in a short time he was dressed and ready for the business of lifeonce mcre, But he was not himself in appearance. His wig was off, and the clothes were different from any he had been used to wearing. ** How do I look?” he asked. ‘*Not very beautiful,” answered the doctor; “but you are good enough for a dead man. How do you feel by this time?” ‘**T feel’all right, ny terribly hungry.” ‘‘That is natural, But you must make your first meal a very light one, 1 will attend to that, however. I will give you a strengthening drink every half-hour until we leave here, ana that will brace you A up.” ‘* That is what I need—bracing up. If I have been through all yon say I have, it isa wonder that I am not dead in fact. I wculd not risk it again,” ‘‘No, I should think not. But you have af- forded me a valuable experiment, in the matter of my bringing you back to life, and you need have no fears of my skill in that respect, though I had much rather try it upon a younger man.” ‘*T shall not require your service again, of that I can assure you now. But, tell me all about the case, and how you worked it.” ‘*[ will do so, to pass away the time.” Dr, Gonsalvo went abead and told the banker all about the experience be had passed through, to which Mr. Parmilye listened attentively, in- terrupting occasionally with an exclamation, It sounded more like some bit of high-wrought fiction than a veritable truth, and that one of which he himself had been the subject. They remained in the old house until daylight, the doctor giving his patient his half-bourly drink regularly, and about sunrise they stole forth and beaded toward Greenville. The doctor had put everything in order in the old house, and leaving it had carefully closed and locked it, When they arrived at the Greenville Station of the Central Railroad it was almost time for one of the early trains to the city to come along, and in a little while they were rolling into the Communipaw Station. But they did not cross the river. Instead, they went into the passenger-room and sat down. ‘* Well,” the doctor observed, ‘‘ after so long a fast you must be famished, and | guess I can now allow you to havea cup of eoffee, I will bring it. One hour later you may eat some light food, but not too much, Do not fail to do as I say.” , ‘*]T will not fail to follow the advice.” A cup of coffee was brought, the banker drank it eagerly, and immediately decJared that he was feeling better all the time. After some further conversation the doctor finally said: “ Well, sir, you are all right, and here I will leave you. I must be at my office on time. Allow me to bid you good-by, sir.” ‘*Good-by, doctor, and good-by forever,” the ex-banker responded, giving his hand, ‘‘ We shall never meet again. If you win my daugh- ter, be kind to her, ‘*T promise you that I will.” They parted so, and the doctor returned to New York. An hour later the dead Mr. Par- milye, in disguise, was on a train moving away from the mighty metropolis. CHAPTER XIII. MANCRED BLACKWALL ALARMED, On the evening of the second day after the a a of Mr, Parmilye, Mr. Blackwall reached ome, He was a little weary with the fatigue of the journey, but was otherwise all right. He was greatly cut up over the sudden death of his friend and partner. ; ‘“To think,” he said, ‘‘that he died when I was away from home so far. Sigbert and I were always the best of friends, and I regarded him like a brother. He was never very active in the business, to be sure, but I shall miss his wise counsel and clear understanding in matters of importance.” 1 On the morning after his arrival he was at the bank at bis usual hour. When he had been in his office a little time he sent for Griffit, who soon presented himself, ‘‘ Griffit,” the banker said, ‘‘ we have met with a sad loss.” ‘¢ Yes, sir,” Griffit passively admitted. ** And a great Joss,” the banker impressed, ‘t Yes, sir,” in the same manner. **T cannot begin to tell you, Griffit, how bad I feel over this great and sad loss,” Mr, Black- wall further impressed, ‘‘ And to think that I was so far away from home, too, But, then, it is the lot of all to die, and we must expect the grim visitor.” ‘* Yes, sir.” ‘Well, Griffit, sit down and let’s have a talk. I suppose you have a report forme. Have any important transactions been carried forward in my absence? Now that poor Parmilye is no more, your report will have to be all the more - exact.” Gomileboo