Show DEATH TO LIFE why a warriors hair changed from banck to whito you wonder lint my hair is so white while I 1 am bot an old man as years go perhaps your hair would bo as white as mine if you had passed through ilio ordeal of death in life blut it was my fito to endure tell you about it ugh I 1 shudder to think of it kven tiling comes up before me so vividly 1 ell luy strange that 1 scein to bo living alio tarn blo hours of tenor and suspense over again I 1 do not tell it often but if you caro to hear it listen and when I 1 am dona tell TOO it you wonder my hair is while I 1 was n soldier in the lato war and ft was my fortune to b wounded in an engagement in virginiaa ball struck ino in tho shoulder and I 1 foil to the ground and knew nothing of aliat happened for hours after that when I 1 came to I 1 was iu sin ambulance and was being tadeu to tho hospital alio jolting of the wagon caused almost unbearable pain in my wounded shoulder at times it as if ray would drive mo wild timo we reached our destination I 1 was so weak I 1 could hardly speak above a whisper I 1 was taken from the ambulance and carried into the hospital ward and a surgeon was sent for at once he canio present lya kindly featured mild voiced man who won my confidence at lie arkid me some questions about my wound before ho proceeded to examine it seeing how weak I 1 win he gave me something that soon ino when the drug had taken effect lie examined my shoulder I 1 saw from his face that ho considered amputation necessary 1 I wont consent to leavo my arm taken off I 1 cried id rather any amount of gaiu than abo loss of that but you might lose your life lie suggested 1 I might as well and bo done with it as to go through life with ono arm I 1 answered ill consent to any operation that will deprive me of it ho reasoned with mo in vain at length lie led me shortly after the nurse having charge of that ward came in the surgeon had made out a prescription for me and I 1 swallowed tho luc dicino ho sent wondering if life or death was to be my lot I 1 fell into a broken troubled sleep from I 1 woke to alic concion nass of a keen knifelike knife like p ain iu my shoulder a sudden darting pain that ran all my nerves and tingled to the j of my body in this condition ilio surgeon found mo when lie made liis next visit 1 I knew how it would bo ho said shaking his lund lu nd 1 I loll 1011 you what it had better submit to the loss 0 t a limb than a loss of life it will soon bo too late if this malamma tion goei on to risk an operation 1 can not consent to it I 1 persisted thinking ot tho disadvantage I 1 would be laboring under in attempting to fight abo baello of life without my trusty arm besides the shock of amputation might kill me it probably would As well die my arm on as to have it taken off and then die it might it is true said the surgeon but the chances of recovery atler an operation would be far greater than now however if you arc to hang to it well do alio best wo can for you then lio proceeded to arcs i my wound the pain the operation caused was terrible once I 1 almost fainted away grin and bear it said tho surgeon after a little you will be more comfortable for table I 1 think atul I 1 toll you the truth when I 1 ay eliat you will burer tar moro with your arm if you live than you would in having it taken off it the dread of the pain of am jiu tation that makes me refuse to have it taken oil I 1 answered it is simply I 1 cannot idea of through life with but one arm to depend on for a time after my wound was I 1 was tolerably comfortable the shooting pain I 1 bavo spoken of commenced running all over me again ay iy s was so intense that I 1 could feel the sweat starting on my forehead I 1 could not keep back tho groans of agony which w rose to my lips presently tho nurse came in seeing how terribly I 1 wa sulT cring lio called ilio surgeon who chanced to be passing through the liall poor fellow heb bound to leavo a hard time of it the surgeon said civo him this powder now and it it him give it may bo to give two but ilona do so unless lie intensely I 1 the powder gradually alic of excruciating pain died out and at ladt oblivion it was lato at night when I 1 from the stupor produced by alio drug as it became daylight alm pain began again with redoubled intensity it would ceni to concentrate a moment in my then spread all over my body liko ripples on a pud rio of walor into which drops a tone ever ripple of pain i to burn its way nerve and artery arul I 1 could not help out m tha intensity of my torture abo diurso waa greatly alarmed lie carno in and dustily emptied somo powder from a vial ho carried into it elds 0 water anil held it lo 10 ny lips I 1 drank alio draught carly hoping for relict from or death I 1 cared not much again that deadly stupor crept avci mo and I 1 felt my brain soon I 1 knew nt more when A sort of conscious faido stealing in upon my bc senses as iio arst faint beann of coming ilay steal in upon abo gloom and darkness 0 night I 1 became awain tho room I 1 could hear spoken but alie v tar olt gradually they to como until at last I 1 could dig aliat was being said iio died day lifford hoard alio surgeon aly in lona full of respectful alio nurse found liina sull crin terribly and cavo libin n laro boso doso of that to quiet him tho burso reported alib c mo to luo and I 1 ili soon as 1 could when I 1 came iio wa acid I 1 am sorry aliat ou could not liard been li era sooner madam he often spoke of his mother it I 1 biad dreamed how near tho end was I 1 would havo alc at nut I 1 supposed there aoa no immediate diegor 1 I wish I 1 could have acon hero n voice choked with coara toara buado reply the voice of my mother 0 my poor boal alion I 1 felt warm kie my lips and tears fell like rain upon my fit co cooil bodt they thought I 1 wa alic truth hashed over mo lika lightning jacod for many hour I 1 hail been lying tharo cl in alio icy cc 0 death and my lo 10 take my body homo for burll I 1 tried to open my oye to speak in vain no moved in response to the dictates of my will the current of life as in my veins it terrible alic awful sickening feeling thai crept over ino han I 1 found that my bod v hail thrown on allegiance to and that I 1 was powerless to fiovo a linger or lift nu eyelid I 1 was dead to all outward appearance the thought cimo to me that perhaps this was really and my soul had not yet taken its lc iio of alio llio hou doucot cot clay elul I 1 could not that and I 1 strove to shako kofl the lethargy upon ino again and again hut my will could not accomplish its purpose I 1 felt receding into unconsciousness again as a liuo goes out from shore till its identity h lost I 1 was i baco vaco on the tido of lifo going out into oblivion I 1 thought that I 1 was indeed dying alio semblance of death was fast becoming its reality then camo another longani utter blank in my existence when again consciousness returned it brought ft sensation of intense cold I 1 to be in some region of ico and frost all my energies seemed congealed in deadly numbness again I 1 tried to move to open my eyes not a stirred how long was aliis to continue 1 myself that question but I 1 could not answer it then the thought caius that after all I 1 might bo really dead how did I 1 know that tho sou left the body when what men call death takes place might it not remain ami bo conscious of earthly things tho same a before who could tell aliat happened after tho breath of life lias left lie body abo lips of those called dead never opened to tho secrets of death perhaps I 1 was hading them out hut no no it could not bo that I 1 as asad I 1 was in a trance hut they believed I 1 was dead and they would oury luc alive ily slow degrees alio truth of my position camo inc I 1 was in my cotlin 1 leave you to imagine if you can what I 1 felt but you can not no ono can who has not bc cn through experience then steps came into tho room fell myself lifted and borno out I 1 was carried tor some distance then I 1 know that ahoo who boro mo were ascending steps 1 beard alio creaking of heavy doors and then the and solemn tones of an organ broke forth in tho dead march in saul I 1 knew then that I 1 was in alio llio church I 1 biad attended previous to my enlistment I 1 was back in my old ho mo ami friends had gathered to pay their last tribute to my memory the organ s mighty voice died out in a long minor chord and tho minister read in slow impressive tones 1 I am the resurrection and tho life in me though ho bo dead yet shall ho live again then came messages mes of comfort from the word of god to sorrowing lie arts I 1 heard tho sobs of friends me as alio good man spoke ho Tira tiraco cd A hamu was sung then the ltd abobo my faco was lifted and friends camo about mo to take the last look I 1 felt tears falling on my face I 1 felt that my last chanco had como if over I 1 mint shako myself arco from the deadly lethargy upon me it seemed at it my frantic efforts to break tho bonds that bound mo must avail and set tho current of lifo in motion my mother camo to mo last sho leaned aaros tho coflin and laid her check against my face and whispered 0 my boy you were all I 1 biad left and I 1 loved you so somehow choso words seemed to the hidden aaring of lifo alio stagnant current began to move again my will resumed its power over my body I 1 opened mv eyes and cried out mother I 1 can not describe des the scene ot terror and excitement eliat followed imagine how it would be if you saw tho dead come to life for months after that many looked at me with fright enci i faces as if they could not rid themselves of the that I 1 biad really been dead and that they beheld my ghost do ou wonder my hiir Is white what I 1 wonder at mot is that my mind stood hie train of that experience A 1 journal |