ended by
only a dozen students. Lobelia was Prof. ----'s strong point. Everybody
in the house was put through a course of lobelia with a heavy sweat,
sometimes to cure a slight indisposition, but more often as an
experiment. My only escape from the drudgery of the workshop was in
feigning sickness and undergoing the Professor's panacea. This confined
me to the bed for a day and gave me another day for recovery, when I
could be about and enjoy myself. These sweatings and retchings took the
color out of my cheeks so that when I returned to the shop it was easily
believed that I had been ill, and, with considerable sympathy, my master
also warned me of the brevity and uncertainty of life and the necessity
of preparing for the day of wrath. Little did he know how all this could
be escaped by a good dose of lobelia.

It was a curious life I led at this time between my regular occupation,
lobelia, the dissecting room of the professor and frequent religious
exhortations. I was immensely delighted by the secrets of the basement
cellar, where, in winter, the cadavers were kept I became accustomed to
the sight of them, and frequently inspected them when alone, curious to
see the internal structure of a human body, for until that time I was
not conscious of any internal structure of the human body. Hands and
feet were the epitome of my physiology. The whole business of dissection
was conducted in the most clandestine manner, although the subjects were
obtained from Boston and were, no doubt, honestly procured. There was
probably some professional reason for their being all women. I know not
why, but I seemed to be trusted by the Professor and his little band of
students, and when cadavers arrived at the railroad station by express,
I was often sent to watch them until they could be removed. They came in
large casks packed in oats.

I had little time to make acquaintance with boys, as I was not allowed
on the street in the evening, and Sunday was strictly observed. Nor did
I know any girls of my own age. With the pretty waitress of the
Professor's dining-room, some years older than myself, I had occasional
ardent encounters on back stairs and in dark entries. I was less
embarrassed by them than formerly and began to play the beau. As usual,
only girls much older than myself attracted me. I began to have the same
experience with regard to men. There were even some moments when I dimly
realized why some men were respected and honore