Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-10-02

= "0aAer uhuer my fingers, and the fatal night
was fearfuy near at hand Nv anxiety rose al.
most TO agony-indeed, I am persuaded tbot
fortnight of such suffering would have finished
the doctor as well as the patient. All imapna.
Ole eXpedients lhoughtof and reiected-amonu
) others, that of brblng two men to come forward
and confess they had entered her Apartment and
acted the warning scene for lark on wager;
out as she told me her features were indeIiblv
Impressed on her mind, | abandoned that. The
scheme on which paused the longest, was that
of giving her, on the fatal night, dose of land.
anum, SO that she should sleep over the dreaded
hour; but her rapidly increasing weakness obIu.
cd me to relinquish that as too dangerous and
the nearer the day approached, the moro obvious
, it became that her constitution would not stand
I opium Iasked the opinion ofseveral of the most
eminent medical men of the day: but las |
could not introduce any of them to her without
at once proving to her how i'll thought her, and
which would have had the most fatal effects
without seeing her, and understanding her tenn
permanent, they could not conceive the great
danger, and thought she would get over it with
: fright Thrown thus on my resouces, with
the life of this young creature, wife and moth
er, depending on the wisdom of my treatment,
J neglected most Of my other patients to devote
myself to her, and spend all my evenings with
her and her husband. Her manners were al
ways most winning, but became daily more so :;
she spoke to US all with such an affectionate ex-
preston. 1t appeared almost as though she
sought to secure our love for her memory, when
she herself should be summoned away.
On the evening of the 9th of April, the even.
ing but one before the dread night, she was sud-
denly seized with violent fit of Mysteries sue
ceeded by fainting fits. Colonel Delaware who
for some time past had with the usual blindness
Of affection, imagined that his wife was recov
ering, now, for the first time, as he knelt by
the side of the bed to which we had carried her
perceived partly the immnence of her danger.
cheered him, poor fellow, as much as possible,
? and on seeing Mrs. Delaware comparatively re-
stored, returned home; and after night of
most anxious consideration as to the means of
, getting my patient over the dreaded midnight
t hour, the remembrance of play had seen
r when boy flashed upon my mind and | instant
y determined to adopt the old stage trick of
i. changing the clocks. My plan, though it pre-
d sented some difficulties was soon arranged in
d my mlnd and began for the first time for seve.
J. raj days to entertain hope. The next evening
al Al, Il A. L r.. L.
ed idea that on the following night she would
n have an attack similar to the one she had just
;, recovered from, which would be the crisis other
raaiady ,tat / myseis though, IL n0t improba-
\ BILE the excited state of her nerves might actu-
' ally produce what SHE dreaded, and therefore
e whished 10 save her constitution that shock by
!, putting all the clocks and watches one hour
1t behind the real time, on the following day. He
n pledged himself to follow my directions most
1t faithfully, and promised the most invioable Sc.
e cresy. The servants were made acquainted
d with just sufficient to ensure their cooperation
n and as they were sincerely attached to their
is young mistress, full reliance could be plac ed on
J. their faithful execution of the orders entrusted
J, to them.
- The morning of the eventful 10th was, fortu-
: nately, as brilliant day as can well be concev
" ed even smoky London became almost bright
4 and all things seemed to exut in the coming
> spring. visited my patient in the morning
i and found her, as l expected, weaker and lower
, than the preceding evening. peremptorily or
10 dered carriage exercise; and, as she always
II yielded to my suggestions, it was settled that al
II three o'clock her husband should accompany
j, her in short country drive. While she was
y attlring for this purpose, her maid was awkward
90 enough to break the chain to which her mis-
st tress's watch was attached, (being provided by
- me with the means to do it, and the watch was
: obliged to be left at home. During her absence
=, every clock and watch in the house was pu
back one hour; and succeeded in getting the
-. church clock in their immediate vicinity retald
ed that time. will not recount the difficulties
~ met with in accomplishing that part of my
plan, nor the pompous refusals with which my
earnest entreates were first met nor how the
=. dignity of the parochial powers gradually soft
Parliament would not only feel deeply indebted
" to them, but make liberal donation to their pa
y rochial funds. On re.entering her apartment
: poor Clara eagerly resumed her watch, the dam
- age having been repaired during her absence
and anxiously compared it with the clock on tn
chimney-piece-the hour both indicated wa
five. She also found on her table two note
from her two most intimate friends, invltin
~ themselves to dine with her that day at six
r alias seven-in consequence of my having pal
them a visit that morning, when, conhdlng tn
-. consequences to them, taught them their part
W One was a Mrs. Wakefield, who had been tn
u u" instructress of Mrs. Delaware's youth, and wa
M "9 still regarded by her with sincere affection sh
- i'' was calm, sensible, selfpossessed person, {
w. encouraging and maternal manners The otf
''' er was an old maid, Miss Holman, the mos
'"' agreeable plain woman ever knew, full of dro
A0 lery and anecdote, but hiding strong mind an
AZ excellent heart under light, careless, gay az
w. dress. She also had known our invalid frol
~ birth, and strong friendship existed betwee
is '"e"'' ''0u Vi O0"t'0' '"'''0U my ''" " V"
- momentous dinner of my own arranging; AM
~ moreover, had requested Col. Delaware to brin
." home to dinner, apparently by accident, the Re
=. Wilfred Anderson, an old friend of the famil
~ ~, and bright example of all a Christian past
'"u ought to be.
I'M There was an expression in his benign an
ar reverend countenance of such complete Intern
on convection of the divine nature of his professio
on and the truth he was called upon to inculcat
ew that inspired at once cofdence and affection
It's and yet the unbeever and the scofer invaliab