The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1853-05-24

square hai crowded Win dlID HIgures. One
OF them' tall dark being, approached me;
tainted away, and on coming tn myself found
had been conveyed back. Oh, Mr., this
is strange place, and we trust in you for pro-
lection: did they take me for dead, and toere
they going to dissect met
| She told me this with an appearance of ex-
trcme terror. For my part | was thunder
struck, and utterly at loss She had. dee
scribed with tho most unerrng exactness the
private stair Of the ward. long underground
passage which communicated with the cellars
&c, of the hospital. the dead houss, tho fatal
No. IA on which she said the moon shone
through the little grated window, and lastly
the clinical lecture-room, Now, both moral
ly and physically, it was Impossible she could
have left the side-room. for the nght-nurse
sat up in the ward all the night nnd had OBJ
served nothing; besides, in my own pocket was
the key to tho private door Of the ward open
ing out upon the staircase, which had locked
with my own hands the evening before this
being part ofmy duty in the house, and which
on examination now found as ] had lef. it.
Of course sleep- walking was out of the qpcs-
ton. But so exactly had she described It'll
| And then along with that fact, TO think that
she never i'm her life before been in the hospi-
tai, in this city, indeed out of Westwater at
all; and that when she was brought in she had
entered by the large front door, and up the
great stone stair case / at first described, TO
| the ward; that from thence to the operating
| theatre and back again to the side-room, COM
| prised all her removals! 1t was indeed, a most
| incxplicablo dream, delusion, or whatever you
may call it, one of those facts that seem to sport
with our ignorance of that most mysterious
branch of science, the physiology of the ner-
vous system. mentioned il afterwards at So
ciety meeting TO student, a friend of my own,
and he referred mo for explanation to the study
of Mesmersm.
Unable at the time to trust to my own rea-
son--she persisted so strongly in her statement
having procured the key of the door No. IA
opened the private door Of the ward and de-
seconded the staircase. On reaching the door
l could not help pondering on the precision
with which she had described every particular.
| On going into the dead-house "a largo stone
paved place. with barred window, where tho
bodies of those who have died in the hospital
were kept till removed by their frends) found
everything as II should be, and 10 trace of any
one having been there.
| AS / returned along the passage, mnsng
upon the above, was met by the supporter
of the institution, who informed me that there
was somebody outside the back-door (by
which tho friends of patients were admitted,
though only at a particular hour). The per-
son had been knocking fnr'ously for consid
cradle time; he told me. but had latterly been
little moro quiet. bade him unfasten the
door which opened into quiet lane, leading
down the hospital and largo church yard
He did so. A man was sitting on the step
touched him with my foot, when he sprang
to his feet, and showed mes-Wlliams. was
much surprised. He looked exceedingly worn
and haCgard.
Bless me, Williams! said I; 4 thought you
were 10 London How did you como here?,
'Oh. cannot tell you, Mr.. -. Is she
livingf
'She is; but very. very i'll. Williams
'Oh. let me see her. good Mr.. -, as you
hone Yourself for mercyl
well, So YOU shall; but como in and COM
pose Yourself little. II is ag' inst rule; YOU
should havo' had an order from the matron;
but will go and get you one,
While was gone he had made his way to
the room where she lay. / found him sitting
on tho edge of her bed, pressing her hand be-
tween his.
Forgive you, janet he was saying: may
| God forgive him who has wrought YOU this. as
freclv as forgive YOU. my first and only Lowell
She was now falling very weak indeed. 1t
was plain to me she conld not live over the
evening. OF this her mother and Williams
were likewise persuaded. and neither of them
| left her, but passed tho time in the earnest
performance Of tn, peculiar forms and duties
Of their church. IL felt like intrusion on nv
part to stay so left them, looking in every
now and then. In the course of the afternoon,
on entering the room. I observed her gazing
around her with curious glance, ne Of amuse-
ment and delight. mingled with surprise.
Mr. - said she. whose are all those
pretty smiling little children round about the
bodf
felt at loss what to say; of course there
n 1T - "a. 4 .N
rapt and fanatical widow.
These said she, are the babes of two years
old and under that we're slain by command of
Herod throughout all the borders Of Bethlehem
Even ms one Of these shall you shortly be, my
own darling girlr
How bright md beautiful they look! MUIR
INJURED her daughter.
There was long pause
| Mother, dear mother. am going away from
you-gve mo your hand-Wilams: Mr.
She was gonel Slowly the dim eclipse of
death came over the orbs ofher celestial eyes,
and her lips fell asunder
The Lord giveth and the Lord takcth away
said the widow, slowly and with difficulty get
ting nut each SYLLABLE.
Blessed he His holy name! answered Will
Jams; and falling forward upon the body, be
gave way 10 psroxism of hysteric grief la
weakly girl. Adding fervent Amen
withdrew to q neiphboring side-rocm which
which was empty. for I was ashamed TO 90
through the ward in the state Of emotion was
| iu.
Next day clinical lecture was delivered on
hcr case tn tho pupils of the establishment, and
the next dav her mother and Williams came
with Few friends of their religious sect, and
removed her body. But she does not sleep in
the quiet little cburchysrd at Westwator. -
fore they went away they gave me asor'gic]
and abnndant. tress Of her yellow hair; tho
each wringing my hand warmly. they went
ou, from the city northward and saw them
no more.
But what remains 10 tell! Southern's piece
ofbusincss mentioned in bis letter to me proved
his ruin II was scheme to elope with tho