Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-09-28
6 TaAiRH' Nfpartmfut.
Death at the Toilet.
FROM THE DIARY OF A PHYSICIAN.
Otis no use talkingt To mo. mother WI

w. bildb Alcuh. A--sS III DG IlCfe, ana he y
going to leave town tomorrow. So up ! go
to dress
Charlotte, why will you be so obstinate ?
You know how poorly you have been all the
week, and Dr. says late hours arc the
worst things in the world for yon1
'Pshaw, mother! Nonsense. allnonsense.
Such were nearly the words, and such the
manner in which Miss J. expressed her
determination to act in defiance of her moth
er's wishes and entrcaties. She was the only
child Of her widowed mother, and had hut
a few weeks before completed her twenty
sixth year.
For one or two years she had been an Oc-
c~asional patient Of mine. The settled pallor,
the sallowness of her complexion, conformity
with other symptoms, evinced the existence
Of a liver complaint; and the lastvlsits had
paid her were In consequence OF frequent
sensations of oppression and pain In the
chest, which clearly indicated some organic
disease ofthe heart. / saw enough to war
rant me in warning her mother OF the posi-
bility of her daughters sudden death from
this cause, and her imminent peril to which
she exposed herselfby dancing, late hours,
&C.; bat Mrs.-'s remonstrances, gentle
and afectionatc as they always were, were
thrown away upon her headstrong daughter.
1t was striking eight by the church clock
when Miss drumming the words ota
song, lit her chamber candle by her mothers,
and Withdrew to her room to dress, soundly
rating the servant girl by the way Tor not
having starched some articles or other which
she intended to have worn that evening. As
her toilet was usually n long and labOrious
business, it did not occasion much surprise
in her mother, who was sitting by the fire IN
their LITTLE parlor, reading some book ofdevo-
ton, till the church chimes announced the
e - -,rE wsnn yJnlOnH u1fhnnt hnp
daughters making her appearance. The
noise she had made overhead in walking to
and fro her drawers, dressing table, &C.,
had ceased about half an hour ago, and her
mother supposed she was then engaged ut
hcr glass, adjusting her hair, ,pnd preparing
her complexion.
well, / wender what can make Charlotte
80 very careful about her dress tonight? ex-
claimed Mrs. J., removing her eyes
from the book, and gazing in deep thought
at the fire. 20! it is because young Lieut..
n is to be there. Well, | was young
myself once, and it's very oxcusable In Char
lotte-heigho! She heard the wind howl
ing so dismally without, thatshe drew 'togeth-
err the Goals of her brisk fire, and was lay
ing Down thepaker when the ,eleck Oh
church struck the second quarter after nine.
WHY, what in the world can Charlotte be
doing all this while? p she again inquired.
She listened. Il have not heard her moving
about for the last three quarters 81 an hour!
Tll call the maid and ask She rung the
bell, and the servant appeared.
Betty, Miss lis not gone yetls sheI
Go up to her room, Betty, ant see if she
wants anything, and tell her it's half past
nine O'clock said Mrs. J..
The servant accordingly went up stairs
and knocked at the bed room door once
twice, thrice, butreceiyed no answer. There
was q dead silence, except when the wine
shookthe window. Could Miss J--hav
fallen asleep? o impossiblel She knocked
again, but unsuccessfully as before. Sh'
became alittle hustered, and after a moment
pause opened the door, and entered. Their
was Miss J., sitting at the glass. why
Ia, ma'am, commenced Betty, in O petul&n
tone, walking upto hex, here have l bee
knocking for rive ainutes, and-Bett
STAGGERED horror struck to the bed, and utter
inc n loud shrek, alarmed Mrs.--, VIII
instantly tottered up stairs almost palsle
with fright. Miss WAS dead!
] was there within q few minutes, for m
house was not more than two streets distan
1t was q stormy nightin March, andthe desc
late Gspectof things without, deserted street
the dreary bowling Of the wind, and theI
cessant pattering of the rain, ~contrlhutInSd
cast q gloom over my mind when connecte
with the intelligence of the awful event whic
had summoned me out, which was deepene
into horrer by the spectacle j was doom(
TO witness. On rGaching the house four
Mrs. J-in Il violent fit of Mysteries, al
rounded by several Of her neighbors, wi
hnd been called to her assiStance.| repalr'
to the scene of death, and beheld what sh;
never forget. The room was occupied by
white curtained bed. There was but o
window, aud before it was q table on WIN
opV0u 0Hv~N's& SA-rL--1 littla xUh
drapery, and various paraphernalia Of t
toilet lny scattered on the table-pins, broch
curling papers, gloves, &c. An arm CHI;
was drawn to this table, and in it sat Miss
stone-dead. Her head rested upon /
right hand, her elbow supported by the ia
while her left hung down by her side, gra
inr a pair of curling iFons.-Each of
wrists were encircled by q shSwy gilt bra
let. She was dressed in d white mus
frock, with q little bordering Ofbionde. 1
face was turned towards the glass, which,
the light Of the expiring candle, reRee
with trightful fidelity the clammy, Fixed
lures, daubed with rouge and carmine,
fallen lower jaw, and the eyes directed
into the glass, with q cold stare that Y
appalling. On examining the countenaa
more narrowly, Thought l detected the ira
ofa smirk of conceit and Self-complacen
which not even the palsying touch Of de
could wholly obliterate. The hair of
corpse, all smooth and glossy, was cur
with elaborate precision, and the skinny,
low neck was c%ncircled with a string of g
tening pearls.-The CHASTITY visage of de
thus leering through the tinselry of FASH
tho vain show of artifcial JOY, was a no
BILE moekery Of the fooleFies Of life
Indecdi it was most humiliating and she
ing spectacle. Poor creature struck d
in the very act of sacrificing at the shrin
female vanity. She must have been dead
some time, perhaps for twenty minute
half an hour, when I arrived, for nearly
the animal heat had deserted the body, WI
was rapidly stiffening. / attempted, bu
vain, to draw a little blood from the arm
Two or three women present proceeded
remove the corpse to tbe bed, for the pHrl
of laying il out What strange p~assivenI
No resistance offered to them while strai
ening the bent right arm, and binding
laws together with a faded white RIB
which Miss j had destined for her v
that evening.