The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-09-01


God knows felt the truth of his remark
would find no superAuous ability. The
poor fellow never forgave me for carrying
him up stairs, though his suffering wife avoid
ed mentioning my name to him unless in a
medical light
(, A few months after the incident which
brought me into this family, the cholera OF
| 1892 came on. 1t was soon apparent that
the disease confined its most fatal ravages
TO the wretched and debilitated. None will
forget the sickening and heart-rending
scenes of that awful visitation. The Angel
of Death did. indeed, spread his wing on
the blast; but he did not always fan away
the demon of pain irom the couch Of poverty,
as have often remarked. True, the flight
of the spirit was often fearfuily speedy and
painless in the wretched and intemperate,
but the strong man struggled fearfully
against the terrible and unknown enemy,
and the nerves Of the dying frame were
racked, and let loose the strong mus scles, till
they played terrible antics before the pow
erless physician. One often thought of the
LAGOON, but looked in vain for the Serpent.
One evening, at five O'Clock, or therea-
bouts, | had thrown myself exhausted from
my little deaf mutes in the Asylum, and was
indulging in my favorite luxury, cup OF
green tea, which | preferred taking away
from my family, for the simple reason that
no man whose heart was in his profession
could take time to make himself an accept
able guest at the tea table with such fearful
music still ringing in his ears; few of us, in
deed, paid needful attention to our own per-
sonal comfort. Whatever be our quarrels,
to our credit, as body, be it said, we shrink
not when the seals that close the pestience
are removed and the poor demand our aid.
was hastily slipping my tea, when my
poor young friend, with his feeble body and
sickly laugh, thrust his head into the Office
door. and carelessly asked how the cholera
came on; remarking, with the usual fippan-
cy of the thoughtless, he supposed that we
were ''not particularly desirous of its disap-
pearance." Poor man. his remark grated up
on my ears, for knew the condition of his del
icate wife, and that their chances would be
at zero from the first they should be attack
ed. Something about his face, that every
experienced medical eye could at once detect.
and all will remember, told me the fiend was
at work within him. arose, and, asked
him to be seated and take some tea, ques-
toned him little, and intended to advise a
remedy. He soon detected my fears, and
ieeringly desired me not to be choking 50
sharply for business" Poor man! such bus
mess was not desirable; our fees were most
ly paid in tears.
| made my evening visit, and on my re-
turn found a message from his wife, request
ing my immediate presence, as her husband
"had been attacked an hour before" Not
one hour could have elapsed since his con-
versation with me! Why prolong the tale.
Every thing was done that three of us could
suggest; one or the other OF us was with him
till midnight, when he died; his poor wife
closed his eyes, herself as fearless, and al
most us corpse like as the cold form before
her. Anticipating trouble, from her evident
feebleness, asked her condition. She re-
piled calmly and with that extreme self-pos-
session, only TO be accounted for when the
soul, subdued by sorrow, and triumphng over
apprehension, looks for death as boon
from Heaven; "she was perfectly well, and
as soon as we had accomplished the last sad
Offices she would try and get some rest"
The next day, on my return from the cem-
etcly, here few OF the neghbors convey
ed him, called in to see the widow, and
found her already past the first stage of the
frightful disease She had informed no one,
and evidently wished to die. Oh! how ex-
pressive was her sad smile when l again
questioned her. / again summoned my
brethren; again We went through the hope
less routine. Scarce a groan escaped her,
her only seeming anxiety being the trouble
she gave us. Poor child Of sorrow! her
Young dream Of life was indeed early cloud
ed. Before midnight she found restin Heav-
en-.