The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-12-07
RAvENNA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER T. 1859.
The White Patient.

| 1uCI6 10 CuItOuS otOIy Ou 'SSS'N VI oVNS 1
mysterious transa actions reported to have tax.
en- place in Paris in by-gone iimeS. II the
readers credully should be staggered, and
ne be disposed to condemn the tale as fulse-
hood, let him ib justice 10 its author, recol
lect that in its worst construction, il con on
" be denominOted a "tOhite lie," Bnd must be
proportionally veniul.
In the reign of Louis XIV, NJ. de Isisse
was the fashionable surgeon Of Paris. One
morning he received note inviting him to
attend in the Rue Poi de Fer, near the Lux.
embourg, at six O'Clock in the evening"
This professional rendezvous he Of course
'uiIed not to keep, when he was encountered
by man who brought him to the door OF
house, at which the guide knocked. The
door, as ia usual in Paris, opened by spring,
. communicating with the porter's lodge, and
lsisse, when it again closed upon him, was
surprised to find himself alone, and his con
:, duttor gone. After a short interval, how.
ever, the porter appeared, and desired him to
mount Eau premier.' Obeying this order,
he opened the door of an ante. chamber,
which he found completely lined with white
A very handsomely dressed aud well.ap
pointed lacquais, white from head to toot'
well pow dered and frizz'd, with white b'g
to his hail, held two uagkins, with which he
insisted on wiping lsisse's shoes. The sur
. on 10 win ubserv d that having just lett
his carria.e his shoes were not sOled. The
lqcquais persisted, remarking that the house
was 100 clenn to allow Of this operation b.
iny omitted. From the ante chamber Iasse
, was shown into saloon hung like the ante
chamber with white, VIII re n second ldcQuats
:, and passed him into third apartment, in
i with the walls, f1 or, bed, tables, chairs,
- aud every article OF furniture we're white -
A tall tigurc ia white night cap and whit
rcqmLaire. and covered with whit mask
was seated near the fire. As soon as this
phantom petceived the surgeon, he cried In
a hollow voice: II have the devil in my
> body"--aDd rel psed Immediately into pro
=, iuu d elerce, which he continued to observe
- during more than half an hour, in which he
amused himself by drawing on and off si1
" pairs OF white gloves which ly on tabl,
- beside him. ISisse wns grestIy alarmed a
this extraordinary spectacle, and at his owr
:, reception and his appre ehensions were no
>, diminished on perccving that fire. arms wer
placed within The reach Of the white scept-e
" H fears became at length 50 excessive tn"
:. he was ,bliged to sit wn. BY degrees
though in trembli g voice, "wh4t wer
y NJ nsieur's commands = remnrking lha
his time was not his own bat the public
, and th.t he many appointments to Keep
To this the phantom replied, in dry, Col
tone, Gas long Us you are we'll p'id, VIII
- does TINT signify to you !" Another qu'r'e
~ Of an hours silence then ensued, when
- last the sceptre pulled white beli-rope' an
two servants equipped in white entered tn
80 room. He then called tor bandages, and d
~ sired Isisse to take from him five pounds
y" blood The surgeon, lrightentd still moi
~ by the enormous blood letting thus eDj"ine
w on him, asked, in un al xi.us tone who had U
'S dertd the remedy! Myself" was the she
y answer. In too gr at a trepidation to vel
10 ture on the veins OF the arm, Issse beGg
ny to bleed from the foot, and warm water "
''o ordered for the opercti n. Meantime Il
LET nj ho Gunef IA hi
'h silk stockings, and then another pair, viii
ny VS. followed by others, until the removal
&c, the sixth pair discovered the most beaut''
leu foot and ankle imaginable, and almost co
"e' vinced Isisse that his patient was woma
Fe The vein was opened !; and ut the seco
vas cup the phantom tainted. ISisse thereto
ing was proceeding to loke off the mask, but
II" was eagerly prevented by the attendants.
'c" The foot was bound up, and the white fgC
i"o having recovered his senses was put to oe
"u' a ttef which the servants again let the ro =
Gu Issse slowly advanced towards the ii
while he wipvd his Idncets; making ma
Ie" reflections within himself upon this stran
one .d,o,,,v, AIIot sndden. ON raising
eyes, he perceived in the mirror over
a" chimney piece, th't the white figure was
o'' vancibg towards him On tip toe. His ala
'he became still more violent when. with
o0F' gle spring, the terrific spectre rted cl'
to his side. Instead, however, OF offer
Ieao viuepre, ss his movements Sc med t1 in
er cate, he merely took from the chimney pI'
DER FIVE crowns, and gave them to the surge
a"o de m ndng at the same time il he was sa
fed Isisse, who would have made the sa
ame answer had he received but five sous, rePl
all that he was. "Well then," snid the sP
lent ire. "begone shout your business" Isl
as may be Unsigned, did not wait for 8
ased ond order, but retr eated or rather flew,
Unit fust as his legs could carry him from
S''t room. The two servants who ATTENDED
sup light him out could not conc their smi
'na' und Isisse, unable longer to endure his &
tne alton, inquired what was the meaning OF
pleasantly -! But their ony reply was
body "Are You not we'll paid! Have yon suffe
the any injury 2" And SO saying, they boz
t ne him to his carriage. Gsisse was determi
ana at first to conceal this adventure bni
ne found, on the ensuing morning, th"t it
tue already the amusement of the court and
ana and he no longer made any mystery OF
neOz.n.. ban Rn0nR