The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-10-06
A HOSPITAL HERO.

ana tie wind blew along the slushy Lon
don streets; the blazing lights in tn,
butchers shops in Glare market waved
about like Internal banners. The police
man stood stiffly up in the doorways fol
shelter; and we who were snugly ensconsed
IN the house surgeon's room of old St
barnabas were perhaps the only people
comfortable in the parish of St. Clemeu'
Danes. Our party consisted of Brown
twc'll call him Drown,) myself and small
Thin man called Jourdan. How small and
fragile no looked as he sat on tho arm o
the old horse-hair sofa, discussing with
Brown and myself a question in physi,
ology. How red the spots grew over his
cheek-bones, and how his cough ratified
rs he called Muller, kolhksr and Schroeder
Won der Kolk to witness that he was
right, and we two signally and miserably
wrong.
We'll, so be it, said at last 'IIow
the wind howls. 1t must matter but lit
tie to these poor ncighbors of ours under
the Adelphi arches whether their sensory
nerve fibres can bc traced upward from
the posterior columns Of the cord or
not. For my own part, I don't believe
a.
'Wi,atr sllricked Jourlan, when Wag-
ner has demonstrated that
'Oh, please, sir sad a nurse, bouncing
into the room, that man in the Top
Ward has got out of bed and is jumpin'
mad
well, make him go back again
Il can't sir. Hes got the crutch from
the patient in the next bed, and l daren't
go near him.
leigh Lo" said Jourdan, it is always
thus in our profession. We just taste
occasionally the sweets of scienti 6c
discussion, when we lave to leave them
for the disgusting practical applications
up stairs we went, past wards where
the sufferers were most Of them forgetting
in sleep the dstfesscs to which they would
presently awake. All was quiet in the old
hospital, save the howl of the wind and
Jourdan's cough. 'Confound the pedantic
little chap l thought to myself; he'll
weaken that operation CASE One more
stairs to climb, and we reached the Top
ward, whore there was unusual excitement :;
the patients sitting up in their beds, the
poor follow with the heart disease, the
consumptivc, the dfopsical patient, all
watching tall, staIwart figure, standing
in flannel night-gown, with lis back to
the fire, leaning with his chin on crutch,
and evidently in deep thought. Directly
he saw us, he shoulJered the said piece of
timber, if not to show how fields were won,
to give us as good representation as
circumstances would allow Of how he in.
tended winning the tield on the pres
ent OCCASION. Wisk came the handle over
my head, as ducked and escaped the
blow.
My good man. said Brown, now do
go into bed. Is there anything T.
Wisk came the crutch over cur heads,
and as we ducked, the maniac leaped rap
idly past us from bed to bed, gained the
door, and ere We had time to intercept him,
he was in the passage.
In the ceiling Of the passage just outside
this door was trap which led out upon
the roof; it WAS not far from the floor.
With the activity of madness, lie leaped,
caught the edge Of the trap, swung himself
up, and was upon the roof. We looked at
each other.
Here's a business says Brown, he'll be
down in tue street in twinkling, for he'll
never stand against this wind.
'What a mess we shall get into? was nv
selfish thought. We got pair of steps
and getting up them put our heads out of
the trap. The moon WAS shining bright,
but the wind was shrieking through the
old stacks Of chimneys, and now and then
tile detached would slide down the roof
and drop into the street.
by Jove, says Brown, he must have
fallen; l cant see him anywhere. Let me
look. Alb, there good heavens how could
he have got there, right at the end of this
pointed old roof covered with slippery
tiles!'
Across this, in the moonlight, we could
see long shadow, and what at first took
to be a chimney stalk, was the madman,
standing gazing on the moon. AT each
gust of the fierce wind his body swayed
as though lie would fall; but there he stood
in all the sub'imity and strength Of mania
gazing at that planet whose supposed inau-
ence over such unfortunates as himself, has
given its name to the most awful OF
malsdies. What could we do? The nur.