The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1862-07-25
A Mysterious Patient.
BY EMERSON BENNETT.

Louis Philippe, acquiring greater prof.
cheney in the art of surgery, met with at
least one strange, curious and exciting ad
venture, which we now record in his own
language:
l am as naturally fond of adventure in
reality as most persons are of reading it !;
and this admission, | trust, will be sufi-
oient explanation of how l so readily be-
came connected with the mysterious affair
| am about to relate.
One night, while returning late to my
lodgings from a convivial party, where l
had drunk good many healths, as l was
sauntering along one of the numerouslv
named quays of the Seine, not far from the
Hotel Dieu, the oldest hospitals in Paris
as l was sauntering along the quay, l say,
humming tune, and by way Of variety,
thinking over some of the stories | had
heard of persons being assassinated in this
vicinity and thrown into the river, which
| could see rolling below me-a woman
cloaked and hooded, brushed past me at a
quick step. AS had not heard her till l
saw her, and had believed myself alone in
that particular locality, | felt my blood
quicken with slight start, and began to
mutter-as searched for knife, the only
weapon carried
" If you were man, now, my fine lady,
instead Of woman, as you are-heaven
bless the sex collectively-I-"
Here stopped because she did-wheel-
ing round, facing me, and looking as if she
were taking my dimensions.
"Five feet nine and a half in my boots"
said !, the wine making me rather saucy,
weight one hundred and fifty five, dinner
included; age, say twenty-five, more or
less, generally more; and mighty good
looking for a man of my SIZE"
Here put my back against post, and
began to whistle-the woman all the time
eyeing me closely. Then she came toward
me, and said in low sweet voice-at tleast
l thought! SO then" VIII you pardon me,
sir 2"
"Of course, l will, since you don't owe
me anything, and ara not likely to" said |,
thinking myself uncommouly civil, which
was all owing to the very good wine l had
drank.
Are yeu a doctor g.
al have that honor, madame"
"a surgeon, sir 2"
"Yes, surgeon, at your service"
"You are AL Englishman ~ she said,
perceiving from my accent that was
foreigner.
"Yes-an Englishman?" fyou please"
returned |, elevating my hand with an air
of pride.
"Ah SO much the better. The English
are brave!''
"Some of them, madame"
And they are so gallant"'
"They possibly have that fault, if fault
it is, especially when pretty woman is in
the case"
Here my fair unknown, as if without
thinking, so clever was the act, pushed
back her hood and showed me, by the dim
light Of neighboring lamp, one of the
sweetest, prettiest, most bewitching faces |
had ever seen.
"You are doctor, surgeon, an Eng
lishman, and brave and gallant gentle
man therefore, you will come with me,
and save a sufferers life by your great
skill."
"Of course, will" said I, steadying
myself by the post, fer the wine had some
how been increasing its power over me
ever since leaving my friends. "Of course
I will-only too happy to serve such a
beautiful creature-pon the honor Of a
Frenchifed English gentleman! Pray lead
the way, miss"
"Will you be so kind as to give me
your arm 2"
l did so; and twenty PAGES brought us
to some steps leading down into the Seine.
My fair unknown descended, and so did /,
without asking wherefore. If she had
jumped into the water, just then, probably
| should have jumped in after her. She
didn't though-and that probably &C
counts for my not being a drowned doctor
to-day.
Well, as she and reached the lowest
steps, boat, rowed by two men, shot up
to US and before exactly comprehended
what I was doing, or how it was done, |
found myself seated on one of the thwarts,
my unknown angel beside me, and the
boat rapidly going somewhere, still rowed
by the two men.
"Whew p thought !; /" here is an ad
venture, whether l will or no. Doctor FL
lis, you gouty wine bibber, you have prob.
abb Nade ap ass of yourself, and are now
going o have your throat cut, for the little
money you are supposed to have, but
hav'nt got, about your person. We'll, it's
too late to whine or repine now, and so
no, word. And not a word did l say.
rather liking it than otherwise, all except
the numbering part, which | hoped might
De mere fancy ofmy own, so really fond
was I Of adventure.
We were not many minutes or the riv-
er; and during that time we shot past
houses, under bridges, and among river
craft. with the greatest rapidity, not a
word being spoken. Suddenly we ran in
10 a low, dark arch, and soon after came
to stop in some place, where, so far as
seeing was concerned, couldn't have told
myself from barrel of ink.
"No. word, sir your life depends on
it :" said low stern whisper in my ear.
az am dumb as post" said | "more
so. if any thing. If you hear me speak, be-