Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1864-06-02
trance, and seeing ME, exclaimed

Tho cid woman shook her head, and
sighed out:
She's had three on 'em since you left,
and she's in the fourth now, poor DEAR
oh, my Godp groaned the man, sink
ing down on the nearest seat. Doctor,
you hear ! Oh, save her save herr
l hurried to the bed. and found the pa
tient in convulsions The spasms ceased
almost Immediately, considerable guam
tity of viseid matter was elected, and a
heavy, snoring respiration followed. The
face was flushed. head hot, and pulse ra-
pid, | decided that she must be bled,
and lost no time. in opening vein
then sent for ice, and applied it in mode
ration to her head. l remained with her
through the night, and left her at day.
light in e tranquil sleep, with directions to
be followed in case of return Of the
spasms.
The man, who gave his name as Ralph
Wagner, came down to the door with me
and thrust half eagle into my hand.
How is she 2 he asked; in trembling
voice. is she better? can you save herr
She is better, think, and l hope she
can be saved" 1 replied
oh, Doctor. will you come again to-
day?
Yes, this afternoon, toward night. af
ter shall have got some sleep and visit
ed some few patients that cannot be neg
lected.'
Don't desert us, Doctor, for G DDS
sake, don't = fairly pleaded the man, with
tears in his eyes.
] assured him / would not, gave him
my address. and babe him send for me at
any time, if a change should take place
for the worse.
From that night the patient gradually
mendcd, and in the course of week was
out Of danger and had her reason. Thad
seen her every day during this time, and
had become not little interested in her.
She was not an ordinary woman. Her
age | Judged to be about twenty-five or
six, and her features, though marked by
suffering. were intellectual and still beau
tiful Her hair was light brown soft
almost to silkiness, and she had the sweet
est blue eyes and prettiest mouth I ever
beheld. Her voice, too, had that rich
mcllowness which SO captivates the car
and her language denoted cducatan, and
her manners refinement.
Great was the contrast between this
pretty, delicate flower, and the big, coarse
featured. awkward, uneducatcd, and
must add totally unprepossessing Ralph
Wagner: though | fancied | could COM
prehend how such man might love her
to the whole extent Of his rough coarse
nature. | confess | was at loss TO ac-
count for such reciprocity, if indeed there
was any true thing. That his ardent at
tachmcnt to her might excite some kind
Of sympathv-some emotion akin to pity,
aud perhaps gratitude thought posi-
BILE; but that there should exist Anything
like true, mutual love, seemed to contra
ry to the laws Of nature as fol' the doe to
love the tiger. And yet how many such
incongruities we sec paired, ii not mated
married by law, if not in spirit.
The day that / made what / intended
should be my last visit, ! found my fair
patient sitting up in chair and crying
as if her heart would broak. She was
alone.
This is very bad for you to be exciting
your nervous system in this manner" l
said, in kindly, reproving tone. Has
anyth ng happened too serious for little
calm philosophy to mastcr?'
oh, doctor, she exclaimed, L ain a
poor, miserable, heart-brokcn woman,
alone and friendlessp
oh, not quite so bad as that, / think
| answered. lightly. Where is your
husband =?
This was the first time I had ever
spoken the word husband to her, and
looked to see if she received it as a fami-
liar, unquestioned fact She shuddered
and covered her eyes with her hands.
Did you see in the papers this NOR
ning,' she sobbed. the arrest of notori-
Gus burglar, called Patent IIammcrsmith?'
L think l did see snmething of the
kind
That was none other than Ralph Wag-
Good heavens. Jou amaze me"
cried, Your husband burglar p
He is not my husband, sobbed the
poor woman.
Nor
sit down doctor, and let me tell you a
painful story in few words; and then,
if you can give me any good advice and
sympathy, shall receive it with graft
tude; and if you scorn and cast me from
you, shall only find l was mistaken in
supposing you had heart
sea.cd .--y-alf and -LAeama all ..tvn-
ton.
i was reared in afiluence,' she resum-
ed, and for seventeen years was the pride
and JOY of fond parents. At seventeen
l fell in love with man some year, old
er than myself, whom 1 believed to be
perfection itself. My father knew better,
and warned me against him. He finally
forbade him the house. We correspond.
I'd afterward, met clandestinely, and at
eighteen l eloped with him. We went,
as supposed to the house of q clergy
man, and were married, and then set off
on wedding tour. The man | had SO
wildly loved proved to be black hearted
william. and soon robbed ME of all my
money and jewels, and then deserted me
in strange city. He afterward wrote
me that the marriage was a sham, and
that he had deceived me in that manner
in order to revenge himself on my father
for his insults.
"A Blank followed this awakening from
a bright and glorious dream to reality too
horrible for an ordinary mind to contem-
plate. l had brain fever. | became
insane. l returned to reason in pauper
mad-house. got my liberty in rags
l wrote home to my father the whole
terrible truth, and implorcd him to re-
ceive back his poor, wretched broken
hearted daughter. / was ragged men
dicant, in strange city. and God only
knows with what intense and fearful anx-
iety l awaited the answer 10 that letter.