The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-11-17
WORTH A. Leo
srt -, - fft
out Of the Diary of a Hospital.

up along the ward-the surgeon, who op
Grated some days since on mans leg, com
ing to see his case. A keen though. kindl,
face he has, . clear and rapid mode yol
speech, a quick but never hurried manner
certain promptness, decision, and self
possession, even in his trivial actions
| His patient on this occasion was squar,
built, good.looking young fellowsof some 81.
Tor seven and twenty years Of age-a thor
oughly sound and healthy subject for a cap
ital operation, and he had seemed at first t
bear II as well as possible. lam speaking
of constitutional bearing as for courage
doubtless he had plenty ,of it; but witt
chloroform at the time, and morphia after
ward, it had not been severely tested :
But now some days had passed ant he was
by no means improvingto the degree tha
IptAe state of the limb wouid lead one to ex
lpect He was depressed. yet restless, fe
verish, gloomy and irritable Mueh Of this
might be aecOanted for by the fact of q
young man, in the prime of his days, find.
ing h,saself suddenly made helpless Grip.
pie. But several lie incidents led me tc
guess ct some deeper cause, of trouble, al
though [ had not yet been able to penetrate
his gloomy reserve. I-noticed that at night
when be grew confused. and wandering, as
operation cases often do even when progress
ing favorably, he was forever muttering and
rambling on about "Jessie,' and also abont
a certain "Dick Hall, whom he mentioned
in'connection with language more remark
able for vigor than for propriety or polite
ness. nr1e7 -f., fgHaln ~
Moreover. remarked that every evening
when Tread that beautiful and heart soften
ing confession-with which L always CON-
menced our short, evening prayer in each
ward-the confession in which we are
taught to say to our ''merc ful Father that
1--WE have erred and strayed from His ways
like lost sheep" and followed too much
the devices and desires of our own hearts, y
George DiIworth drew the blue checked
coverlet Of his bed closely over his face and
more than once (ny little book stand and
kneeiing-stool happening 10 be placed near
to his bed) heard stifed sob come from
him. Still failed to win his confidence.
However touchedIhe might be during eye-
ming pray er, ty the time it was concluded
and Tcame ROUND w,.hthe sleeping draughts
pc was hard, gloomy. abrupt, and barely
civil-poor fellow-as before. 'is1~
But where failed, Mr.. P-.-- found the
way to succeed. How / know not; for
having finished his surgical work with the
leg, and scrawled number of Formidable
looking hieroglyphies On the PATIENTS board
for the guidance Of the dispenser, he sat
down on the bedside ard began to chat to
Dilworth; where.upon I, feeling that the
young man was more likely to be open with
one than With two. made pretence of hav
jng something to do at little distance while
they conversed. Presently the surgeon re.
called me- "Dilworth has long story to
tell you, i you'll be good enough to listen
to it." he said to me; then, turning to the
patient, he added, "You makea friend of
this lady, DiIworth she'll manage Jessie
better than either you or T, Pli be bound,
Good bye" -
And so George Dilworth told me his story
Not all at once-for he got excited over it,
and had to be stopped, and bld to rest and
be quiet at times-but bit by bit. tell it
partly in my own words, since it dropped
from the sick man in such piece.meal fash.
ion as his weakness and my opportunities
allowed. gus Il
He was the only son of his mother, and
she was widow-a relationship about
which there, always .dwslls a certain simple
pathos. And she was in many respects, as
I afterwards found, on closer acquaintance,
a grand and pathetic old woman. But
withal she had been somewhat IN ismatched
in the relationship Of her life. She had
been too strong and stern for her weak,
ne'er-do.well husband. she had been to
strict and sxacting for her ligbt.hearted and
frolicsome boy. Her loves were intense
and genuine. but they were pond erous. and
crushed where they should have sustained,
her own heart the while getting sterner and
sadder from the want Of sympathy and the
absence of .demonstrativc. affection, which
was in the first instance caused by that very
sternness. She was living in what logic,ans
sometimes call i "vicious circle" Doubt.
less there was some failure on her part in
the fundamental virtues OF humanity and
charity, vet she was in the main good and
noble woman. With her dwelt Jessie Free.
man, young orphan cousin, some six or
seven degrees removed indeed, the cousin.
ship was so very obscure, through its great
remoteness, that I twice essayed to unravel
II without success. Being pretty, young
about four years younger than George-and
continually thrown iaio his society, Of
course they fell in love. It Was necessarily
a young courtsbip, since they perfo rmed
the abovelittls feat at the respective ages Of
Gfteen and nineteen. Rut at length. after
years Of true. hearted waiting. the wedding
day was fixed-and the very. day which
had been chosen was. that on which Dill
worth had had hts leg shattered.
$50, then,n said |, "the accident stopped
the weddings Well,l that was enough to
make you down bsarted."
"Oh, no, MN. 'Twasn't the accident