The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-09-04
OATLY JOURNAL
sATURDAY...............sEPTEMBER 4, l88s
EPISODE IN A SURGEONS LIFE
Tc0NCIUDFD.
LooNcLUDED.1

the coffin, Of which l was now per.
faetlv weary, again hoisted 10 its
shelf we drove home, talking Of in
different matters, and went our sew.
eral WAYS. A country engagement
prevented my seeing G for a
couple Of days, and, indeed, not then
for on my return message awaited
me to call at one of the hotels.
went as soon as possible, SO that
might get my work for the day quite
over, and have a long rest.
" Who is it wants meY | asked the
waiter.
< lady, sir-No. Is" And he
showed me IN.
She certainly did not hurry her
self, and / had plenty of time to LOOK
about me before any one appeared.
at last q lady entered the room with,
it appeared to me. some show Of re-
eognition. and her voice at least
sounded familiar to my ears. She
was tall. and was dressed in that mix
fure Of black silk and black Grape so
becoming to tall women, her hair was
black. lust sprinkled with gray; her
ewes we're black, with broEs and
lashes to match; they were set too
near the nose for perfect beauty; her
other features were perfect, though
the lips were rather too thin; her
complexion was dazzling white, or
rather transparent, like French China.
Just over the mOlar bones there was
a sORpcon sof pink-her hands long,
lean, and white--the same unnatural
white.
Yol don't remember me, Mr..
Jones?
"InIeed have not that pleasure.
All, you doctors have so much to
think about. Are you stronger than
you were in the winter?
Thank you, l am much better.n
I'm so glad to hear it. You
passed me to-day In q carriage.
Where were you going: TO do some
hcrrid operation, / suppose.
Not exactly"
You don't expose yourself to cold
night air, as you used to do, l HOPPER
No more than can help. WhyY
"Oh, nothing; just something TO
say"
That was quite evident; SO I began
to look at my watch, which she no.
ticed. and said:
You'll take tea with US, won't
you2 My niece viii be in, directly.
She wasn't we'll, and lay down for a
little We have been travelling about
a good deal lately. We were in Glas-
cow, and saw Madeline Smiths win
dow. What long arm L'Angelier
must have had to reach it for his
chOcolater'
Yes, poor fellow. What fearful
end his was
Are the traces of arsenic easily
discovered2"
Very"
And antimony?"
:" And anthony; indeed, all me-
tallie poisons are easily discovered. 7
Then, what are used which so
often battle even the most expert
chemists2"
Chiefly vegetable poisons--what
are called the vegetable alkaloids; 10
other words, the active principles of
such drugs as strychnine, from nux
vomlca; but PRISONERS like Palmer,
for instance, are convicted on symp-
toms characteristic of these poisons."
Here an involuntary yaWn inter-
Tupted the progress of my lecture, but
taking for granted that my patient
was the young lady, l waited; the tea
tray was brought in, and my compan-
ION left the room she presently return
ed with q much younger lady, about
twenty five apparently, dressed in
blush gray, sort of half-mourning.
She had a perfect face and figure, her
eyes had an almost uuearthly lustre,
and her face was the same French
china white as her aunt's. Her lips
had not the full rosy color of women
at her age, and she walked like one
who had suffered a long illness; but
her manner was marked by vivacity,
as her counteBance was by intelli-
genee. But that glistening eye Of hers
would not keep still; il wandered
around the room more like a wild
birds than a young lady's. VIII
leave you two for q little" said the
elder, ana now l became more recon
eiled to my detention. After giving
her a chance of beginning again, /
said, You don't look much like an
invalid"
r. am, not exactly an invalid, but
my aunt-seemed anxious for me to
see a doctor"
Do you feel very weak?' |
"Oh, so so weak u
Are you ever sick 2"
Always sick"
Any pain in your limbs?'
When l walk, such an achingP
These short answers evidently ia
tigued her, and she asked for water.
Does it hurt you to swallow
No. only my throat is so hot.
And so she went on to tell me how
she had been losing strength for sew
eral months-how her aunt had been
so good to her; and, IN answer to my
questions, she said she had suffered
much grief IN the Winter, when a
dear friend had died. " Where?" I
asked. Oh, here in this town. He
was travelling about, and he died in a
hotel. He had been travelling with
them till within two or three days: but
he was not well, so he staid behind to
rest, and died, and" Here she
stopped, for q rustic in the adjoining
room told that a third person, that
nuisance in all medical consultations,
was approaching; we changed the
subject, the elder lady came in and
made tea; l wrote a prescription and
got up to go away, but was requested
to step into tie next room and tell
the elder lady what my opinion was.
1t seems to me merely debility, and
an irritable mucous membrane. She
has been depressed in spirits; what
have you given her
Nothing" was the answer.
Then I'll call the day after to-
morrow and see how she gets on with
this"
And II left; brt the we'll known
back Of a ChurchilPs Manual
caught my eye as l passed out 80
you study Taylor's book, said to
her; . is not this rather CHASTITY read
ing for a lady?'
mot ], she answ cred quickly. :. |