The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-12-29


time. She would go to bed perfectly
we'll, we would both fall asleep; ! would
then, perhaps an hour or two later, be
wakened by her persistent snoring, and
find her in the state | have described.
1t was horrifying; for ! could not tell
how it might end. | represented to
dear Martha that she ought to consult
physician. She would not hear of it.
| then advised her to- live little less
abstemiously. | implored of her to
take, if it were only glass of sherry
at dinner and luncheon. But on this
point she was memorable also. and when
| pressed it she became quite inpatient.
| write with my diary beside me, and
in it find the following entry: dear
Martha makes me ashamed of myself.
How Quixotically abstinent she is!
while | sip my pint of brandy and
water, and drink my pint of half-and-
half daily. My apothecary, to whom |
! have described her formidable seizures,
persists in his opinion that the nervous
system is PROSTATE, and cannot recover
its tone without the use of a moderate
stimulqnt. How is it that women are
so prone to enthusiasm, and so ready in
good cause to rush into fanatical eX-
IRENE? She has laid n rule of life for
herself. and the menace of death itself
is pOwerless to induce her to relax its
selfimposed austerity."
| fell into a habit of waking at about
one o'clock every morning, and | found
that this state of coma had actually be-
come Of nightly occurrence.
| became too anxious to allow an at
! lection of SO formidable kind to be-
come incurably established without
taking active measures for the restora-
ton of my excellent wife.
Without Il hint of my intention TO her
| made up my mind to consult DR.. Pei
nam, in whom had implicit confidence,
upon her case.
/ was lucky. A chance would bring
! him by my house, on his way back to
town, at about one clock the very next
morning. He would then make me
quite visit, and he would see the pa
tent, and consider the case carefully.
We were early people, and usually re.
tired to bed at precisely ten o'clock.
! This night, however, | was obliged to
! take my place at the annual dinner Of
the Mutual Sustenation and Benefit
Brotherhood, sort Of insurance union
of which | was a member, and sat on
the committee.
| did not reach home till twelve
o'clock. Ny wife, the servant told
and was quietly asleep. She knew
nothing of my arrangement with Doc
tor Pelham.
| had been able to think of nothing
else during our annual dinner. | could
not say what mortal arrangement OF
brain or heart the diagnosis of the doc.
tor might disclose. | was now look
ing from the front sittingroom
window across our little garden, now
lighted briefly by the moon, to the road,
eagerly watching for the arrival of the
physicians carriage.
| grew more nervous as the moment
! approached. The clock struck one,
and not very long after DR.. Pelham s
brougham glided up TO the little gar
den gate, and, leaving the hall door
open, | ran to meet him at the carriage
door, and to conduct him into the
house.
Quietly we came in, he asking me a
lew dS we Ctlu So. ne Hdil
door was softly shut and, at his request,
| led him at once up to the patie nt's
room.
There she lay, just as usual, in the
same profound coma.
He felt her pulse. He stood by the
side of the bed, candle in hand, and ex-
amined her face. He made me turn
her in the bed, first on one side, and
then on the other; then he made me
shake her gently, then more briskly.
| Then he made me call her gently, then
loudly, and finally satisfied him that
she was in a state Of coma. He raised
her eyelid and looked at her eye, and
stopped, as he did so, very close to her
face. Then he stood again at the side
Of the bed, looking down at her with
lips compressed and drawn down at
the corners, and hard frown, and
he nodded once or twice as he was
! thinking.
THAT will do" said he 3" let us go
down."
| was very much alarmed his face
frightened me. | led him again to the
front room.
" Is it anything very serious, doctor?'
| asked, very much afraid OF the answer
that was coming.
"Serious enough said he.
I" But can't you do something for 1t p
l said.
Nothing" he answered.
Good heavens. sir, what is it ~ | ex-
claimed.
" You and your vicar may do her
more good than | could" said Dr. Pei
! ham.
"But what is it p l exclaimed, in
something bordering on distraction.
1t had occurred to me that he
thought it attributable to some malign
spiritual agency, and he looked quite
mysterious enough to mean anything.
He smiled family, and nodded, and
looked out through the window for a
moment, and then, turning to me with
a little shrug, he said:
" | see there are more things in heaven
and earth than are dreamed Of in your
philosophy. Have you read your Arabi-
an Nights?'
" CENT?" asked, thinking he meant
thereby to indicate supernatural agen-