Richland beacon., 1873-03-22
KILL OR CURE.

THE MAJOR is capltal 1eilOW, DOC
tor" said, as we sauntered out to smoke
our cigars i'm the garden, after an early
dinner; "but he ought to be more merci-
ful to us wretched bachelors. What with
his charming wife and that exemplary
baby, he makes it difficult to respect the
tenth commandment"
''YOu admire Mrs. LaytOn?"
"Admire her If she were not Char
lies wife, | should fall head over ears in
love with her. have seen fairer faces,
but for dear, pretty, delicate womanly
ways, never met her equal"
"YOu couldn't understand a mans
thirsting for her blOOd?"
Good gracious! A wretch who could
touch one of her golden hairs roughly de-
serves to be crucitied."
"And yet for many days she was in
deadly peril of her life."
For her fortune 2"
'.She had nOne."
"Don't tell me, Doctor, that an innO-
cent creature like that could give any enc
cause for revenge"
"No; won't tell you anything of the
sOrt.'
- think I see. Some one was madly
in love with herr"
YOU would not find the cause" said my
explain. It's no secret; wonder the
Major has not told YOU"
''DOwn here" was on rustic seat that
the Major pretty wife had made at the
end of his garden, close to where little
rill, soon to be lost i'm the blue Hudson,
tinkled its way through his grounds.
"During the war;" began the Doctor,
81 served in the army, in the same regi.
ment with an old schOOlmate. He was as
fine soldier as ever drew sword. Hale,
hearty. and sound in mind and body
eager to see service-and he saw plenty.
l thought that he bore charmed life, till
one day he was carried into the hospital
tent i'm bad way. A ball had entered his
shoulder, glanced on the clavicle (what
YOU call the cOllar-pone), and had gone
some,ohere. That was all we could tell
for there was no other orifice but wheth'
er it had passed up or down, or taker
some erratic course round about, such a:
balls will take, we knew not and no prob
ing could find out. Well, he recovered
went North to regain his strength, ant
for nearly three years l lost sight O
him. When the war was over, and
had begun to practice as a civilian il
New York, l met him again. But how
changed! He was living skeleton, an(
saw in a moment that he had become
habituated to opium. Do you know wha
that means? No? Well, throw buckle
of water into piano and then light fir
under it, and its strings will not be NOR
out of ture than an Opium-smoker's nerve
are out of order. He asked me if h
might call on me at my Office, and o
course l assented; but it was days befOr
he came, and when he did arrive ! knew
that he had been preparing himself for
fight with himself. Some foolish patient
come prepared to hide the truth, some Il
magnify their ills. 1t is part of our busl
meas. in serious cases, to examine man
mind before we ask about his body, ant
hardened as a surgeon must be, comics
that the condition of my poor frien
frishtened me. There was an expression
in his eve that / had never seen in an
sane being; and what made this wors
was the calm business-like manner i
which he spoke. He told me that 500
after he had apparently recovered froI
his wound, he began to suffer from pain
in his head, which increased in severit
till thew became SO agonizing that he ha
recourse to opiates to alleviate then
eRmt have not come to consult yO
about this he said, this can bear-mui
bear Would 10 God that they were q
ways tearing me! The worst is whe
they are not 90,
81 They leave you very weak? SUI
exsThey leave me- he replied, qui
calmly. twith burning, oil but uaconque
able. desire to take human tVe.
.s am not generally nervous man, b'
/ started, and looked round me for son
weapon Of ,S defense s:d sniIe Ii tbe e # IS n
on me now. / should not have come If
had been. I have been nearly starv'
once or twice. not daring to leave n
room. can conquer my madness nov
the question is, how long l can contin, IN,
me. / feel my power of resistance b
coming weaker and weaker-the crayiI
for blood getting stronger and stronge
lam like a man who has slipped over
precipice, and feels the earth and shru
to which he clings, slowly, slowly, SUI