Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-03-16
KILL Oh CURE.
A Story of the American Civil War.

Who Turned Opium Eater-He Mar.
ries the Girl He Wished TO XIII.
"The Major is a capital fellow, DOCTOR" 1
said, as we sauntered oui to smoke our
cigars in the garden, after an early dinner !;
"but he ought to be more merciful to US
wretched bachelors. What with his charm
ing wife aud that exemplary baby, he makes
it difficult to respect the tenth command
ment."
"You admire Mrs. Lsyton?"
admire her! II she were not Charles
wife l 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 mans thirst
ing for Der blood?" ....t.
"Good gracious! A wretch who could
touch one of her golden hairs roughly de-
serves to be crucifed."
"And yet for many days she was in deadly
peril of her life"
"For her fortune?"
s'She had nOne."
"Don't tell me, doctor, that an innocent
creature like her could give any one cause
for revenge"
''No; won't tell you anything of the
sort"
81 think see. Some one was madly in
in love with her?"
of you were to guess till this day out
you wou'd not find the cause" said my
friend. "Let US sit down here, aud l will
explain. It's no secret; l wonder the Major
has not told you"
"DoWn here" was on rustic seat that
the Majors pretty wife had made at the end
of his garden, close to where a little rill
soon TO be lost in the blue Hudson, tinkled
its way through his grounds.
"During the war;" began the doctor, 81
served in the army, in the same regiment
with an old school mate. He was as fine
soldier asever drew a sword. Hale, hearty,
and sound in mind and body; eager to see
service-3ni h~ saw plenty. thought that
he bore q charmed life, till one day he was
carried into the hospital tent in a bad way.
A ball had entered his shoulder, glanced on
the clavicle (what you call the collar bone),
and had gone-somewhere That was all
we could tell, for there was no other
orifce; but whether it had passed up or
down, or taken some erratic course round
about, such as balls will take, we knew
not, and no probing could find out. Well,
he recovered, went North to regain his
strength, and for nearly three years lost
sight of him. When the war was over, and
had begun to practice as civilian in New
York, met him again. But how changed!
He was living skeleton, and | saw in a
moment that he had become habituated to
opium. Do you know what that means?
No? Well, throw bucket of water into
piano, and then light fire under it, and
its strings will not be more out of tune than
an opium-smokers nerves are out of order.
He asked me ifhe might call on me at my
| office, and of course | asssnted; but it was
days before he came, and when he did ar
rive l knew that he had been preparing
| himself for fight with himself.
Some foolish patients come prepared to
hide the truth, some to magnify their
Ills. 1t is part of our business, in serious
cases, to examine mans mind before we
ask about his body, and hardened as a sur
| geon must be, / confess that the condi-
ton of my poor friend frightened me. There
was an expression in his eye that l had
never seen in any sane being; and what
made this worse was the calm, business. Ike
manner in which he spoke. He told me
that soon after he had (spparently) recoy-
cred from his wound, he began to suffer
| from pains in his head, which increased in
severity till they became 30 agonizing that
he had recourse to opiates to relieve them
| fBut have not come to consult you about
| this,' he said, this can bear-must bear.
Would to God that they were always tear
ing mel The worst is when they are not.