St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-03-21
From Temple Bar
Kill or Cure.

\ >foki Of rIIE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
! :. ne -naJ"i is q" ."r.>--. .~..o", ~.
| tor. | Sald. as we sauntered out to
smoke "ur cigars in The garden. after AN
early dinner; but he ought to he more
mcrcitul 10 lis 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
/ Ill love with her. have seen tairer
/ faces. hut for dear, pretty. delicate wo-
manly ways. | never met her equal"
"lou couldn't understand a mans
thlr>ting for her blood =
Good gracious, wretch who
could touch one of her golden hairs
roughly deserves to be crIcitied"
And yet for many days she was in
deadly peril of her life
For her fortune -
''She had none"
"DOn't tell me. Doctor. that an inuu-
cent creature like that could give any
one caIISe for revenge
No: | won't tell Won ANYTHING of
the sort.
Il think | see. Some one was madly
i'll love with her"
IF YOU were to guess till this dav
ont Nou would not find the cause" said
my friend. Let us sit down here, and
will explain. It's no secret; ; Won
der the Major has not told YOU"
"Down here" was on Il rustic seat
that the Majors pretty wife had made
at the end of the garden. close to where
Il little rill. soon to lie lost in the blue
Hudson. linkled its way through his
grounds.
During the war, began the Doctor,
Il served in the army. in the same reg
lment with an old schoolmate. He was
AZ line Il soldier as ever drew sword.
Hale. hearty and sound in mind aud
body eager to see Service-and he saw
plenty. thought that he bore II
chained life. till one day he was car
iicd int" the hospital tent in bad way
\ ball had entered his shoulder. glanc-
al on the claviclc (Ahat You call the
collar nonr) and had sOmelrhere
! hat WAS all We could tell. for there
WAS no Other oritice but whether il
lIdd passed llp or down. or taken some
tliatlc course round about, such as
balls will take. we knew not. and no
probing could lind out. Well he re-
covered. went North to regain his
strength. and tul nearly three wears |
lost sight "i him. When the war was
over. and had began to practise as ii
civilian III New York. | met him again.
i;Iu how changed He was IL living
skeleton. and | saw in Il moment that
hr had become habtuatcd to opium
Do N"T know what that means No,
Wen. throw Il bucket of water into a
piano. and then light Il fire under il,
and lis strings will NOT hc more out of
tune than IN upllIn->nulicrS nerves are
"ui "i "ldrr. lie asked me if lie might
call on me at my Office and of course |
d>>citcd hut II WAS DAYS before he
canr. and when he did arrive | knew
that Ia" had i'ccn preparing himself for
Il hight with himself. Some foolish pa-
urhts come prepared 10 hide the truth,
some 10 mdGulIN their ill>. 1t is part
ol "itI business. III serious cases, to ex-
anime II mans mind before we ask
about his body. and hardened :ls Il sur
Geon must lee. | confess that the cnndi-
tl"n "i my poor friend trightcnded me
here was an expression in his eve that
| lldd never seen III amy sane being;
and what made this worse WAS the calm
bu>lnc>S-lIke manner in which he spoke
He told me that soon .,itcr h,. had f,n.
pareutl,l r,royrr,d frn,n his ,,,nn, " bo
began u sllilcr from pains III his head,
which increased iii severity till they be
to opiatr~ 10 nII,yiIt. tben .Rnt
have nor come to rnnsnit wan oLort
his h,. S.,id .thi. ,.,,, ia,r ,,at
bear. Would To God that they were al
ways tearing me The worst is when
they are NOT
",Tn.y leave Won y.,., weak y, suo-
rcsted
...'Th,., Ic,y, mn. IA. ro,I;aJ ,,,,it,.
culmI, .r;tI u b,,.,;,,n an L,,t a., -
uur,uLl, Ls<;,e h, t,,Lc' i,,'n,, Gto '''''"
81 am mot ,,.n,raIi,. ,,o',.,', ,r, MAJ,
hut / .,tn,t,,I. and i,..,l,.I rornd ,,a t,,,.
some weapon of defence. POM ha
afraid hc continued, with 4 sad smile.
the lit is not on me now should not
have come If it had been | have been
nearly starved once on twice. not dar-
ing t" leave my loom. can conquer
my madness now the question is. how
long | can continue to do so. | feel
that it Is growing upon me | feel nv
power "i resistance becoming weaker
an weaker the craving for blood
growing stronger and stronger. | Am
like Il man who has slipped over prec
ipirc. and feels the earth and shrubs to
which he climgs slowly, slowly. surely,