The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-02-13
KILL OR CURE.

"THE Major is a capital fellow, Doc
tor" | said, as we sauntereQ out to smoke
our cigars in the garden, after an early
dinner; "but he ought to be more merci-
full 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, l 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 crucilied."
"And vet for many days she was in
deadly peril of her life."
For her fortune?'
"Shc had nOnc.'
"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"
II think see. Some one was madly
in love with herr"
"If you were to guess till this day out
you would not find the cause" said my
friend. Let us sit down here, and | will
explain. It's no secret; l wonder the
Major has not told you"
Down here" was on a rustic seat that
the Major pretty wife had made at the
end of his garden, close to where 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 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 in a bad way. A ball had entered his
shoulder, glanced on the clavicle (what
you call the collar-Done), and had gone
Somewhere. That was all we could tell,
for there was no other Oritice; but wheth-
er it had passed up or down, or taken
some erratic course round about, such as
balls will take, we knew not and no prob
ing 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 a civilian in
New York, | met him again. But how
changed! He was living skeleton, and
L 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 a fire
under it, and its strings will not be more
out ofture than an opium-smoker's nerves
are out of order. He asked me if he
might call on ne at my offica, and of
course L assented; but it was days before
he came, aud when he did arrive | knew
that he had been preparing himself for a
fight with himself. Some foolish patients
come prepared to hide the truth, some to
magnify their ills. 1t is part of our busi-
ness, in serious cases, to examine mans
mind before we ask about his body, and
hardened as surgeon must be, confess
that the condition of my poor friend
frightened me. There was an expression
in his eye that | had never seen in any
sane being; and what made this worse
was the calm business-like manner in
which he spoke. He told me that soon
after he had (apparently) recovered from
his wound, he began to suffer from pains
in his head, which increased in severity
till they became so agoniZing that he had
recourse to opiates to alleviate them.
But | have not come to consult you
about this he said, this | can bear-must
bear. Would TO God that they were al.
ways tearing me The worst is when
they are not
90 They leave you very weak?' sug
gested.
"'They leave me- he replied, quite
calmly, 'soith burning, all bit unconguer
able, desire to take human life
- am not general y nervous man, bu
started, and looked round me for som'
weapon of defense. Don't be afraid h
continued with sad smile, the fit is no
on me now. | should not have come if i
had been. | have been nearly starved
once or twice, not daring to leave m!
room. | can conquer my madness now
the question is, how long | can continu
to do so. feel that it is growing upol
me. feel my power of resistance be
coming weaker and weaker-the craving
for blood getting stronger and stronger
/ am like man who has slipped over
precipice, and feels the earth and shrub
TO which he clings, slowly, slowly, sure