Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-05-14
JOHN STEPHENS, PERICARDIUM.

-fON Il dlA SOihS w fOo Jtcb
what my husband said to me this morn
ing, doctor, word for word. and the in
valid, Mrs. Stephens, lay back on the
sofa pillow, the very picture of misery.
The family physician, who was called
on an average to the Stephens mansion
three hundred and sixty times year.
drew chair close to the couch, and
waited quietly for his patient to open
her book OF complaints.
''Last night, you see, doctor, had
an Ill turn, and he wanted to come for
you; but when 1 got so he dared to
leave me. he concluded then we'd better
let you Sleep"
much obliged to him." said the
doctor, with sarcastic emphasis ON the
personal pronoun. "Last night was
the first undisturbed nights rest l have
enjoyed for a week"
Mrs. Stephens continued /:
''This spell is the same as / had the
last time you were sent for, Doctor
"A slight nervous attack" broke in
the physician "notbing more"
"Well, it don't make any difference
what you call it, it was mighty hard to
bear; but let me tell you what my hus-
band said first. doctor, before we go
into symptoms. When he was going
down to breakfast, he says to me, Kate,
what shall send you up?'
Essays /, Il don't want anything in
the world but good strong cup of tea.
Tell Bridget to send it up IN the little
teapot 1 saw, doctor, that he didn't
move after / said this, so turned and
looked up at him, and such a picture of
rage and disgust never saw in my life.
Finally, says he, Tea tea tea it's
nothing but tea from morning till night,
Kate. says he; you are the color of a
Chinaman now. Why don't you order
good piece of beefsteak and slice
of brown bread and cup of chocolate !?
That would be a sensible breakfast
"'But, john says /, you forget
that am sick and have no appetite /
was all ready to cry, but l was deter
mined that he shouldn't have the salts
faction of seeing the tears fall.
"'Forget, says he, forget? wish
to Heaven could forget. It's nothing
but grunt and groan from one year end
to the other. / have lost all patience
with you, says he. When we lived In
part of a house, and you did your own
housework, you were as well and happy
as anybody, and no man ever had a
pleasanter little home than John Ste
phens but what have Inow to leave or
to come back to 2 and this, doctor, is
what he ended up with:
Kate says he, you are nothing
more nor less than drunkard, and, in
the sight of God, more culpable than
most of the men who stagger through
the streets, because the majority of
those poor devils have some sort of an
excuse for their conduct, and YOU
haven't the slightest. You have a luxu-
rious home, a husband doing his level
best to make you happy-everything
unoer the light of the sun 70 please you,
and yet you will persist IN swilling
tea Yes, doctor, swilling was the
word he used-bool hoo hoo o dear
me to think | should ever have lived
to have heard such dreadful Language
out of my husbands mouth and ther
he says, and making me as miserable g
wretch as wsiks the earth
"PretT al talk" interrupted The
doctor, " Il. a shrug OF his broad
shoulders.
go, yes," sobbed the victim; sc and
so awfully coarse and unkind. Ii haC
had spell, and died there before hi:
very face, I don't believe he would
have cared a snap of his fingers.
tell you, DR.. Ellis, there is such 6
thing as a mans getting hardened"
Evidently" replied the physician
with laconicism absolutely painful.
But my husband has nothing in
the world to trouble him but just my
poor health and 1 am sure l can.
help that" This remark was more In
answer to her companions tone and
manner than the one single word that
had accidentally escaped his lips, and
this the doctor telt.
"Any body would think by the way