The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-10-11

heard and saw it. AS l then heard ah'
saw, now tell 1t.
"Mademoiselle was preparing to appea
in her great part, 'Messalina, SAID th'
strangely od-ooking young man, appar
emily one of the doctors assistants, resum
ing the story my entrance had interrup
ted and to which several of the visitors
who. like myself had fingered in thai
ward were listening.
"Mademosee's lightest wish was law
to me. So Travelled nearly two hundred
miles TO fetch her, and we came to this
very mad.house. The doctor VIII remem'
Der. for no one who saw Mademoselle
could forget her. But-the doctor, see
is interested in a new patient, and does
not listen"
"Pardon me, said the doctor, with his
grave, impenetrable smile. IL listen. You
were saying-0b, yes about Mademol-
selle, that"
The doctor was interrupted by stroke
of the bell, signaling him to another
ward, and abruptly left us.
ave came to this very mad-house," re-
peated the strangely old-looking young
man. 1T was Mademoisele's desire
TO make study of the most violent fren.
Gy. The doctor hesitated when she said
it. But after cycling ner sharply for an in
stant be no longer hesltated. de saw she
was incapable Of fear; and he brought us
to this ward.
ut was as you see it now. Here where
all is a.craze, there comes no change. 1t
is always the same. To the end it will be
nf
vanity, which inside and outside OF mad
houses is The Commonest madne. s, was
here then. So was the madness OF su-
prtme selishness, which narrOWs life in
to such small compass that they grow
dazed in making circuit of it. Here were
then, too, the mad folk who are not mad
sent here because they caught glimpses
of what is unseen, unknowable to fools
and the blind. And the madness OF NOR
bid sensibility of unearthly phantasy and
of despair-all was much as you now see
as will be seen in all mad houses for all
time.
"But it was the mad women Mademoi-
selle wished to see. The study she would !
make was of the MADNESS of lost love-
not of the Uphelas and Gretchens but |
of the woman who can not be won, who |
seize and tax Q to themselves their below. |
ed as the tigress does her prey, and guard
him even in death, with as feroCous jeal-
ousy. Such, you know was Messalina.
"rhe doctor smiled and arChei his eye
brows when Mademoiselle indicated what
study it was she wished to make. II was
plain that among the thousands OF pa
tients who had been his care there had
4 D.,Rh hno oh vnl
US to the women's wards.
Little note did take of them then;
had eyes only for Mademoiselle. You
have not seen herr Then you can not
tell how Queenly she was; not before the
foot lights only but always was the queen
majestic, with the majesty of true roy.
atty, Shat even in rags could not have de.
sCended to the common, but must have
lifted the Commonest in her presence to
nobility. She was stately tall and grace
full, with the malchless grace that comes
Of symmetry and strength-whiCh in
truth is the grace of the goddess. She
had, too, the wondrous eyes that belong
only to true royalty-lhe royalty which
parliaments, peoples and popes can neith-
or make nor unmake. Deep and Gear,
they concealed nothing. Fearless, proud
as truth alone may be, and in all noble,
what has real royalty to conceal? In them
flashed fierce passion, all consuming.
They drank in greedily,all beauty. They
commanded, and it was impossible to !
elude them; yet never were woman's
eyes more tender,
"The world did not know her then,a and :
she was poor and obscure; but had look 1
ed into her eyes, and knew her queen, S
and proud was | right Loyalty to serve S
her. Because knew she was of right 6
among women queen, was it that barn h
ed with fierce ambition to win crown. 4
Her equal then, might claim her for
my own. | was only reporter for the S
Chronicle. Butt loved. And to love s
nothing is impossible. For her, knew !,
/ Conld win it-with my pen. For her r.
what man could not have won the uni p
verse? Yet | dared not love her. She :,
was my goddess, whom | worshipped from =
afar. Aud with eager, silent pride wait 6
ed until should win the right to love =
her; then to claim her because mine was =
the right. 4
II looked upon her that dav, and would u
have given my soul, and counted myself 6
the gamer, to be loved by her, but for one h
hour as she could love. For all the tor n
ments OF hell could not have robbed me h
of the memory of that hour. And posses o
sing that, paradise were mine. That was ?
the thought that filled me, when one of B
the patients, a weird old woman with n
shriveled form, and haggard face, and deep l.
set eyes, that cleaned like serpents, a
sprsng in front Of us, and raising her hand, a
rs if IN solemn imprecatlon, croaked out r
in tones that frOze my blood: a
"My lady swear it-that you will n
marry him." ;,
with the calmness offate-it was fate r. r.
bowed her head, and, as II
II under spell, slowly responded: - -
II will never marry him N
"All the foul iends and malignant un.
clean spirits that possessed those maniacs
took up her words and echoed and re- al
echoed with Internal mocking laughter, IN
I will never marry him. They Crawled k
out of their loathsome slime and seized III
me in their shaky folds and coiled about al
my neck and hissed it into my ears until OF
[ could hear no more. They swooped
down upon me through the thick air. al
horrld nameless fOrms. Their devilish al
leering glare pierced me like red hot cc
steel. Thicker and faster they came to
"DO you not hear them, see them, feel
hem now," he cried out with an unearth. h,
y shrek, and he covered at my side in
,peechless terror, glaring at the empty :,
lir as though his eye-balls would burst. - =.
"But no, no, no, no." he gasped con. W
1ulsivelV, sughing with horrid alright
md clasping tight my hand. To-day, q
hank God, the sun shines bright; does it -
l0t2 Yonder is rose in full bloom; is it hC
lot So2 And the bird in the cage in the in
window tFills gladly, and-t5ey cannot A
ome;" and he pressed closer to me and I,
vas silent for time.
"NO they cannot come" he said softly,
for MademOiselle is coming, / am here