Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-11-08
DOCTOR ALPHEGE,

but painfully weak, and the stalwart,
broad-shouldered negress to whom the
cry was addressed had an anxious,
startled look on her usually stold face
as she turned away from the open door
and went into the sick room.
"My poor Mistress" she said, ten
derly, in French, raising in her arms as
she spoke the attenuated form of the
suffering woman before her; and rear
ranging her pillows, "you feel very
bad to-day; l knew you did Just now
when you were asleep and l heard YOU
groaning. wish-good Godl-I wish
could do something for you.n
The invalid made no reply for a min
ute, but gazed piteously up into the
others face. She was a woman of
about fifty, who even in the last stages
OF emaciation and weakness showed
traces of wonderful beauty. The sharp,
drawn features were as clear and fine
as those of a model, and even now the
sweetness and brilliancy of her dark
blue eyes were little diminished. But
pain of some kind and utter prostration
held her in their grip, and she made
several attempts to speak before she
said, in hoarse whisper: Thou
canst help me, child. Food, Marcel
line! food, for the love of Godr
The negress started, knit her brows
and murmered anxiously: 80 my dear
mistress, anything but that! Think what
would happen to me and my children
if-if-n-she seemed almost afraid
even to whisper the name, but sank her
voice to the lowest tone as she con-
tinued-"i if Mons. Alphege were to
find me out. be patient" she added,
aloud and coaxingly; cit will soon be
time for your supper now; when the
bell rings you are to have some milk,
and the sun is almost down"
The sick woman groaned and Law
quite still, but when, in few minutes,
changing plantation bell rang the Joy
full announcement that the days work
was over, she grasped the milk which
Marcelline brought her like one fam
ished, and drained it without breath
ing. 1t was short draught, after all,
for the cup was only half full, but Mar
celline turned away with shiver from
the imploring eyes and outstretched
hands, which asked her to replenish it,
and, as though unable to endure the
sight of suffering which she could not
alleviate, went out upon the open gal
lery and sat down on the steps.
The room was on the ground floor,
and the house was an old-fashioned
creole dwelling, long and low, with
many doors and innumerable little stair
cases-everything in disorder and out
of repair, and weeds and grass growing
up to the threshold. There was a Welt
stocked and carefully-tended vegetable
garden not hundred yards off; the
poultry yards, dove cotes and smoke
houses were as full as they
could hold. and over yonder, lust
behind the tall picket fence, were corn
cribs bursting with corn and hay-Iofts
choked with hay. Fifty or sixty negro
novels, irregularly grouped together
down by the baYou-side, and indistinct-
ly seen in the fading twilight, con-
tanned about three hundred slaves, who,
having trooped in from the field at the
sound of the bell, were now eating pork
and hominy as fast as they could swal-
low. But no one would have guessed
that all this abundance was at hand. or
that this was the homestead of one of
the richest creole families in the State.
Yet it was so. Old Madame Levassour
or Madame Hypolite, as she was in
variably called-was not only the wild
ow of wealthy planter, but had been
herself great heiress, perhaps the
greatest in the whole South at the time
of her marriage. The property had
gone on appreciating, as slave property
did in old times, and now that she was
lying at the point of death, her two
daughters, who had married brothers.
and like all true creoles, still lived at
home with their mother, would soon be
enormously rich. They were well off
already by inheritance from their ia
ther, and each owned valuable plan
tation and many slaves; but these were
nothing compared to the possessions of
their mother, who was an excellent
business-woman, full of energy, pru-
dence and moderation, and never weak
or capricious, especially where the in
terests of others were concerned. She
had always been kind and indulOent
mistress to her slaves, who loved her in
return with passionate fidelity, and
many were the sighs and tears their an
preaching change of owners produced
among them. Her sons-in-law were
educated men, of good birth and mod
crate fortune; but negroes are the best
judges of character in the world, and
there was not a trait or feeling con-
cealed under the quiet, nonchalant ex-
terror of Mons. Volmont Cherbuliez
which they did not thoroughly under
stand. About his Brother Alphege,
who was physician, there was more di-
versity of opinion. That he also was bad.
cruel, dissipated, profoundly deceitful,
there was no doubt in the minds of his
future chattels, but what precise form
his idiosyncrasies would take they felt
to be uncertain, and gazed with terror
all the more acute for being some-
vague-at his cold, impassive face.
In the meantime, nothing could be more
irreproachable than the demeanor az
the two brothers. DIR. Alphege was
known to be man of great skill. a
graduate OF the medical schools of
Paris and always interested in the prac-
uce OF his profession. He devoted
himself to his mother-in-law now with
unfailing assiduity, and when her dis
ease-which he pronounced to be a
dangerous gastric affection-baffied his
NNA-Oos ShOheo, hC 5CHb duNlce and
assistance even to New Orleans; which,
thirty years ago in Southwestern Louis
lana, was quite an enterprise. His fell
low-physicians agreed with him in his
management of the case, and the daugh-
ters and friends of Madame Hypolite,
though deeply grieved by her illness,
felt that nothing more could be done.
AS is usual in diseases of the stomach,
her suffering was very great, and the
most rigid care had to be exercised in
the choice and administration of nour-
ishment. On her food, said DIR. AL
phege, he depended for the only hope of
a cure: consequently, the rules which
he laid down must be, and were. en-
forced in the most rigid manner. The
penalty OF transgressing his orders was
always severe, but now the fiat went
forth that any one of the nurses or at
tendants upon Madame Hypolite who
II. 4.