The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-01-28
ADOCTOR'S STORY.
BY ASHLEY n. BALDWIN,

BY ASHLEY II. BALDWIN.
On fine summer day in the year 1877
was proceeding by the South Western
Railway to visit friend and former pa
tient resident at Portsmouth. It is not
often that medical man gets holiday,
and but for the kindness ola fellow.prac-
titioner In making my practice for fort
night, I should not have had this oppor-
tunity of enjoying the sea-breezes.
The train by which I started was an
early one, and, having procured my
ticket, took my place in second class
carriage, and lit my cigar, for it was a
smoking carriage. On entering it, was
surprised-and l think, naturally SOTO
ind the further corner of it occupied by
Lady.
"Oho!" said I, inwardly; "semo fast
American demoiselle who desires to in
dulge in a cigarette
On observation, however, it appeared
to me that the features ofmy fellow trav-
oler did not bear upon them that i'm
preston of cuteness which marks Ameri-
can nationality. She had soft brown
eyes, full, round face, and profusion
Of chestnut hair. She was dressed in a
plain gray travelling suit, bound with
white braid, and wore straw hat.
"Maybe a German" I soliloqulzed;
"they are terrible smokers"
Bnt again it occurred to me that pos
sibly the young lady might be neither
American or German, but had got into
the carriage without noticing that It was
one reserved for smokers. Under this
Impression, / bowed slightly to her say
ing;
II tear my cigar may annoy you. Per-
haps you are not aware that this is
smoking compartment"
"Oh yes" she answered, with slight
German accent; Eyes, yes, yes, yesp'
There was something peculiar in her
slow, deliberate utterance, and the tour
dmes-repeated monosyllable. There was
dreamy look, too, in the speakers eyes,
rs IT her mind was pre-occupied. How
ever, the train was now In motion, and
had nothing for it but to enscouce my
self in my corner, look out of my window.
and take birds eye view OF the sur
rsunding house-tops.
For abort time this was we'll enough;
but / began at last to weary of the mo-
notony OF such an amusement, We Eng
ishmen, as a rule, are so reserved and
unsociable that we shrink into ourselves,
and every fresh addition to the occupants
OF a railway carriage or an omnibus is re-
eeived with black looks and a sort of
tacit lntimation that he has no RICH,
whatsoever to enter. Now I am free to
confess that, whatever my failings, want
of soclability is not one Of them, and l
determined to try and engage my COM
panion IN a little conversation. There
could be no impropristy in man OF my
age | was thirty. eight endeavoring to
beguile the tedium of long journey by
conversing with fellow traveller, a
young girl-posslbly a schoolgirl-and
possibly not out of her teens. It swas
therefore, with an almost paternal feel
Ing that addressed her.
"There are not many passengers by
this train" remarked.
1.-TWO Thousand and three" was the
answer that started my eQuanimity.
| looked at the speaker to find a mis-
ehievous smile dancing in her eyes or
lurking at the corner of her mouth Moth
ing of the sort. She was perfectly seri-
Gus, even stern, and her eyes had still
the same dreamy, taraway look in them.
livery sent-minded, or else in love
thought 70 myself. However 1 tried
again.
~ think we shall have fine day for
our Journey" l ventured to remark.
She turned upon me with that despair
ing, yet restless look that we see tn a
trapped rat.
allow you talk, talk, talk!" she sid,
Indignantly.
"But demonstrated.
care you mad2" she screamed. In a
tone Of such intensified shrlllness, and
with such al awful hungry look in her
eyes, tnat the truth at once flashed upon
me like an inspiration.
She was mad!
Nedi al man as am, feeling of hor-
TOR ovcrcame me when refiedted that I
was shut up alone in a carriage of train,
travelling at express speed, with luna
TIC. True, l was strong man, she only
girl. But it is inconcelvable what ex-
treme strength is possessed by many OF
the insane. have known a woman thus
afflicted require two, and even three pow
erfui men to restrain her during one of
her paroxysms.
However, endeavored to keep as cool
as possible as l looked the young girl
steadily in the face. She looked at me
tor minute or so without quailing;
then she sank back in her corner, re-
sumed her apathetic posture, and sat
gazing out of the window, with the far
away look in her eyes, as if no such per-
son as myself was in existence.
"Poor grill? I Thought; and I began
to speculate who and what she could be,
and how she came to be travelling alone.
Gould she have escaped from an asylumq
II SO, how came she to he possessed of
sufficient funds to procure railway
ticket3 bad some experience in .smad
cases" and knew that the most out
rageous ones are those where the patient
maintains an even sullen demeanor. The
girls case did not seem to me to be one
OF them. On the contrary, her sudden
change of mood when I angered her
seemed to indicate it to be case OF tenn
Porary alienation Of mind, and conse-
quentiy durable one.
| looked at my watch. In a quarter
OF an hour we should be at Basingstoke.
l n fho 80