The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-04-05
A PHYSICIANS STORY.

'onunut int pThcllct ol my pIOltsnlOH'
Yet as a matter Of habit, as a kind of
second nature, day rarely passes with
out finding me at my onicc--as ] still
cali the little dusty den away ont of
hearing of the noise and crash Of the
street.
Yesterday, as was sitting there alone,
friend came in and gave me a long,
garrulous account of skeleton that had
been but an hour before disintcrred in
the heart of the city by some worimcn
digging for the foundation of building.
IL was the skeleton Of woman, he said.
/ looked at him sharply, and satisfied
myself that he told this merely as a
piece of intelligence. Heaven helped
me to keep composed, l think. This
was my dread secret
Somewhat more than fifty years ago,
and in this very room where | write, |
concluded the long, weary probation of
my student life, and entered singly upon
the practice OF my profession. My sue
cess was immediate and gratifying, To
be brief, was successful almost beyond
precedent; business and money came at
my command, and the city resounded
with praises of my skill, and the Won
derful cures had performed.
was called from my bed at midnight
upon one occasion, and directed in the
most urgent manner to repair at once to
the residence of Judge {. The house
indicated was the house of one Of the
weathiest and proudest families of b.,
and obeyed the summons as soon as
possible 1t was with difficulty that |
ascertaincd, amid the sobs and tears
that greeted my arrival, that Helena c.,
the only and idolized daughter of the
family, and the acknowledged belle and
beauty of the city, had been suddenly
attacked with q violent malady. 1t
needed but one glance at the sufferer TO
assure me of this.
Can you save hcr?" was the fathers
agonized question.
1.-THE chances are ninety-nine in n
hundred against her living an hour"
was the reply. Nevertheless, | will
leave nothing undone."
My end was accomplished. For thir-
ty-six consecutive hours | sat by her bed
side, warily combating the vital disease
which had assailed her, and when at
last pronounced her out of danger |
felt that ! had almost wrought out
miracle. This was another triumph
added to my list, and the report of my
fame was in every mouth.
But this was not the only consequence
of the occurrence. The discovery that
my lovely and amiablc patient regarded
me with warmth of emotion and graft
tudc which only her own warm heart
could conceive, filled me with feelings of
the livelest pleasure.
For several weeks after Helena's per-
feet restoration to health ! was a fire.
quent and welcome visitor at the house
Neither of us had ever spoken of love,
and yet | know that she, equally with
myself, was secretly hoping for future
of welded happiness at least this hope
was the cherished dream of my life, and,
alas! like every other dream, ii had its
end. Buoyant and elated with my false
hopes. | ventured one day to ask He
lena's father to sanction our love. The
revelation was new one to him, and
with frown the naughty arstocrat babe
me leave his house and never approach
it again.
Embittered by such relentless opposi-
ton as this, | began TO consider Helena
As forever lost to me, and following the
idle impulse of the moment started
upon voyage to Europe. Wandering
restlessly over the countries of the Old
World for year, | at length received n
letter from home, which, among other
things, spoke Of the marriage of Helena
-. ] smiled bitterly as the name
of the husband caught my eye. The
man who was thus preferred to me was
coarse, sensational and unreiined, but
wealthy, and therefore unexceptionable
20 Judge G.
1t was the very day, if remember
rightly subsequent to my return TO b.,
that was sitting here in my office, soli-
tary and alone. had as yet seen hard
~ single one Of my former acquant-
ances, and more utterly wrctchcd and
desolate, if possible, than before my de-
parturc, for, spite of my utmost endcav-
ors, my thoughts were constantly fixed
on Helena. had almost lost conscious
ness of external objects, when light
rap upon the door reached me. There
had been an audible step in the passage,
and conjecturiEg that my visitant was q
woman, fastened to admit her l was
correct; it was awoman, and none 9TH
er than the subject of my thoughts.
''Do not think i'll of me, Walter for
coming here. heard of your return,
and wished to see you, if but for mo-
ment. am very unhappy"
Her last words were addressed rather
to herself than to me, and yielding to
her emotion. she sank into chair and
sobbcd bitterly. Respecting the feeling
which | knew she could not control, and
which was momentarily gaining upon
me, l turned away until she had an OPP
portunity to compose herself.
"My errand here to-day" she contin-
ued, "is to return you this ring. You
will remember it, know. There is no
person to whom could entrust it, and
my husband almost daily demands to
know the history of it. And, besides,
wished to say farewell forever. Good
by, Walterr'
Her hand was icy cold. AS released
1t, she turned toward the door, hut in an