Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-02-25

It was impossible to ascertain the nature
of the disease TO which Octave de Saville
had fallen victim. He was not confined
to his room, and went through the ordinary
routine Of daily life; no complaint passed
his lips. and YET, to al appearance, he was
dying slowly bu5 surely. The most skill
full medical men were unable to discover an
alarming symptom. HIS lungs, when ex-
amined, gave forth healthy sound, while
the most sensitive, practiced ear failed to
detect anything irregular or abnormal in
the action Of his heart he did not cough,
he had no fever, and get he became
weaker and weaker. Occasionally he
tainted, and for two or three minutes Law
as if dead then the mysterious pendulum,
no longer checked by an unseen finger, re-
sumed its movement. AID Octave awoke as
If from dream. He had been ordered to
the baths; he mad ooeyed, with no result.
A trip to Naples produced no benefit Its
glorious sunlight 20 him was dark and
coIorless as an etching Of Albert Durer's
He was chilly even on the Quay de la
Neugellina, where 5ae lazzaroni, half
naked, bask in tie aun till they are the
color of bronze.
He had now returned to his apartment
in the Rue SAINT Lszan, resuming all his
usual habits. These rooms were as com
Portable as possible for a bachelor, but, as
all surroundings invariably reflect the tone
of thought and customs, they were some
what dreary The damask of the curtains
had faded, and, being half-drawn, admitted
only dim light. The flowers IN the car
pet seemed whitening, the gilded frames of
some auuarelies and some mastery
sketches were dull and dingy ; the fire was
dying out IN smoke and ashes the old
Boule clock seemed to tick softly and care
fully, and the weary hours were sounded
in the hushed tone with which one speaks
in a sick. chamber the doors were opened
and shut softly, and the feet of an occa-
sional visitor made no sound on the
moquette miTth was checked on the very
threshold of this dark, depressing apart
ment. Jean, Oetave's servant, crept about
like shadow, feather buster under his
arm, a tray in his hand, for, unconsciously,
he was effected by the all-pervading melan-
choly of the spot, and had lost all his
loquacity. On the walls were boxing
gloves, foils and masks, but evidently they
had not been moved for long time ; half
opened books were lying about letter,
half-fnished, lay on the writing-desk, the
paper yellow, and having date of some
months previous. Though inhabited the
room seemed deserted. There was no
atmosphere of life in it.
In this cheerless place, where no woman
ever ventured TO put the tip of her bottine,
Octave was mora at his ease than else
where; the silence and sadness and utter
loneliness suited him the Joyous con-
fusion OF outside life annoyed him mex
pressibly !; although he made fi5ful at
tempts to join IN it. he returned from all
the masquerades, balls, and suppers sadder
than when he went. Now he no longer
struggled against this mysterious illness,
and allowed the days TO slip away, one
after another, with utter indifference.
Nevertheless you must not picture to your
self the haggard features, sallow skin, and
emaciation OF an invalid dark circles
under the eyes, and = peculiar transparency
of the temples, were all the exterior indi-
cations of illness There was also no
briliiaucy N the eyes, from which all will,
hope, and ambition seemed TO have van
ished.
Octave had been, and indeed was still, a
very handsome fellow abundant silky
black hair, soft, almond-shaped dark blue
ewes, and the olive colorless tint of the
Eastern races. he was well made, with
delicate hands and feet. He was always
well dressed, never in The extreme of the
mode
How was it that, young, handsome, rich,
with so many reasons for happiness, he was
thus indifferent, languid, i'll You will say
he was blase: that he had wasted his
youth, health, strength and wealth in wild
dissipation that the unhealthy literature
o! the present day had destroyed his faith,
and that. in fact, nothing was left him but
debts. You are mistaken. Octave was
neither an atheist, libertine nor a spend
thrift. His life had been regular; he had
done his share of studying, and been pune
tual in his attendance at the Sorbonne.
As ordinary physicians could make no
diagnosis of this strange disease, noe being
able to dissect the soul in an amphitheater,
his friends finally persuaded him to consult
man who. after long residence in India,
had returned 20 Paris, and had the reputa-
ton of possessing marvellous skill.
Octave, as If foreseeing a superior sa-
gacity capable of penetrating his secret,
seemed to feel a peculiar dread of this man,
and it was only after the repeated solicita-
lions OF his mother that he had consented
to receive NJ. Balthszar Cherbonneau.
When the physician entered. Octave was
lying, half sitting, on couch, cushion
under his head ,ssnother under his elbow, a
third under his feet he was wrapped in q
robe de ckambre he was reading, or rather
he held book, on the pages of which his
eyes were fixed without comprehending a
line. He was pale, but otherwise there
was no marked symptom of illness. A
superficial observer would not have asso
ciated the idea of danger with this young
man. by whose side stood a little table with
cigars. instead of visls and tisanes.
With all 0ctave's Indifference the ap
pearance of the doctor struck him as being
most fantastic: an enormous head, the
crown perfectly bald, polished and shining
like ivory, which retained its original fair
ness, while his small swarthy face was til,
color of old oak; few long gray hair
stood ont behind his ears and at the nap
of his neck his emaciated little nutcracke
face was covered with the finest network
of wrinkles. His eyes, however, were tn
most extraordinary. From out this lean
wrinkled countenance, darkeued by age
burned by the scorohing sun of India, wori
nv stndv. and marked by deep lines
snarkled and cleaned two pupils blue a
tnrouoises. clear and beaming with all tn
beauty and freshness of youth. 1t was a
if. by some wicked sorcery, he had stole
child's starry blue eyes to light up hi
csdayerous face. His figure was so ema
ciated that his professional suit of blacl
Topped loosely about him as if hanging o
two pegs. -,
This grotesque figure seated himself b
the couch and turned his back to the light
falling full on the face of his patient. Al
though entirely in shadow himself, III
strange blue eyes sparkled and shoue as
bv light of their own, and seemed
pierce the very heart of Octave.
"Well, my dear sir, !" said the doctor
after a rapid resume of all symptoms evi
dent to the eye, &c it requires no peculis
skill to see that you have no common dis
ease with weli-marked symptoms, easil
cured or checked, and when have talke
with you few moments | shall not as
YOU for bit of paper TO write prescriE
ton which can be put up by q corns
drnoOist