The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-12-19
AN INTERESTING PATIENT.

AN INTERESTING PATIENT.
Two men sat In pleasant room in q
city boarding-house, chatting confiden-
tally. Both were young. somewhere
between Twenty-Five and thirty, and
both were enthusiastic students Of the
noble profession of medicine. They
had become intimate at college, and q
strong friendship existed that had
known no jar or break. DR.. Wilfred
Atkinson was Western man, coming
from Illinois; while DR.. Frederick Read
claimed q New England town for his
birthplace.
II was Fred Read who said:
"You win accept this offere"
Accept itP" cried his friend. al
should think so. It Is what want most
In the world. You see, have always
been more interested in the study of in
sanity than in any other form of dis
ease. and to be resident physician in an
asylum. where I have only made weekly
that could never have elsewhere.
"Yes. know all that; but it win be
very confining. Think / prefer gen.
eral practice, after all. But you may
expect to see me often. How / shall
MISS YOU, Oi0 loiiOW
And then the talk drifted into other
channels, until DIR. Atkinson discovered
that it was time for his train to L.,
where his new home and field of duty
lay.
"You win come over often," he
urged, in parting from his friend; '.and
II am busy or away, make yourself at
home. The grounds are large, and very
n .~<kI ,r,oN ann Of fho
patients, be sure those who are allowed
to roam about inside the walls are
harmless. Some of them are absolutely
sane on every point but one; touch that,
and of they 60. But the eyes tell the
story
-Yes;. it Is hard to hide it there"
"And contradiction brings out the
truth. As long as the deiusions are
humored they are generally amiable
enough; but once cross them-whew ]"
II shall come over often and hear the
results of your experience. My enor-
nous practice takes about three hours
day
In pursuance of this promise DR..
Read took the train about once week
and spent an hour or two with his
friend. finding him generally busy, as
MS uuIleS lnCAAleQ u RcHctd supcLAu-
tendence of the asylum and details that
were quite independent of professional
work. Still, he took it all as part of
his new life, and gave his mind as fully
TO ordering groceries and towels as he
did to writing prescriptions and study
ing cases.
the place, began to share his friends
Ia -, Ao o%.r ~ nrfol dfonrdnr-o
and would often spend hours roaming
through the wards and grounds with
only few words to DIR. Atkinson.
1t was when June was young and the
air soft and pleasant that DIR. Read,
strolling about in the prettiest part of
the grounds, saw lady in summer
house whose face attracted him atonce.
1t was very pale face and the large
dark eyes were languid, while the
slender figure seemed weak as If from
recent illness. But it was, too, q beau
fiful young face, shaded by waving
brown hair, and with purely oval out
line and regular features.
"A new patient. was Fred's mental
exclamation. ssWhat lovely FACET
Then he sauntered over to the sum-
mer house and spoke to the lady. To
Quick, gasping sob and tainted. Itwas
not very long insensibility, and under
Fred's quick treatment the large eyes
opened. and she whispered:
20, / am SO sorry to trouble you!
But I have. been very i'll, and you
startled me"
Il was very much to blame, /" he said.
penitently, ''and hope you will par
,xr,,ll r,<,uu -
me to run up to the house for glass OF
wine2'
81 am wen enough, but 1 do not need
it," and she sat up again and took up q
piece of needle work that had dropped
from her hands. Her fingers stin
trembled, and pretty flush came a
moment into her pale face. as she said:
..Are you one of the physicians herep''
'.Only by courtesy" he replied u
have the run Of the place; but DIR. At
kiison i the physician. Old DIR. Hare
is the head doctor, but he does very
little"
.Yes, / knowl 1t Is lovely place,
Is 1t nota Out here, meani Inside,
and she shuddered, '.the sounds Sare
often dreadful. But the doctor at home
thought q change of air would be good
ssChange of airp' thought Fred.
'.Poor little thing. Quite unconscious
of her infirmity."
And he chatted away with her, dis
cussing the weather, the beauty of the
grounds, the songs of the birds in the
trees around them, and so gradually
drifting to books, to comparisons Of
opinion and criticism. And all through
. delightful hour Fred vainly tried tc
discover the one point upon which the
new patient was insane. Whatever II
was, 1t evaded him and he looked q:
xainly for any wandering or vacancy in
the soft brown eyes that met his own,
full of Intelligence.
They were still conversing when one
Of the nurses came down the path lead
ing to the summer house.
1sMiss Bessie she said, "Dr. Atkin'
SON sent me to say you had better liz
down now for an hour or two, and ht
has sent some medicine to your room
Let me help your
DIR. Read being q physician. made nc
attempt to detain the fair patient, noting
with sincere sympathy how weak she
was, and how wearily she leaned upor
the nurses strong arm
He did not feel inclined to have an,
jestiag about his interest, such as hi
friend was wont to indulge in, whel
ladies were the subject, so he said moth
ing of his experience, and joined DIR
Atkinson in his Grounds" without hint
ing at any desire 10 see one especial pa
tient--a desire not gratified. for ther
were only familiar faces in the wards
But tho summer house was soon foun
70 be Miss Bcssie's resort. 1t was in
secluded part of the grounds. shade
by thick clump of trees. and provides
with a rustic table and comfortabl
chairs. Hero the young girl made
cory nest for herself, and the plae
looked home-like with her work-basket
her books, knitting, or sketch book. he
cushions aud footstool.