Omaha daily bee., 1883-04-14

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awakened by this time" He turned
his back, laughing hoarsely, aud
ordered two sailors not to lose sight of
me.
need not say what a terrible day l
passed. Sleeping or waking, 1 always
saw the dreadful picture of the poor
woman, sunk In sleep, lying on the
sofs-on the sofa from which she could
never rise.
Ia what q state I found myself on
the thirty-sixth day 1t would not be
easy for you to imagine. At last Rio
de Janeiro was In sight. / threw my.
self into q boat, spraug ashore and ran
to the telegraph ofioe, Break open
door Of small room; wake up Genersl'a
wife," When the dissi.
pated husband of the Generals wife
discovered that she, too, had been out
all night, he gave the matter no more
thought than to use the favorable OF
portuniiy fer another ~caroussl.
SIS madame home yst2' he non.
chantly asked the porter as he return.
cd the seco.d morning.
"No, SIR" replied the porter. The
affair did not trouble him, but 1t be.
gan to appear strange.
The third day went by and the
fourth came, and no sign Of the Gen.
erals wife. Her husband became I'M
easy. He sent to her relatives In the
country. They had not seen her for
years. The young mans oi.quiet In
creased from hour to hour, The fifth
day he informed the police. Their
search was In vain. 1t wal found that
she had been to me that day, but they
could 90 no farther. Hundreds Of
patients daily went in and out of my
office, in at one door ard out at an
other, which opened directly on the
stairs.
My people could not remember
about her, the police could not think
of searching wy rooms, neither did 1t
occur to my servant to force open the
small room, since I frequently locked
1t whenI wanted to guard some val
able object or interesting study. So
the disappearance of the generals wife
remained an unsolved mystery.
One believes what one wishes. So,
when four more days passed, the hus.
band was convinced his wife world
never return. He said to himself,
with . certain painful satisfaction:
"rhe poor thing has killed heruelf.
From love for me, no doubt"
According to the marriage contract
the wife's wealth now Belonged to him.
A skillful lawyer at once arranged
everything. The young widower in.
augurated his monarchy by making
such alterations In the stately old
house as his somewhat loud taste die.
tated. His wife's boudoir was changed
to q smoking room. In place of the
dining room q museum of weapons ap.
peared. Tho small blue psrlor served
as a billiard room. TIE carriage in
which the generals wife used to ride
afternoons was sold and replaced by a
yellow English d~og.cart. She had
prided herself upon simple, uuosten.
t~stious livery; her widower dressed
his servants in red, northumberland
uniform
Oae evening my servant was called
to the door by a stout stranger suffer-
Ing from dropsy, who wanted me to
cure him. Just as he was about to say
that l had not been ia Paris over u
month, a messenger ran up the steps
and handed him a dispatch. My ser
want read, turned pale, and cried:
'Quiok, quick! Break open the
door Of the little rooml"
The dropsical man was so frightened
at the outcry that he fell In q swoon
Without troubling himself my ser.
want ran through the study put his
shoulder to the door of the inner
room, and burst 1t In.
On the sofa lay the generals wife
covered with o thick layer of dust.
Under the combined inf uenoe of tears,
rice powder and dust her face, never
pretty, had gained the look Of q carl
oature. She was an awful sight. My
servant was familiar with the mys.
teries of catalepsy, so he wasted no
time In blowing strongly In her face.
She was not dead, but, OF course,
much emaciated. At last she opened
her eyes and made q motion a. If she
would have dried her tears.
Dear DOCTOR" said she, in . weak
voice, ~ feel encouraged. I believe
l have wronged my husband. He has
really passed the night at the club. l
will hasten to embrace him"
She arose and went to the door.
My servant WAS 30 excited that no
word passed hi, lips. She passed
through the study. When the drop.
sicsl patient, who had just recovered
consciousness, caught sight tf her, he
cried In horror: "Is this the state in
which patients come out Of the pri.
vste room2" and fed as fast % he
could.
The house OF the lady was not far
from mine. She hurried home. At
the door she stopped In wonder. Was
she awake2 This could not possibly
be her plain house. Tne vestibule
was decorated with gay fresooes, a
confusion of glazing escutoheous and
bizarre fl >wers.
Speechless with amazement she went
upstairs, intending to pass through
the small blue parlor to her boudoir.
There was neither little blue parlor
nor 5oudoir. In one was a billiard
table; In the other q collection of
pipes.
The Generals wife sank into O chair
to collect her confused thoughts.
Suddenly she rose; abe could hear
voices near by. Laughter and singing
met her ear. She hurried to a por.
there quickly and resolutely lifted 1t.
Horrible! Her husband sat with some
ladies at a richly-spread table.
The servant, at a glimpse of the