The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-06-23

erals wife. who is asleep. Do you hear,
captain? She is asleep"
In the devils name, what do you |
mean?" cried the captain, impatiently. /
III you left her asleep she must have
wakened by this time" He turned his
back, laughing hoarsely, and ordered |
two sailors not to lose sight of me.
need not say what q terrible day / |
passed. Sleeping or waking, always saw |
the dreadful picture of the poor woman,
sunk in sleep. lying on the sofa from |
which she could never rise.
In what state found myself on the
| thirty-sixth Gay it would not be easy for
you to imagine. At last Rio de Janeiro
was in sight. threw myself into boat.
| sprang ashore, and ran to the telegraph
Office. Break open door of small room:
wake mp generals wife," When
| the dissipated husband of the generals
wife discovered that she, too. had bcen
ont all night. he gave the matter no more
| thought than to use the favorable oppor-
tunity for another carousal.
SIS madame home YETI" he noncha-
lantly asked the porter, as he returned
the second morning.
mo, sir" replied the porter. The
affair did not trouble him, but it began
to appear strange.
The third day went by and the fourth
came and no sign of the generals wife.
Her husband became uneasy. He sent
to her relatives in the country. They
had not seen her for years. The young
mans disquietude increased from hour
to hour. The fifth day he informed the
police. Their search was vain. It was
found that she had been to me that day,
but they could go no further. Hundreds
of patients daily went in and out of my
Office. in at one door and out another,
which opened directly on the stairs.
My people could not remember about
her, the police could not think of search
i ing my rooms, neither did it occur to
my servant to force open the small room
since I frequently locked it when I
J wanted to guard some valuable object of
J interesting study. So the disappearance
of the generals wife remained an un-
solvable riddle.
One believes what one wishes. So,
when four days were passed. the husband
was convinced his wife would never re-
! turn. He said to himself. with certain
painful satisfaction: THE poor thing
} has killed herself. From love of me, no
doubt"
r According to the marriage contract the
J wife's wealth now belonged to him. A
skillful lawyer at once arranged every.
thing. The young widower inaugurated
his monarchy by making such altera-
: tions in the stately old house as his some
. what loud taste dictated. His wife s
. boudoir was changed to smoking room.
] In place of the dining-room a museum of
l weapons appeared. The small blue par
t lor served as billiard room. The carriage
0 in which the generals wife used to ride
! afternoons was sold and replaced by a
q yellow English dog cart. She had
prided herself upon simple, unostenta
t tious livery; her widower dressed his
. servants in red. gold embroidered uni
= form.
$ One evening my servant was called to
t the door by stout stranger suffering
r from dropsy who wante me to cure him
7 Just as he was about to say had moi
8 been in Paris over q month, messenger
ran up the steps and handed him q
o dispatch. My servant read, turned pale
0 and cried:
r "Quick, quick Break open the door
r Of the little roomT
d The dropsieal man was SO frightened
at the outcry that he fell inso swoon
II Without troubling himself my servan
}, ran to the study, put his shoulder to the
1 door of the inner room and burst i
n in.
II On the sofa lay the generals wife GOV
, cred with thick layer of dust. Under
:. the combined influence of tears, rice
q powder and dust, her face, never pretty
:, had gained the look of caricature. Sh,
Q was an awful sight. Ny servant was ia
4. sliar @uif fh hho nuoko~ioc Of oko1a
so he wasted no time in blowing strong
d ly in her face. She was not dead, but, o
course, much emaciated. At last .sht
II opened her eyes and made motion as il
g she would have dried her tears.
b "Dear DOCTOR" said she, in veal
d voice, 81 feel little encouraged. I be
o lieve have wronged my husband. HI
q has really spent the night at the club.
% will hasten to embrace him."
q She arose and went to the door. My
'r servant was so excited that no wore
|. passed his lips. She passed through ths
study. When the dropsical patient, ,whe
o had just recovered consciousness. caugh
d sight OF her he cried in horror: SIS this
Vt the state in which patients come out ot
Y the private room?" and fed as fast as he
!. could.
d The house of the lady was not far from
. mine. She hurried home. At the door
( che stopped in wonder. Was she awake;
n This could not possibly be her plain
= house. The yestibule was decorated with
il gay frescoes, q confusion Of glaring es-
y cutchons and bizarre flowers.
q Speechless in amazement, she went ur
9 stairs, intending to pass through the
g small blue parlor to her boudoir.
!. There was neither little blue parlor
? nor boudoir. In one was billiard table
4 in the other collection of pipes.
t The generals wife sank into chair to
collect her confused thoughts.
8 Suddenly she rose; she could heal
K voices near by. Laughter and singing
8 met her ear. She hurried to q portiere
t quickly and resolutely lifted it. Horri-
. blei Her husband sat with some ladies
!. at richly-spread table.
o The servant, at glimpse of the gener
9 ais wife. who seemed to have risen from
!. her grave, let plate and dish fall The
}. women led with frightful shrieks; while
e the supposed widower, who had drunk a
y little more than was necessary, dune
himself on his knees, and deathly pale
Z, stammered:
"It is her spirit. Forgive me-
l. "Leave the house" cried the generals
wife, "Lackeys, know your mistress
n and chase this unworthy wretch from
the house."