Omaha daily bee., 1883-04-14
AMYSTE 1IOUS DISAPPEARANCE,

patients number the wife CT q deccsssd
army officer. The generals wife was
a case of nervous debility. She had,
so to speak, q genius for nervousness;
her body, like her soul, vibrated at q
touch, like a delicate stringed iustru.
ment under q skilled masters hand.
She was an excellent wife, and she
adored q second husband, whom she
married o after the death of the
general, whose title the world con.
tinued to give her.
She worshlpped the last husband,
but, unfortunately, the unworthy
scamp-much younger than his wife
I'm no way deserved the self-sacrifc
ing tenderness and the loving sollci.
tude with which she treated him
When ever and wherever an induce.
ment offered lie stole away from an
elegant home, and spent the night as
well as his wite's money In dissipa-
ton.
The wife's sorrow and despair we're
boundless, all the more rs the frivol.
Gus youth, who had every reason to
avoid an open rupture, knew how to
preserve appearances with an mex.
haustible store of lndisputable eva.
sions and excuses. He lied and
cheated with the thorough adroitness
and untiring attention of q man to
whom fraud and article yielded q
yearly Income of many thousands.
Thus she was absolutely unable to get
any proof of his infideli.y. Never.
thelsss, her unerring instinct told her
that her husband deceived her and was
unfaithiul, a thought which suficed to
entirely unsettle her highly nervous
organic .tion.
Moreover, she put his different
statements together, and discovered
little contradictions - deficiencies.
Then the poor woman shed bitter
tears and sobbsd In heart. breaking
fashion, and be,ome 30 miserable that
she was not ashamed, under the cir.
oumstanoes, to consult me, her family
physician and trusted adviser. At first
I strove to calm her In the usual way,
by lying.
Bat, alas! I soon saw these inno-
cent expedients were not sufi Client.
So the generals wife often sat for
hours In my study, crying and wiring
Ing her hands with inoessant grief.
One day she sat on the sofa, her head
buried In her hands, grosning and
moaning In agony of soul. Without
design, beyond trying to soothe her,
I smoothed her forehead several times
with my hand, and saw, to my great
surprise, the sobbing woman become
quiet, involuntsrily let her hands fall
to her side, draw regular breath and
soon fall into a deep sleep.
My astonishment merged In Joy,
for the poor with her grief
had become a little troublesome.
Therefore, 1 ordered my servant to
roll the sofa on which she slumbered
into the next room. After a while l
awakened her by blowing In her face,
and told her abe had slept.
"Ah," che answered; shat has done
o world of good. l feel, indeed, that
you are right, doctor. Probably l
have been q fool to suspect my good
husband" She gratefully pressed
my hand, and departed, hopefully
smiling.
About q month afterward the coupe
OF the generals wife stopped again be.
fore my door, and my poor wife sat
with weeping eyes In my study. Re.
moved groans, renewed tears. I told
her to 60 to the little room. l made
the same passes lightly over her brow
as on the former occasion, and she
slept again In a moment. Again she
swoke In q calmer state, and hastened
to her husband. She repeated the
call quite frequently.
One day the generals wife came to
me unusually agitated, and confessed
with tears that her husband had not
come home the previous night. My
Office hours were nearly over; my
waiting room was thronged. I gently
led her into the little room, put her to
sleep Is usual, locked the door and
went back to my studies. My servant
brought an urgent dispatch. A Bra.
lillian prince was dangerously i'll; q
difficult surgical operation must be
performed, and they honored me with
. r request that I should perform 1t.
The steamship would leave Bordeaux
the next morning. To catch the night
train I must start at once. I excused
myself to my patients. quickly
packed all the necessary instruments
aud books, bought q ticket, and soon
left Paris far behind.
Toe train was late; the steamer was
waiting for rs. l wa scarcely on deck
before the signal for departure was
sounded and we were moving. Invent
at onre to my cabin, unpacked my
scientific works and lost myself In
reading. ] thought of the great honor
fallen to my share, and slternated be.
tween hope and fear as to the success
of the operation. Wesrled with the
days excitement 1 went to sleep and
did not wake till morning. went on
deck. The captain approached me.
1--WE seem to have come a good way
Captain2"
-Four hundred miles," was his an.
swer.
sand where do you intend to STOP
on the way2"
nowhere. We go directly to Rio
de Janeiro. A thirty six days voyage
lies before u.s." A steamer went much
slower in those days than now.
"Tairty-six dsys!" l cried mechanl.
cally. "No trife that, Captain; o
long time-a very, very long time In
daad ~