Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-06-08
A MYSTERY.

I an physician. and among my pa
iieLts number the wife of a deceased
army officer. The generals wife WIS
a case of nervous debility. She had,
SO to speak, a genius for nervousness;
her body, like her soul. vibrated at a
touch, like delicate stringed instru
ment under skilful masters hand.
She was an excellent wife, and she
adored a second husband, whom she
married soon after the death Of the
general, whose title the world CON
tinued to give her.
She worshipped the last husband,
but, unfortunately. the unworthy
scamp much younger than his wife
in no way deserved the selfsacrific
ing tenderness and the loving solici-
tudc with which she treated him.
Whenever and wherever an induce
ment offered he stole away from an
elegant home, and spent the night as
well as his wife's money in dissipa-
ton.
The wife's sorrow and despair were
boundless, all the more as the frlvo-
lous youth, who had every reason to
avoid an open rupture, knew how to
preserve appearances with an mex
haustible store of indisputable eva
sions and excuses He lied and
cheated with the thorough and untir
ing attention of man to whom fraud
and artifce yielded a yearly income
of many thousands. Thus she was
absolutely unable to get any proof Of
his infdelity. Nevertheless, her un-
erring instinct told her that her hus-
band deceived her and was unfaith-
fal, a thought which sufficed to entire.
ly unsettle her highly nervous organ
izatiOn.
Moreover, she put his different
statements together, and discovered
little contradictions deficiencies
Then the poor woman shed bitter
tears aud sobbed in heart breaking
fashion, and became so miserable that
she was not ashamed, under the cir
cumstances, to consult me, her family
physician and trusted adviser. At
first I strove to calm her in the usual
way, by lying.
But, alas! I soon saw these inno-
cent expedients were not sufficient.
So the generals wife often sat for
hours in my study, crying and wiring
ing her hands with incessant grief.
One day she sat on the sofa, her head
buried in her hands, gIoaning 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, involuntarily let her
hands fall to her side, draw regular
breaths and soon fall into deep
sleep.
My asst, nishment merged into joy,
for the poor woman 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 while /
awakened her by blowing in her face,
and told her she had slept.
"Ah," she answered, shat has done
aworld of good. / feel, indeed, that
you are right, doctor. Probably !
have been fool to suspect my good
husband She gratefully pressed
my hand ard departed, hopefully
smiling
About a month afterward the coupe
Of the generals wife stopped again
before my door, and the poor wife sal
with weeping eyes in my study. Re
newed groans, renewed tears. l told
her to go to the little room. made
the same passes lightly over her brow
as on the former occasion, and she
slept again in moment. Again she
awoke in a calmer state, and hasteneo
to her husband. She repeated the
call quite frequently.
One day the generals wife came tt
me unusually agitated, and confessef
with tears that her husband had moi
come home the previous night. My
Office hours We're nearly over; my
waiting room was thronged | gently
led her into the little room, put her tt
sleep as usual, locked the door an(
went back to my studies. My servant
brought an urgent dispatch. A Bra
lillian prince was dangerously i'll; /
difficult surgical operation must be
performed, and they honored me viii
a request that ] should perform it
The steamship would leave Bordeau,
next morning. To catch the night