Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-06-04

had dropped from her hands. Her
fingers still trembled, and pretty
flush came a moment into her pale
face as she said:
Are you one of the physicians
hereT
Only by courtesy he replied.
Il have the run of the place; but
DR.. Atkinson is the physician. Old
DR.. Hare is the head doctor, but he
does very little
yes, know. 1t is lovely place,
it is not? Out here, l mean In
side and she shuddered, the
sounds are often dreadful. But
the doctor at home thought a
change of air would be good for
me, and so mamma sent me here
'Change of airp thought Fred.
'POOr little thing. quite nncOn-
scious of her infirmity.'
And he chatted away with her,
discussing the weather, the beauty
of the grounds, the songs of birds
in the trees around them, and so
gradually drifted to books, to CON-
parsons of opinion and criticism.
And all through delightful hour
Fred vainly tried to discover the
one point upon which the new pa
tient was insane.
Whatever it was, it evaded him,
and he looked vainly for any wan
dering or vacancy in the soft brown
eyes that met his wn,full of intelli-
gence.
They were still cOnversing when
one of the nurs es came down the
path leading to the summer-houSe.
Miss Bessie she said, 'Dr. At
kinson sent me to say you had bet
ter lie down now for an hour or two
and he has sent some medicine to
your room. Let me help you?
DR.. Read being physician,made
no attempt to detain the fair pa
tient, noding with sincere sympa.
thy how weak she was, and how
YEARLY she leaned upOu the nurses
strong arm.
He did not feel inclined to have
any testing about his interest, such
as his friend was wont to indulge
in when ladies were the subject,
so he said nothing of his expert
ence, and joined DR.. Atkinson in
his rounds without limiting at any
desire to see one especial patient
a desire not gratifed, for there were
only familiar faces in the wards.
But the summer-house was. soon
found to be Miss Bessie's resort. II
was in q secluded part of the
grounds, shaded by thick clump
of trees, and provided with a rustic
table and comfortable chairs. Here
the young girl made a cosy nest
for herself, and the place looked
home.like with her work basket,
her books, knitting, orsketch-book,
her cushions and fOotstoOl.
The doctor said l must be in the
open air as much as possible she
told Fred one day, 'and as no one
seems to care much for this sum-
mer-house, l have appropriated it.
Sometimes | have VISITORS and her
face saddened, 'tho poor patients
here you know, but they do not like
the quiet and soon leave me to my
SELF
She never classed herself with
her companions, Fred noticed, often
speaking pityingly Of those more
heavily afflicted. But this phase
of mental delusion was very com
mon.
But Fred had not, when July
closed, found out the delusion of
the sweet little girl he called Miss
Bessie She had gained perfect
health in two months of quiet and
open air; but while her eyes had
lost their weary expressions, they
never stared OF wandered, but we're
always steadily Tranquil, or lighted
only by the animation natural to
interesting conversation.
4
In these two months Fred had
scarcely seen DR.. Atkinson. His
superior in office, DR.. Hare, had
! gone away for summer vacation,
and a new wing was being added
to the building. With his entire
care of the house and the patients,
the direction of the workmen, the
work of selecting furniture, car
pets and other necessaries for the
new building, the resident physi-
clan had scarcely moment to call
his own, and Fred frequently did
not see him at all during his visit.
1t was in July that DR.. Read
suddenly woke to the appalling
conviction that he was deeply in
love with the inmate Of a lunatic
asylum.
He had deluded himself with the
tbonpbt that il was Dity. profess