The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-04-04

"Stop if you please" l exclaimed.
Il never under any circumstances give
an opinion of a patient that have not
thoroughly personally examined. If
you wish me to break through this rule,
you may save yourself further trouble,
tor | shall not violate it now"
81 am prepared for that objection, :"
she answered with entire composure.
81 am Russian, and in my country
there are physicians-and wonderful
men they are, too-that are able to dis
Germ the nature of a malady from in
specting, not necessarily the whole
body, but portion of it. / do not
suppose that the American doctors are
their interiors, and | have been led to
suppose that you are still more skillful.
| cannot allow you at present to see
my charge, but you can now, if you
choose, inspect portion of her body.
| have it here in this package"
"Great Heaven 70 | thought. "What
horrible woman ~ l looked at the
small parcel that lay on the table. 1t
was large enough to contain an eye,
finger, the tongue or an ear. | was
shocked beyond measure, not only at
the cold -blooded revelations Of the wo-
man, but at the awful ignorance and
superstition that they implied. That
she had in some way mutilated the
poor woman under her control l had
no doubt. l turned my eyes toward
her, and now l noticed what l had not
seen before-the Tartar cast of her
features. She noticed my inspection.
Il am Cossack," she said, proudly,
"My father was a prince. You are
Mortified at what l have told you, but
your emotion is entirely misplaced.
See ~
As she spoke the last words she tore
open the package she had brought
with her, and disclosed to my aston
ished gaze long lock of golden red
hair. She drew it slowly between her
fingers, as though admiring it, but
seemed lost in some intense thought
that the contemplation suggested.
broke the silence.
"And you expect me to prescribe
for patient by simply looking at a
lock of her hair l am sorry to find
that you are so ignorant and credulous
as to believe that such thing can be
DONE"
Ignorant and credulous l may be-"
she answered with sharp tone of con-
tempt in her voice, "but l know that
there are physicians in my country who
could, by merely looking at these few
strands, discover all the phases Of my
darllng's disease, its causes, its seat,
and its cure. You are supposed to be
enlightened you have microscopes
and chemical tests, and God only
knows what else, and yet when l give
you a lock of hair that grew not a half
an inch from the spot where my poor
child suffers the most agonizlng pain,
you can tel me nothing"
GIVE me the hair" said," as an
idea flashed with the rapidity of a
stroke of lightning through my mind.
EYES," she exclaimed with eager
ness. "Take it, l am sure you can find
out something. You will save her from
death or, she added, from what is
worse, lunatic asylum
l took the long silken tress in my
hands. 1t was of exactly the same
color as the hair had SO much adj
mired two hours before on the head of
Miss Mary Plowman. 1t was fully
four feet in length. was sure of its
identity.
GLOW did you get this ?" l in
CURED.
81 cut it off, of course"
"Why can l not see the patient?"
Because her father and mother
have called in two other physicians
who are now with her, and they would
object to you seeing her. l made an
excuse for being absent, and, taking
carriage, came here to consult YOU"
"Then as she has medical attendance
l cannot interfere. May l ask the pa
tents name?'
"You may ask what you please, but,
as you refuse to help me, l shall have
nothing further to do with you. Give
me back the hair and let me CO."
She stretched out her hand and,
selling the lock, began to draw it
through my fingers. As the last part
of it escaped my grasp l felt that the
ends were rough.
"Stop!' exclaimed, 'Let me look
at this moment"
held it under the full glare of the
argand burner, and picking up hand
lens that lay on the table, looked
through it at the bunch Of ends.
"You did not cut this hair" l said,
severely, "for it has been torn out by
the roots, every single strand of it,
"Then you can tell something after
all from looking at lock of hair from
woman's head. Ha, ha | thought
you were wiser than you gave yourself
credit for being. You see, l knew you
better than you knew yourself. Shall
l tell you something else2 Yes, l will.
You recognize the hair. 1t came from
the head of the woman you love. l saw
it in your eyes. Well, she has just two
hundred and seventy-nine strands less
than when Won last saw her. I Dulled