The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1886-11-25
CLIENTS CURE.
ny PAUL DRAYTON

ter, my boy2 Sit down. Sit down and
quiet yourself and then tell me what's
the matterf"
That's the way talked to Clem--short
for Clemcnce-Alburtis as I took him
by the arm one day when he rushed
wild-eyed and thick specched, into
my Office, and seated him on the
lounge.
"Doc," he said in helpless tone
my profession is that of q physician
"i'm crazy. I can't collect my thoughts,
and the pain in my head drives me
mad"
"Iknow it." said. "I've told you it
would be so many times. You have a
buzzing in the ears, black specks floating
before the eyes, and"
"Yes! Yes! that's it. Nervous
twitches of the muscles Of the. face and
numbness of the limbs, and"
"Depression of mind and melancholia, !"
I went on.
"a disposition to suicide" he almost
shouted. II feel it almost necessary to
commit suicide. Doc, what'll do2
How'll I stop it? Eh! How'll I keep
| lIOIl
"Nonsense!' I said, angrily. "Don't
talk to me about brains. If you 60 on
the way you're going now, you won't
have any brains to blow out in few
days. You'll be in the lunatic asylum,
as brainlcss as born idiot"
81 know it! I know it," and Clem
wrung his hands wildly, and endeavored
to spring from the lounge, but I forced
him back into his scat.
"And so I am determined to put an
end TO my life at once. God bless you !.
Good by! I can't endure this agony any
longer" And once moro he made an
effort to rise.
"Sit STILL" I thundered out, now al
most angry myself, ''or III send for q
policeman and have you committed to
the Charities and Corrections, to be ex-
amined as q lunatic. Now, do you really
want to be cured of this attack of tee
zeeweezees you've gota" "
eyes" he said, little more calmly,
finding he had a superior power to con-
tend with. ....
every we'll, then, give up oil book
work. Lay aside pens, ink and paper,
20 into the country, fish, walk into the
woods, feed the chickens. do anything,
but don't read anything but trash for
two months, and, above all, don't think
of anything scientific until next winter
without my permission
But what's to become of my paper on
THE Origin of the Megathcriumf I'm
to read it before the Fe Fl Fo Fun So
ciety on the 18th OF next month, you
know, and it isn't half done yet"
"Confound your Megatheriumsw I ex-
claimed, angrily. "Ifyou want to barter
your life, or what you have left of your
senses, for q Megatherium, why take
your Megatheriums and do it, but don't
come bothcring me about your symp-
toms. tell you that you must have
complete mental and physical diversion,
or you'll be lunatic or dead man in a
month"
"And drop my book on The Puerility
of Prehistoric Power2'" said Glen,
mournfully.
"Drop every book, written and un-
written, and write not line but an oc-
cassional letter until I tell you that you
may"
The poor fellow buried his face in his
hands, and sat the picture of despair, but
l knew was right. Glenn had gradu-
ated from college with high honors, and
gone to the bar with high hopes, when
suddenly his mind had, somehow, be-
come diverted to science, in which, un-
fortunately, he could afford to indulge,
from the fact that he possessed small
but comfortable income, left him by his
grandmother, so that law could be made
only an ornamental part of his life.
More than this, he was remarkably
handsome fellow, and, outside of his
scientific studies, possessed more than
ordinary common sense. The fact was
he had overdone the matter, and he was
suffering accordingly, from insomnia and
over brain-work. Entire and complete
cessation from study was his only hope
Just as l had told him this there came a
gentle tap at my door, and to my sum-
mons OF it Come" it opened,
and two ladies cntered-one, Miss
Martha Megrims, an old maid of sixty
five, my patient, with nothing at all
the matter with her but the want of cx-
| eTClSc anu elnployWenC, anu "uo Woulu
not wait for me to call on her, but
hunted me down with her means and
troubles daily. Her companion was her
niece Lillian, and "airy, fairy Lillian" she
was. A moro beautiful little creature I
never saw, and never expect to see
again, aud as good as she was pretty.
Their coming just then embarrassed
me exceedingly. I could not dismiss
Miss Megrims, and 1 must bear with her
usual haf hour of groans and grunts, for
which I was so well remunerated, and at
the same time did not dare to let Glen
go, for knew he was in dangerous
condition of mind, and might carry out
his threat. Introducing him and bring.
ing him into our conference was out OF
the question, and there was but one way
for it, which was to stuff him into my
little back room, from whence there was
no escape but by skylight or the door
which led into the office.
This I turned Oh him to do when lsaw
that he had risen from the lounge, and
was standing as one entranced, gazing
on Miss Lillian Brown with a most un-
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