The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-06-10
go out in this weather. 1 shall speak to

: Priscilla, after sending Sam over. and re
J, turning only to be sharply ordered abOu
e her business. went home. Mr.. ThorburI
4 was later than usual that night a strike
r was threatened among the brick-makers
5 and they had said they would treat with
t him and with no one else. Next morning
he was off bright and early, Priscilla making
no mention of her aching joints. Before
, night the doctors promised touch of rheu.
matlsm had set in. Priscilla made light OF
: it, but agreed to send for DR.. Forman and
having two good servants, insisted that
Thorburn should attend to the business of
ayerting the strike. Instead of coming
himself, young Dr. Curtis, DR.. Forman's
assistant came. DR.. Forman had a very Ill
patient. Mrs. Thorburn inquired eagerly
about the woman who had dropped in the
street. DR.. Curtis had heard Dr. Fornan
say something about it, but supposed it
was all right. as he had heard nothing
further on the subject Mrs ThOrburn
would be all right too if she would stay in
the house in bad weather, and take care of
herself
The incident made no very particular
impression on Priscilla. But on the night
after it had happened, DR.. Sunbury got a
| very pressing message from DR.. FOrman.
He went at once to the doctors house,
picking his way through the dark NOvem-
| Der night; and Dr. Forman opened the
door himself, and led the way into his little
back Office, where ne told his visitor of the
| patient lc udu lOuIu III Iue SITcOl, anu WHO
at that moment lay upstairs i'll the doctors
spare bedroom, with the doctors house
| keeper in attendance on her.
''Aud-she-iS-" DR.. Forman hesitated.
| ''She is-the first wife of Mr. Thorburn."
DR.. Sunbury rose from mis- chair and sat
down again. He raised his hand as if in
denunciation. May God"
Wait. He is as guiltless as you are" ."
| Dr. tUrnan paused minute or two, and
then took up the thread of his discourse
| where he had left off describing his sending
| Priscilla Thorburn home. Il brought her.
with my mans help, into the house and
4 had her put in bed. 1t was plainly nothing
| but faint; but she went from one fainting
| spell into another, and when had finally
| brought her round, the fainting spell
| changed into convulsions. For hours L
| worked with her At last [ stopped them,
and got her under the influence OF an OPT
ate. | was tired myself, and went TO bed
| to get few hours sleep, leaving word for
| Curtis to be called. In the middle of the
night was walked by Jane standing by my
| bedside, looking frightened out of her wits
Do. pray. Dr. Forman, come TO the strange
lady When | got to the room she was
lying in the bed, weak, but perfectly con-
Scious She intimated to me that she
wished to say something to me privately.
OF course tried to induce her to put 1t off,
bat she was determined. SO | sent Jane
out of the room. Then she said: Doc
tor, | am the first wife of Edmund
Thorburn.' l was incredulouS, and
thought her crazy, the more so that the
next thing she told me was that sne had
been for the last six years in lunatic asy
lum. Bu: when she told me her story | saw
that she was at that moment as sane as L
was 1t is an interesting case" said the |
doctor. suddenly falling into his profess |
siOnal tone. NO family taint-viOlent fe- |
yer, followed by more violent insanity, and |
likely TO result in cure" Aftera moment |
ba DtiOmn1 s.Sha of pOyIrSp rpmpnl prpH ]
nothing of her first attack. She called it |
insanity; nothing insane in her way OF |
speaking of it, using just the same terms |
you or | would, without evasion, and sup |
poses now that from certain faint recoliec- |
tiOnS her cure had begun about the time OF |
the asylum fire. She remembers something |
of the scene, and the next thing finding |
herself Shivering andhalf clad i'll a railway |
train. She remembered nothing more until |
she became inmate of the Central Lu-
matte Asylum. There were no means OF |
identifying her for long time. She had |
been supplied with clothes by charitable
people on the train. No inquiries were made |
about her, which she could not understand
until told her of her supposed death. She
was called Mrs. March, because Is was in |
the month of March that she was brought |
to the asylum. Her recovery was gradual,
but it is a common experience with such |
persons that their own names and individ-
uality is the last for the restored mind to
grasp. About six months ago she became
perfectly herself. She felt an entirely sane
and rational doubt of herself, until time
bad tested it; but about a month ago she
gave such information of herself as led to
letter being written to BrightwOod,
where ThOrburn had church at the time
of her illness. Thorburn was not there,
but an answer was received saying that he
was at East Harrowby. They wrote again.
That letter could never have been deliv-
cred, and. after waiting four weeks for an
answer, Mrs. Thorburn persuaded the su-
perintendent to allow her to come here
with an attendant to find her friends. The
attendant found some acquaintance and
began to gossip with them. Mrs. Thorburn
tells me that she felt shame and horror at
returning to her husbands house accom-
panied by keeper; so she slipped off and
met Priscilla. You know the rest"
DR.. Sunbury sat looking like man par
alyZed. ''Well.''
''You must send Thorburn here to night"
DR.. Sunbury rose and walked restlessly
about the little office.
Tonight" repeated DR.. Forman; 'for |
don't think she'll last beyond tomorrow"
"Why, what's the matter with herr
asked DR.. Sunbury, pausing IN his troubl ed
walk.
Nothing but DEATH answered DR.. For
man. skill can do nothing for that
woman, She ought to have rallied from
the fainting spells; instead, she went off
lied from the convulsions; instead, she is
sinking as fast as any mortal ever saw.
Poor thing; so pretty, so gentle"'
1t was arranged that Mr. Thorburn was
to be sent for: and to DR.. Sunbury was
left the dreadful task of telling him the
truth.
An hour after that, DR.. Sunbury, think
ing miserably of poor Priscilla and the
unhappy creature upstairs heard the
wheels of DR.. Forman's buggy grinding on
the gravel outside, and Mr.. Thorburn's
quick soldierly step as he entered the house.
DIR. Sunbury met him with sinking heart,
and cold tremor that shook him like an
aspen.
Il came at once, as you see, my friend,n
began ThOrburn, cheerily. And then look
ing closer at DR.. Sunbury's white face, said
why. what is the matter!'
DR.. Sunbury, without a word, led him
back into the little Office, and carefully
closed the door 'Thorburn," he said, 4
believe you to be man and a Christian.
Call up, therefore, all your manhood, and
all your dependence on God, to bear what
l have to tell YOU"
Mr.. Thorburn's dark skin grew a shade
darker at these words. but he made no
reply, only looking DR.. Sunbury full in the
eye.
Priscilla told you, perhaps-of woman
the eroad-Tuesday afternoon"
DR.. Sunbury got his words out in gasps.
Eyes, yes.n
''She is now in this house Thorburn, she
is-the wife you supposed dead"
Mr.. Thorburn took in as quickly what had
been told him as his dying wife had done.
He rose from his chair; the strong man
reeled and fell, with a deep groan, and his
arms outstretcbed over the doctors study
table. DR.. Sunbury made no offer of con >
ISOLATION. He covered his face with his
hands and wept.
After a pause, Thorburn said: 1--WE
must do what is right! Ny poor Priscillar'' (
Will you not sec" said Dr. Sunbury I
after short silence, pointing overhead {