Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-11-04
HOW GLEN COMMITTED SUICIDE.

the arm one day when he rushed wild
eyed and thick spceched into my Office,
and seated him On the lounge.
"Doc." he said in a helpless tone-my
profession is that of a physician-''I
am crazy. 1 can't collect my thoughts
and the pain in my head drives me al
most mad"
II know it'' said. I've told you it
would be so many times. YOu have buzz
zing in the ears, and black specks float
ing before the eyes, and"
eyes! Yes! that's it. Nervous switches
of the muscles of the face and numbness
of the limbs and"
depression of mind and meIaDchoIia,"
/ went on.
"a disposition to suicide" he almost
shouted. II feel it almost necessary to
commit suicide. Doc, what1I do? How'll
l stop it? How'll I keep from blowing
out my brains?"
''NOnsense!' I said angrily. Don't
talk to me about brains. If you go on
the way you're going now you won't have
any brains to blow out in a few days.
You'll be in the lunatIc asylum as brain
less as a born idiot"
II know it! I know itr' and Glenn wrung
his his hands wildly and endeaVored to
spring from the lounge, but forced him
back into his seat"
"And so I am determined TO put an end
to my life at once. God bless you! Good
by! l can't endure this agony any
longer" and once more he made an effort
to rise.
"Sit stiI!' [ Numbered out, now al
most angry myself, ''or I will send for
policeman, and have you committed to
the charities and corrections, to be ex-
amined as a lunatic. Now, do you really
want to be cured of this attack of teezee-
weezees you've gOt?"
YES" he said, little more calmly,
finding he had a superior power to con-
tend with.
every we'll, then, give up all book work.
Lay aside pens, ink and paper, go into
the country, fish, walk into the woods,
feed the chickens, do anything, but don't
read of any thing but trash for two
months, and above ALL don't think of any
thing scientific until next winter with
out my permission"
but what's to become of my paper on
the Origin of the Megatherium?' I'm to
read it before the Fe Fl Fo Fun Society
on the 18th of next month, you know, and
it isn't half done yet"
"COnfOund your megatheriums!" [ ex-
claimed angrily. eff you want to barter
your life, or what you have left of your
senses, for megatherium, why take your
megatheriUms and do it, but don't come
bothering me about your symptoms. [
tell you that you must have a complete
mental and physical diversion or you'll
be a lunatic or a dead man in a month"
"And drop my book on The Puerility
OF Prehistoric POwer?'" said Glenn,
mOurnfully.
Drop every book, written and unwrit-
ten and write not a line but an occasion
al letter until tell you that you may"
The poor fellow buried his face in his
hands and sat the picture of despair, but
[ knew was right. Glenn had graduated
from college with high honors and gone
to the bar with high hopes, when sudden
ly his mind had, somehow become divert
ed to science, in which, unfortunately,
he could afford to indulge=from the fact
that he possessed q small but comfortable
income, left him by his grandmother, so
that law could be made only an ornament
al part of his life.
More than this, he was a remarkably
handsome fellow, and, outside of his
scientific studies, possessed more than Or
binary common sense. The fact was, he
had Oyerd0ne the matter, and he was
suffering, accordingly, from insomnia
and over brain work. Entire and COM
plete 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
summons of it ''come," it opened and two
ladies entered-One Miss Martha Meg
rims, an old maid of sixty-fiye, my pa
tient, with nothing at all the matter with
her but the want Of exercise and employ
ment, and who would not wait for me
IL I, Il
Her companion was her niece Lillian, and
"airy, fairy Lillian" she was. more
beautiful little creature I never saw, and
never expect to see again, and as good as
she was pretty.
Their coming just then embarrassed
me exceedingly. l could not dismiss
Miss Megrims, and l must bear with her
usual half hour of groans and grunts, for
which | was so well remunerated, and at
the same time, I did not dare to let Glenn
go, for | knew he was in dangerous con-
dition of mind, and | was afraid that he
might carry out his threat. Introducing
him and bringing him into our confer
ence was one of the questions, and there
was but one way for it, which was TO stuff
him into my back room, from whence
there was no escape but by skylight or
the door which led into the Office.
This L turned on him to do when l saw
that he had risen from the lounge, and
was standing, As one entranced, gazing
on Miss Lillian Brown with most I'M
mistakable look of admiration, which I
fancied was returned shyly by the young
lady.
"Clem, you'll oblige me if you'll step
into the next room for few minutes 1
said; I'll soon be disengaged."
Ill ,,,l,- H.
slowly across the office, bowling to the
two ladies as he went, but not shutting
the door after him on his disappearance,
so that he could hear all that might be
said. This was not much that could en-
tertain or instruct him, consisting only of
the old woman's usual recounting of the
maladies which she could not have pos