The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-07-10

ing time to the air with the dagger, Of
which he never relinquished his hold.
"very we'll" she responded cheerily.
"Stand by the mantel-piece and give US
plenty of room. Now, then, my baby
boy; one, two, and off we 60"
My life has shown me instances of
self-devotion in plenty; / have seen
proofs of ready wit, and more of in
domitablc pluck; but have never seen
them so marvelously combined as on
that terrible June night. Instinct
taught me what she meant to do. She
had persuaded her husband to stand at
the end of the room farthest from the
curtain that hid her one means of es-
cape, and now she intended to hazard
her only chance, dash through it, lock
the door on the other side, and then 90
for help. Backwards and forwards.
round and round, she circled, weird
enough figure in her white draperies
The little white feet were bare, and it
taxed her utmost strength to hold the
heavy boy in her arms; but with sub-
lime hcroism OF which | should never
have believed her capable, she never
once paused for breath. A miracle
alone kept the child asleep; but when I
saw the poor mothers lips move dumb
ly between the snatches of the gay valsc
she was humming, felt that she was
praying God he might not wakcn.
Nearer and nearer the curtain she
came but, to my horror, ! perceived
that Crawford was growing uneasy and
advancing slowly in the rear.
"Mrs Crawford! Quick"
There was not moment to be lost.
tore the curtain aside. and she rushed
toward me; but ere 1 could fasten the
heavy door her husband was upon us.
With a yell of baflled rage, he was. tear
ing after her through the opened door
way, and in another moment would
have reached her with uplfted knife,
when | tripped him up, and he fell head
long to the floor. He was stunned by
his fall; and while l fastened his hands
and feet by means of the window-cord,
/ his wife went back to the inner room
and rang loudly for assistance.
Ere he came to himself Arthur Craw-
: ford was safely secured in my own
room. Leaving him there under charge
of the men-servants, went back to see
Mrs. Crawford. She was lying on the
bedroom floor with her nervous fingers
|
sat her little son, warm and rosy from
his broken sleep. He was kissing the
paling lips as 1 came hastily into the
room, and now held up warming finger
, as l knelt beside them.
"Poor mamma is fast asleep" he
whispered. "And she is so cold!'
frightful mental strain through which
| ell. Co.
and for some days we despaired of her
| life; but she came through it bravely;
, and ere the summer waned, had the
, satisfaction of installing both mother
| and son in seaside cottage. far enough
away from her Berkshire home.
, Crawford, poor fellow, only lived a
, few months, for dangerous fall in the
r asylum grounds put mercful termina-
| ton to his confinement. During those
few months, visited him occasionally,
{ and he always spoke most tenderly of
5 his wife, whom he imagined to be dead.
, When he died, went to break the
news to his young widow; and while
staying in her pretty Devonshire cot
4 tage, solved much that had puzzled
me. Her terror at my first introduction
: to her had been occasioned by the fact
that she had n: once recognized me as
/ Lennox the mad doctor. l had been
o pointed out to her in the park the sea-
n son before. She dreaded Arthur's in
v cipient madness being known to any
v one; for she had a blind terror of luna
/ tic asylum in connection with her idol
4 lied husband, and hoped that quiet
r country life, free from trouble and con-
p tradiction. might in time restore
4 him. But had he never broken out be-
r fore? / askGd, for it seemed to me in
Z, comprehensive that so slight frame
t should be capable of such courage.
Once, she said, only once, and then he
n had been bent on killing himself In
/, struggling with him for the possession
Y of the knife, he had accidentally cut her
9 wrist, and so occasioned the ugly scar
i that disfgured it. As for Bertie's pres
t ence on that fatal night, she told me he
S had always been accustomed to sleep in
Q their room; and as l had refused to
( second her theory that the child wanted
@ change of air, and so aid in sending
: him out of the house, she could devise
no other means of getting rid of him.
n And then took my leave; and have
a never seen Mrs. Crawford from that
= day to this; but still. in spite of GER.
a tain pair of sweet brown eyes which
. make the sunshine of my home, l an
forced to admit that there is no woman
Y on earth for which l have sucl. ,
!, boundless admiration as for that un
e fortunate lady of whom | at one time
S thought as my First Patient. Cham
Ger's Journal.