The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-27
A DOCTORS STORY.

and but foi the kindness OF a fellow prac
titioner in taking my practice for ioft
night. | should not have had an oppor
tunity Of enjoying the sea breezes
The train on which | started was al
early one and. having procured my ticket
| took my place in the second class car
riagc and lit my cigar. for it was smok
ing carrisge On entering it ! was sur
prised-amd think naturally SOTO bnc
the farther end Of it occupied by iady
Ohio said |. inwardly, some fast
American demoiselle who desired to in
dulge in a cigarette.
On observation. however, II appeared 10
me that the features of my fellow traV
eler did not bear upon them that impres
sion Of cliteness which marks American
nationality She had soft brown eyes. &
full. round face and profusion OF ches'
nut hair She was dressed In PLAN
travelling suit bound with white braid
aud wore q straw hat
Maybe German, | soliloquised
they are terrible smokers
But again 1t occurred TO me that posi-
biz the Young lady might be neither
American nor German. but had got into
the carriage without noticing that II was
reserved for the use of smokers Under
this impression I bowed slightly TO her.
saying:
IL fear my cigar may annoy YOU Per
haps you are no; aware That TINS u
smoking compartment
oh YES. she answered with slight
German accent; yes, yes. yes, yes!
There was something peculiar in her
slow deliberate uttcrance and the four
times repeated monosyllable dreamy
look. too. in the speakers eyes, as II heI
mind was prcoccupied However. the
train was now in motion. and had moth
ing for il but to ensconce myself in my
corner look ont of the window and take
q birds eve view Of the surrounding
housetops
For short time this was well enough.
but | began at last to weary OF the
monotony Of such all amusement. we
Englishilen. as a rule. are so reserved ana
unsociable that we shrink into ourselves.
and every fresh addition TO the occupants
of railway carriage or an omnibus is re
ceived with blank looks and n sort of tacil
intimation that he has no right TO entel
Now. am free TO confess that. whatever
nv fSlings want Of sociability is not one
of them. and determined &c try to Ell
gage INV companion in a little ccnversa
ton There could be no improperly in
man of my age q was 80 endeavoring to
beguile the tedium OF lazy journey by
conyersing with a fellow traveler-a
school grl-and certainly not out of her
teens Ii was. therefore. with an almost
paternal feeling that ! addressed her
There are not many passengers by this
train. remarked
Two thousand and three. was the an
sver that not a little startled my equa
nimity
looked at the speaker, expecting to
find a mschievous smile dancing in heI
ewes or lurking in the corners Of hei
mouth Nothing Of the sort She was
perfectly serious. even stern. and her eyes
had still the same dreamy far-away look
IN them
Very absent minded. or else in love,
thought to myself However. tried
again
II think We shall have fine day foI
our journey. ventured to remark
She turned upon me with that fierce.
despairing. yet restless look that We see
in trapped rat.
How you talk. talk. talls'" she cried in
dignantly
But
Are you mad?" she screamed in tone
Of such intensified shrillness. and with
such On awful, hungry look in her eye
that the truth flashed upon me like an in
SEPARATION.
She was mad
Medical man as ! ain, IL feeling Of hor
FOR overcame me when reflected that !
was shut up alone in the carriage of q
train travelling al express speed with a
lunatic True, was a strong man. she
only girl But it is inconceivable what
extreme strength is possessed by many Of
the insane. / have known woman thus
afflicted require two, and even three, pow
erful men to restrain her during one Of
her paroxysms.
However. endeavored to keep as cool
as possible as | looked the young girl
steadily in the face She looked at me
for u moment or so without quailing
then she sank back in her corner. resumed
her apathetic posture and sat gazing out
Of the window with the far away look in
her eyes us if no such person as myself
was in existence.
Poor girl" thought. and began 10
wonder who or what she could be. and
low she came TO be travelling alone
Could she have escaped from ali asylumi
II SO. how came she to be possessed OF
sufficient funds to procure a railway
ticketH
had had some experience in mad
cases" and | knew that the most out
rageous ones are those where the patient
maintains an even sullenness of demeanor.
The girls case did not seem to me to be
one Of them. On the contrary. her sud
den change of mood when | angered her
seemed to indicate 1t to DO case Of tenn
porary alteration of mind. and conse
quently durable one.
looked at my watch In 3 quarter of
an hour we should be at BaSingstoke
WIS IN tho very act of returning my watch
60 my pocket when my companion. with
hooking laugh-the peculiar metallic
ring Of which 1t IL quite impossible to de
scribe--literally hurled herself upon me
with overwhelming force broke the watch
from its chain. and sent il spinning
through the window. In another second
she was endeavoring TO force herself also
through the window
Then commenced terrible struggle, of
which even yet shudder to think My
muscles We're strained TO their utmost