Mohave County miner., 1888-08-18
A DOCTORS STORY.


tient, q resident of Portsmouth Il In not
often that medical man gets holiday
and but foi the kindness of fellcw prac
titioner In taking my practics for fort
night, should not have bad an oppor
tunity OF enjoying the sen breezes
Tho train en- which | started was an
early one. and having procured my ticket
took my place La the second class car
riage and lit MY cigar. for 1t was smok
ing carriage On entering II J Was sur
prised--And think naturally soto 6nA
the farther end Of It occupied by lady
"Ohcr said |. inwardly, some fast
American deuioiselle who desired 10 In
dulge In cigrlrette.
On observation, however. It appeared TO
me that the features OF my fellow trsv
eler did not bear upon them that lmpres
sion OF cuteDess which marks American
nationality She had soft brown eyes
full. round face. and profusion OF chest
nut hair She was dressed In q plain
travelling suit. bound With white braid
and wore straw hat
Maybe German soilloQuised
'they arc terrible smokers"
But again II occurred 10 me that possi
bly, 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 J bowed slightly TO her
SAYING
Il fear my cigar may annoy youi Per
baps you are not aware that this IL q
smoking compartment
oh. yes. she answered. with q slight
German accent: yes. yes yes. yesf"
There was something peculiar In be-,
slow deliberate utterance and the foni
times repeated inonosy.lable dream,
look, too. In the speakers eyes as n BET
mind was preoccupied However ,Ia
train was now In motion. and had moth
Ing for II but 70 ensconce myself Ia ny
corner, look out Of the window and take
birds ey0 view Of the surrounding
housetops
: For short time this was well enough
but began ut last to weary OF The
monotony Ct such an amusement We
Englishmen. a. . rule. are 70 reserved and
unsociable that we shrink into ourselves
and every fresh addition 70 the occupants
Of railway carriage or an omnibus b 70
ceived with blank looks and sort OF taci'
intimation that he has no right 10 enter
Now, am Tree 10 conSess that. whstevel
my faillngs want OF sociability Ia not one
Of them. and determined TO try TO en-
gage my companion In q little converse
tion. There could be no improperly IN a
man Of my age Il was 88) endee voring to
beguiIe the tedium Of lazy journey by
ccnversing With q fellow traveler--a
school gtrl--and certainly not out Of her
.eens II was. therefor, With an almost
paternaI feeling that addressed her
There are not many passenger by this
train. remarked
Two thousand and three, was the an
swer that not little startled my squa
nimity
looked at the speaker, expecting TO
find mischievous smile dancing In her
eyes or lurking In the corners of her
mouth. Nothing OF the sort She was
perfectly sGrious. even stern, and her eyes
had stu the same dreamy far-avsy look
In them.
Very al,sent minded. OF else In love,
I thought TO myself However. tried
again
II think we shall have fne day for
,rir journey" ] ventured IN remark
She turned upon me with that fierce,
iespairing, yet restless look that ws SEQ
In trapped rat.
How ye,u talk. talk. talkr" she cried In
iignantly
"But"--
Are yon madr she screamed In o tone
Of such Intensified shrilIness, and with
such an awful, hungry look In her eye
that the truth flashed upon me like an In
spiration-
She was madi
Medical man a. am, feeling Of hor
rof overcame me when reflected that
was shut up alone In the carriage of q
train travelling at express speed with o
lunatic True, was strong man; she
only girl But 1t Ii inconceivable what
extreme strength is possessed by many OF
the insane have known . woman thus
afflicted require two. and even three, pow
erfui men 10 restrain her during one OF
her paroxysms
However. endeavored to keep a. cpol
as possible as looked the young girl
steadily In the face She looked at me
for a moment or SO without quailing;
then she sank back In her corner. resumed
her apattetic posture and sat gazing out
Of the window with the far away look In
her eyes. a. II no such person as myself
was In existence .-...
Poor grill" thought. and began TO
wonder who or what she could be, and
bow she came to DO travelling alone
Could she have escaped from an asylumf
u so, how came she to be possessed OF
sufficient funds 10 procure a railway
ticketf
had had some experience In mad
cases. and ] knew that the most out
rageous ones ere those where the patient
maintains an even sullenness OF demeanor
The girls case did not seem to ne 10 be
one Of them On the contrary her sud
den change Of mood when ! angered her
seemed to indicate 1t TO he case OF TEN
porary alteration Of mind, and conse
quently durable one.
looked at my watch In o quarter of
an hour we should be at Basingstoke
was In the very act of returning my watch
TO my pocket. when my companion. with
q mocking iaugh-the peculiar metallic
ring Of which II Is quite Impossible 10 do
scribs--literally hurled herself upon me
with overwhelming force, broke the watch
from Its chain, and sent II 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 shndder TO think My
muscles were strained to their utmost
limit OF tension, the perspiration poured
down iny face, and my arms felt as II
about to be wrenched from their sockets
And oil this TO restrain one OF the sex com,
monty called the weaker" from self do.
struction.
All this time the poor girl uttered no
sound that could give warning to the |
guard Or our fellow passengers Of the ter
rible struggle for life or death that was |
going on within few yards Of them. AS |
for my own voice. the extraordinary |