San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-07-21
A DOCTORS STORY.

On ine summer day in the year 1877
| was proceeding by the Southwestern
railway to visit a friend and former pa
tient, a resident of Portsmouth. 1t Is not
often that a medical man gets holiday.
and but for the kindness Of q fellow prac
titioner in taking my practice for fort
night. | should not have had an oppor
tunity of enjoying the sea breezes
The train on which | started was an
early one and, having procured my ticket,
| took my place in the second class car
riage and lit my cigar. for 1t was smok
ing carriage. On entering it ! was sur.
prised-and think naturally SOTO find
the farther end of it occupied by lady
"Ohol" said |, inwardly. some fast
American demoiseLe who desired to in
dulge In cigarette.
On observation. however. 1t appeared to
me that the features Of my fellow trav
eler did not bear upon them that impress
sion of cuteness which marks American
nationality She had soft brown eyes. q
full. round face. and q profusion of chest
nut hair She was dressed in a plain
travelling suit. bound with white braid,
and wore q straw hat.
Maybe q German" | soliloquised
they are terrible smokers
But again 1t occurred to me that posi-
bly, the young lady might be neither
American nor German. but had got into
the carriage without noticing that 1t was
reserved for the use of smokers Under
this impression | bowed slightly to her
saying:
81 fear my cigar may annoy youl Per
haps you are not aware that this is q
smoking COMPARTMENT
"Oh, yes. she answered. with a slight
German accent; yes, yes, yes. yesl"
There was something peculiar in her
slow. deliberate utterance and the four
times repeated monosyllable dreamy
look, too, In the speakers eyes. as II her
mind was preoccupied However, the
train was now In motion. and had moth
ing for 1t but to ensconce myself in my
corner, look out of the window and take
a birds eye view of the surrounding
housetops
For a short time this was well enough.
but | began at last to weary of the
monotony Of such an amusement, We
Englishmen, as a rule, are so reserved and
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 q sort of tacit
intimation that he has no right to enter
Now, | am free to confess that, whatever
my failings, want of sociability Is not one
Of them, and determined to try to en-
gage my companion In q little converse
ton There could be no improperly In a
man Of my age q was 3S) endee voring to
beguile the tedium of a lazy journey by
conversing with a fellow traveller
school girl-and certainly not out of her
teens 1t 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
swer that not little startled my equa
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 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.
Il think we shall have fine day for
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. tslkl" she cried in
dignantly
But
Are you mad9" she screamed In q tone
Of such intensified shrillness, 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 IS am, feeling Of hor-
ror overcame me when reflected that
was shut up alone in the carriage of a
train travelling 1t express speed with g
lunatic. True, was Q strong man: she
only girl But It Is inconcefvable what
extreme strength Is possessed by many of
the insane have known Q woman thus
afflicted require two, and even three, pow
erful men to restrain her during one Of
her paroxysmsE FHH
However. ! endeavorsd to keep as cool
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