Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-06-24
A DOCTORS STORY.
Hartford Times.

and bat for the kindness of fellow prac
titionsr, in taking my practice for fort
night, should not have had this oppor
tunity of enjoying the sea breeze.
The train by which started was al
early one, aud, having procured my ticket
1 took my place in second class carriage
and lit my cigar, for it was smoking car
riage. Ga entering it ] was surprised
and, l think, naturally go, to find The
farther corner of it occupied by lady.
''0how said I, inwardly, ''sOme fast
American demoiselle who desires to in
dulge in q cigarette"
Ga observation, however, it appeared "a
me that the features of my fellow traveller
did not bear upon them that impression Of
cuteness which marks American nation
ality.s She had soft, brown eyes, a full,
round face and a profusion Of chestnut
hair. she WAS dressed in plain travelling
suit, bound with white braid, and wore q
straw hat.
Maybe a Germap," 1 soliloquizsd;
'they are terrible smokers"
But again it occurred TO me that posi-
bly, the young lady might be neither
American nor German, but had got into
the carrisge without noticing that it was
one reserved for the use OF smoktrs. I'M
der this impression / bowed slightly TO
her, saying:
81 fear my cigar may annoy you. Per
hsps you are not aware that this is a
smoking compartments"
ooh, yes" she answered, with q slight
Germsn accent; ''yes, yes, yes, yes"
There was something peculiar in her
slow, deliberate utterance and the four
times repeated monosylable. A dreamy
look 10 the speakers eyes, As if her mind
was preOccupied. However, the train was
now IN motion, and had nothing fer it
but to escOnce mysel! i'll my corner. look
out of the Window and take birds eye
view of the surrounding house tops.
For shcrt time this was well enough
but / began at last to weary Of the monot-
ony Of sGCh al amusement. We English-
men, rs u rnle, are 40 reserved and unso-
eiable that We shrink into ourselves and
every fresh addition to the occupants Of a
railway carriage or an omnibus is received
with black looks and q sort Of taeit init
nation that he has no right 10 enter.
Now, | am free to confess that, whatever
my failiDgs, want of sociability is not one
of them; aud determined TO try to engage
my companion in a liGtie conversation,
There could be no improperly OF man OF
my age i was 3S) endeayoring to beguile
the tedium or lazy conversation with a
fellow traveller, school girl-and GER
tainly not out Of her teens. 1t was, there
fore, with an almost paternal feeling that
| addressed her.
There are not many passengers by this
train, =" remarked.
Two thousand and three" was the
answer, that not a little startled my
equanimity.
looked at the speaker, expecting TO find
a mischieyous smile dancing in her eyes,
or lurking at the corners of her mouth.
Nothing of the sort. She was perfectly
serious, even stern, and her eyes had still
the Eame dreamy far away look in them.
VERY absent minded, or else in love"
l thought to myself. However, tried
again.
IL think we shall have fine day for
our Journey" | ventured to remark.
How you talk, talk, talkp' she said,
Indignantly.
But"
Are You madm she screamed, in tone
of intensified shrillness, and with such an
awful, hungry look in her eyes that
the truth flashed upon me like an inspira-
ton.
She was mad!
Medical man ~ am, feeling OF horror
Overcame me when / reflected that l was
shat up alone in the carriage of train,
travelling at express speed, with lunatic.
True, | was a strong man, che only q girl,
but il il inconceivable what extreme
strength is possessed by many of the in
insane. | have known 3 woman thus al
flicted require two, aud even three, power
ful men 10 restrain her during one of her
paroxysTds.
However, / endeavored to keep "a cool
as possible as l looked the young girl
steadily in the face. She looked ut me for
moment or S. 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, ~ if no such person as myself was
in existence"
poor g;rlw l thought; and began to
wonder who or what she could be, and
how she came to be travelling alone. Could
she have escaped from an asylum? II so,
how came she to be possessed OF sufficient
funds 10 procure railway ticket?
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 he
one of them. On the contrary her sud-
den change of mood when / angered heI
seemed 10 indicate it to be a case Of tenn
porary alteration of mind, and Conse-
queutly durable one.
Hooked at my watch. In quarter of an
hour we should he at Basiugstoke. was
10 the very act of returning my watch to
my pocket when my companion, with q
hooking laugh-the peculiarly metallic
ring of which it is quite impossible to de
alphabetically hurled herself upon me
with overwhelming force, broke the watch
from its chain and sent it spinning through
the window. In another second she was
endesvoring to force herself also through
The window.
Then commenced terrible struggle, OF
which / even yet shudder to think. My
muscles were strained TO their utmost
limit of tension, the perspiration poured
down my face, and my arms felt as il
about to be wrenched from their sockets.
And oil this to restrain one of the sex
commonly called the weaker" from self
destruction.
All this time the poor girl uttered nc
sound that could give warning to the
guard or our fellow passengers of the ter
rible struggle for life or death that wss
going on within few yards of them. Az
for my own voice, the extraordinary
physical effort l was making to restrair
the would be suicide entirely prevented
NV making the slightest use of it. But
lust as my powers were failing me, and
felt that / could no longer prolong the
struggle, the train began perceptibly tG
slacken speed.
THANK heaven! Bssingstoke at last"
What followed Is easy to relate. d
course, assistance was at hand, and the
unfortunate Young lady was removed to s
place of safety. From letters which w
i ao,,a orktolao If iaHrairv