Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-10-10

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that hospital. and it was thought 1 could
not recover: it was beyond human skill to
save me, it was thought, but I was still
alive, and it was hoped that now I was
likely to live, with a little extra care and
special nursing.
'You have Sir Edward Traford to
thank for your hfe,n said the nurse.
''Sir Edward Traffords'
mo one else could have succeeded with
the operation"
1t was complicated case OF trepanning
it was intimated to me by degrees, a case
that had not been successful before, one
that Sir Edward had carried out on a new
principle which was to still further en-
nance his fame in the world. The nurse
saw sudden change in me at the men.
ton of his name and called out for assist
ance. / remembered nothing more that
day.
Ny return to consciousness, to the state
Of a reflective being, was marked by what
they thought was a stern reserve, an odd
manner altogether. I might be going mad
it was one of the results which they
feared-and they were very observant
There seemed someone always fitting neal
me, watching me; [ had hardly the time
to think for myself, to wonder what was
to be done and said after all this.
[ was getting stronger of speech; could
think; and | was growing beset by two
terrible fears; what had become of Eva:
When would Sir Edward Trafford come
and look down upon me lying there, as the
other doctors looked?
'Has he been here?" asked.
''Sir Edward?"
eyes"
'tHe came every day for the first week,
You were his case-you are his case, said
the nurse.
Twill he come again?"
Eyes, to be sure. He is away Just now
but you are in good hands. you must not
worry about that. You are getting bet
ter. Sir Edward will be back in a few
days"
Late in the day one of the other surgeons
came to me, talked to me, congratulated
me on my better state
cam l out of danger?" I asked, anxious
".
"We1, not absolutely out of danger
You must be careful, of course"
"Could not leave here-be carried home
at any cost? Money is no object to me
and would be so glad to get away"
urged.
ut is quite impossible"
Tomorrow, or the next day?"
''Not for many days. You must be re
signed to this, my good fellow. There is
no jumping back to your old self at 6
bound.
He laid his hand kindly on my shoulder
and said:
"You must be thankful for coming back
to the world at all. You must be patient
it is your one chance"
81 cannot be patient here"
''You must try, Mr.. Edwin"
| t1inched at the mention of my name.
felt like a man stabbed, like man be-
trayed. I had hoped they did not know
me at this hospital; that I was one Of
many, and unrecOgniZed; that there haC
been no clue to my identity. know now
that my card-case had not been in my
pocket; that [ had no letters with my ad-
dress upon them, and I fancied it had beer
no ones particular business to trace anC
track me out. My linen was only marked
with my initials, and had Rugged myself
with the conviction that was not known
and that by care and a sacrifice of my
L llllS III pass ullhllOWn lIOm Uu6
hospital
From the moment of the mention OF
Trafford's name | had resolved to be as
silent as the grave-to ask no question as
to Eva-to send no message to her-tC
leave her even in the agony of doubt as te
what haG become of me. Better that, bet
ter anything, than that 1 should be known
as Ernest Edwin, the man who, ten years
ago, ran away with Trafford's wife.
And, after all, my name was known and
the secret I had kept SO close was exposed
to the one man in the world whom [ did
not want TO know me.
I lay and tried to puzzle out the mean
ing till | grew very faint, and went back
a step or t,2o towards relapse. When ]
was well enough to speak again, next day
I asked that a MESA ge might be sent tC
my home explaining to Eva where I was
and saying that she must not come to see
me, that / must not see anyone yeti was
Sir Edward Trafford's instructions.
''Say Sir Edward Trafford," I pleaded
"and ask her to write to me instead, anG
assure me she's we'll"
In due course the answer came There
were only d few words and had thought
she might have sent me a longer letter.
81 have been already told of your acct
dent, and have promised for your sake to
keep away" she wrote. 81 am terribly
bewildered. l pray every night, who
have not prayed for years-for your recoV-
cry. lam i'll EVA"
She had known all, then; but who was
there in the hospital to inform her of my
accident? Her address was not on the
books, and there was no one to whom my
r g -oi-
entif1c or surgical point of view. Unless
and | tried to think if it were impossible
Sir Edward Trafford had done all this
himself, had recognized me, found out
my address, and written to her who had
been once his wifel Surely impossible!
The probable return of the great sur
geon to town filed me with dismay and
retarded my progress to recovery. What
would he say when he saw my name at
the head of the bed? What would he
think? What would he do?
1 owed my life to the man whose home
had Swallowed, whose name I had dis
honored, and my life was valueless in his
eyes and my own. If l could escape be-
fore his returnl If could only get away
before he looked down upon me with his
great, inquiring, dark eyesl I seemed sud
denly to remember his eyes and how they
glistened through the glasses which he
had always worn. grew afraid Of them.
If could only steal away If 1 could es-
cape him!
Then came the relapse in earnest, born
of all this mental struggle of which l could
not, dared not, speak; and all was chaos to
me, from which emerged at last, weaker
than had ever been. / had come back
from delirium-there had been another
operation necessary; 1 had been carried to
the lecture theatre and back to my bed
without my knnzzledua. there had been 9