San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1890-01-09
H

At first l looked upon tho matter as
rather stupid kind Of practical joke;
but 1t wasn't joke at all. Invent TO q
lawyer, and he was candid enough.
"'Shell gain her cause, sir. She's a
pretty woman and Van Spool, and
she's bound to get her divorce. You
can't swear you didn't smoke, and IL she
don't like the smell of tobacco guess
you have caused her mental anguish,
which in this state is legal cruelty
"In three months the trial came off.
"Aurea entered the court surrounded
by her relatives. We bowed distantly
to each other, and Aurea looked as If she
were going to cry. Ibelieve il 1 had
gone up to her and promised never To
smoke again all might have been well.
worshiped the very ground she walked
upon, but my foolish pride stood in my
way, and really did not believe 1t was
possible that in any civilized country q
woman could put away her husband be-
cause he smoked an after dinner cigar;
but was soon undeceived. My lovely
young wife went into the box; she swore
to the cruelty-that Is to say, the mental
anguish caused by the cigar; my advo-
cate made an impassioned speech, in
which he said that the eyes Of the whole
civilized world were that day watching
the doings of the Indiana high court,
and he drew tears from the jury by his
description Of the agonies of the smoker
who wasn't allowed to smoke. But
all to no purpose. The judge was nom
smoker, and Aurea's tears and Aurea's
beauty settled the question. The jury
gave their verdict-that had caused my
wife intense mental anguish--and the
judge annulled our marriage In solemn
form.
81 went back to New York. In five
years l made my pile. came back to
England and gave up doctoring. never
inquired after Aurea-I was great deal
too angry-and l once more became a
British subject. One day was walking
through Cornwall gardens, Kensington,
when met servant girl who seemed
in state Of great excitement, and who
spoke to me.
"Oh, sir said she, where is the near.
est doctors? l am a stranger here, and
I've been sent to fetch one, and he was
out, sir, and our little boy is dying
"Perhaps l can be Of use to you,"
said; "I'm DOCTOR"
"This way, then, please, sir" cried the
girl, and she began to run, and ran af-
ter her.
We entered house, and I followed
the servant girl up to the second floor.
By the side Of little bed sat a woman
weeping bitterly, her face buried in her
hands, My professional instincts were
naturally concentrated upon the occu.
pant of the bed, beautiful child of
8, who was apparently at his last
gasp and gradually choking to death.
His face and hands were blue, his eyes
were bloodshot, and his lips were almost
black. There wasn't moment to be
lost. I whipped out my pen knife and
improvised tube from some Indian
reeds which formed trophy on the
wall Thon cut down upon the child's
windpipe; I introduced the tube and
carefully secured it. Within five min
utes the breathing was natural. had
snatched the child from the very jaws of
death; and then turned to the mother,
who still sat sobbing at the bedside.
"Your boy will get well now, madam,
/ said; I'm glad to have been of use to
you I didn't take much notice of the
mother. was still gazing at the child;
he was lovely boy, and as he looked at
me he smiled, and in that smile and in
those great dark eyes of his there was
that seemed strangely IA
miliar.
"'Oh, doctor, how can 1 thank youT
sobbed soft voice. You've saved my |
little mans life, and he's all have in
he world. How can / thank your
"And then I turned toward her, and
my heart began to beat within my breast
IS If it would break the bony walls. It
was Aurea the woman to whom 1 had
,aused mental anguish the wife who
lad divorced me.
"This big, bushy beard Of mine was
IN effectual disguise. She hadn't the
lightest idea, poor thing, that she was
alking to the man who had been her
lu6Danu.
Sand then she seized my hand and
covered it with kisses In her great de-
light.
at was my own boys life that had
aved.
"You used to kiss me on the cheek,
iurea, once / said simply.
"Then she sprang to her feet, gazed
With astonishing eyes into my face and
ell fainting in heap upon the floor.
"You can guess the end of the story"
aid the bearded man. "Aurea became
British subject, and we were married;
nd by English law, you know, no
mount of mental anguish can dissolve
ur union. But, indeed. may smoke
s many cigars as like now without
ausing Aurea mental anguish; she has
ute got over her aversion TO tobacco"