Thomas County cat., 1890-07-24
how TWO LIVES CROSSED.

An old physician in Atlanta tod me
a strange story the other day about a
young couple who lived in the city
some twenty-five years ago.
Talk of fiction, he said, his fine eyes
beaming thoughtfully. l have known
stories in real life that, should I give
them to the world in print, they would
be considered the wild, sensational
fancies of mad mans brain.
Many years ago Twas summoned one
evening to handsome residence in
the upper part of Whitechapel street
the street then popular fer residences.
The mistress of the house had been a
wife three years. l knew the circum-
stances of her marriage and the history
of her whole inner life. She YVES at the
time of her marriage in love with a
man who was separated, but not di-
vorced, from his wife, the laws of the
Roman COthOlic Church, to which he
belonged, forbidding divorce. She
married her husband, because she was
poor and dependent, and in those days
there seemed little else for a woman to
do but marry when she grew up.
The husband was a man of some
means. but dissipated reprobate, an
opium-eater and drunkard, and there
had been sad stories about the wife's
wretchedness and the husbands
brutality since the marriage
AS l entered the hallway there was
an ominous, uneasy look about the ser
wants who met me- The old negro
nurse, who cared for the young woman
since her childhood, looked ashy with
terror as she whispered:
"Come up stairs, doctor. / think my
chile done dead dis time. but l believe
you kin bring her to life"
/ followed her silently, and she noise
lessly opened the door of the bedroom
where the mistress lay. / shall never
forget the picture Of that young woman
as she lay in death-like stiffness on the
white bed, her face as white as the
pillow over which streamed the raven
like masses of her silky hair. The
delicate brows, the long curling lashes
were jet black, and the only color
about this face of mourning lay in the
full, red lips. 1t was strikingly like
the face of Titian's sleeping Venus,
and l inhaled its strange, sad beauty
with my soul, as my brain was busy
with the question of this woman's
strange condition and its cause. / saw
in an instant that she was heavily
drugged and turned to the nurse for an
explanation.
"She's been dat way five hours" said
the old woman, "fust thought she
was asleep, den when she look like she
done daid sen fur you, den l find dis
bottle by her"
She handed me an empty morphine
phiaL went Immediately to work
giving restoratives. BY dint of coffee
and compelling her to walk two hours
she finally came to herself, and the old
nurse, fairly tagged out begged for
few minutes rest, as laid her mistress
on the bed, and so the girl and 1 were
left together.
She opened her eyes, now clear and
brilliant, with a look of recognition
full upon me. "You have brought me
back" she cried reproachfully. "Oh
why did you do it?"
Through duty and through human
isy," said calmly. She arose upon her
elbow and her eyes flashed passionately.
Through humanity" she cried. as
it humanity to bring back to life an
utterly wretched woman? Did you
think to save me from hell by it? why
hell would be sweet TO me compared to
this place. You are brutal, inhumanr'
"But think of your child" pro-
tested. "The little girls soul given
into your keeping"
NY Sullu, BIC SIlcu, All. tudJ
only makes me more wretched. You
didn't know took opium too 2"
A surprised stare was my answer and
she continued:
"Yes, commenced taking it shortly
after we were married. He gave it to
me and was coward enough to take
it. Anything for oblivion; anything to
make me forget his existence and my
own. l didn't know the child was
coming then. / didn't think God
would be so merciless as to send me
child after that. Well, when the child
came i longed for death more than
ever. What sort of mother was l for
the rearing of girl? We have had
terrible scenes here to-day. l think he
is asleep in the other loOm.. Don't you
hear him?"
listened as the sound of that wierd |
sternorous breathing reached me, and
an uncomfortable shudder crept over
me.
"Ah, YOU Shudder lust to hear him " |