Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-09-24

10 give The belated ones time to arrive
and to save themselves the trouble of
bringing back the dishes; the old
bathers, with whom the season was far
advanced, kept an alert watch upon
the door each time it was opened
hoping for the appearance of fresh
faces.
There came only two, but very
strange ones, those Of a man and
woman-father and daughter. The
gentleman was very tall and spare
slightly bent with hair quite white
too white for his still young counte-
Dsnce; there was in his carriage and
about his person the serious air Of
susterity that bespeaks the Puritan.
The daughter was perhaps about "a
or % years OF age. She was small
and emaciated, and her exceedingly
fale face wore languid, spirit less ex-
preston. We sometimes encounter
people who appear too weak for tho
cares and demands of life, too feeble
20 move, to do the things we must do
every day. This girl was pretty, with
the transparent beauty of an appari-
ton; she ate with extreme slOwness,
as il she were almost incapable Of
moving her arms.
1t was she undoubtedly who came
FOR the benefit OF the waters.
They happened to be opposite me on
the other side Of the table, and / i'm
mediately noticed that the father had
a very singular nervous affection.
Whenever he was about to reach for
anything, his hand, with a quick Jerk,
described q sort of fiuttering zigzag,
before he was able to touch what he
was after. In a few moments this
motion annoyed me so much that /
surned away my head in order not to
bee him.
also observed that the young girl
kept glove on her left hand while
she ate.
AGtcr dinner | went out 10 take
turn in the park belonging TO the
water-cure establishment ii extend
cd to the little station hidden in q
gorge at the foot of a high mountain,
from which runs SO many bubbling
springs, hot from the deep furnace of
old volcanoes. Over there, beyond
US the dOmes, extinct craters raised
their mutilated heads above the long
chain. Chatel-Guyon begins the land
OF "Dcmes.n
Beyond the ''domes" are two other
distinct regions, the one of needle like
peak and the other of abrupt precip-
itOus mountains.
1t WIS very warm that evening.
was walking back and forth in the
shad\ path, listening to the music
pouring forth from the casino on
mound that overlooked the park
/ perceived the father and daughter
coming toward me with slow steps. /
saluted them, as in watering places
one salutes his hotel companions. The
gentleman, stopping Immediately, in
quired of me:
pardon me, sir; may | ask il you
can direct us to short walk, easy and
pretty if possible?"
] offered to conduct them myself, to
the valley through which the slender
river lluws-a deep, narrow gorge be-
tween two great declivities. rocky and
wooded.
They accepted.
And naturally enough, we spoke of
the virtues of the mineral waters.
''Ah yes, 2" said he, my daughter
has strange malady, the seat OF
which her physicians are unable to de-
termlne. She suffers from incUmpre-
hensible nervous symptoms. ONE
times they think her afflicted with
heart disease, sometimes with liver
complaint. and sometimes with spinal
difficulty. At present they attribute
to the stomach, which is the great
motor and prime regulator of the body.
this Pr0teus-lil1e malady of thousand
forms q thousand modes of attack.
That is why we are here. | am my
self rntner OF the opinion that it is her
nerves, In any case it is very sad"
That reminded me immediately of
the violent jerking of the hand and I
asked:
''But is not that hereditary? Are
not your own nerves little Affected"
TRANQUILITY he answered:
chine? Oh, no; / have always pos-
sesseu very calm nerves."
Then suddenly, after pause, he re-
marked:
''Ah, yes! You refer to the action
Of my hand whenever | reach for an
object? That is the result of a terrible
shock once had. Imagine, sir, this
child has been buried alive!"
could find nothing to say, except
':Ah!' with emotion and surprise.
He went on: Here is the story. 1t
Is simple. .Juliette had for some time
seemed subject to disordered action of
the heart. We were sure she suffered
from some disease of this organ and
expected the worst.
One day she was brought in lifeless
dead. She had fallen dead while
walking in the garden. The ply
stefan issued certificate OF death. l
watched beside her for day and two
nights. | myself placed her in the
coffin. which followed to the ceme-
terry, where she was laid in the family
vault 1t was in the country. in
LORRAINE
i had wished that she should be
buried with her jewels. bracelets,
p-elSlaces. rings. all the presents that
( had given her, and her first ball
dress.
You can imagine the state of my
heart on returning home. She was all
had, my wife having been dead for
many years. Stunned and half mad. ]
shut myself alone in my room and fell
into an armed chair, almost senseless,