The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-05

7 cred, and then, taking down the usual
G ard, hung above the bed, on which the
I D ,tient's age, disease and diet. as well as
tIe doctors name in charge of the case,
" ere written, he added urbanely:
quite right-perfectly right. DR.. Brown
h. Is ordered everything that could possibly
be of use. Sister, look after this case es-
PEI tally"
I. adv Sibthorpe said something gracious,
aud passed on. Not feature of the strange
sca-, ; had escaped her. 1t was evident that
sor7e thing extraordinary had happened.
Thar these two-the fashionable physician
and he pitiable outcast on the hospital
mat.n ,ss-knew each other she had now
not In smallest doubt. But the three
moved on to the next bed, smiling and
chatti;a as they went. Presently Sir Ken
meth Is, andon urged consultation at the
other ea of London at O'Clock, and Of
fered to, drive Lady Sibthorpe back, as she
had sent away her carriage They were
both rat Ter silent as they were bowled
along wes tward.
A few lights afterward they met by &C
cident at, Inner. 1t was a brilliant party.
The talk! like the food, was stimulating
the wine, like the beauty of the women
was rare. 1t was in gracefully artificial
moments like these that Sir Kenneth
pessimist hough he was, felt tenderly dis
posed towal u all the world. Sir Kenneth
in fact, was delighted, for he was deputed
to take Lady Sibthorpe down to dinner
She was a toman who looked specially
we'll by candle light and at dinner time
Her teeth her shoulders and her diamonds
were proverbia three things which, adj
ded to her natiy e wit, made the widow a
much coveted dinner companion. Sir
Kenneth, indeed had never realized how
devoted he was TO her before. And yet
there was an exprt .ssion in, Lady Sibthorpe's
ewes tonight whic b he had never seen there
and which he could not quite understand.
81 see from thep apers that you have been
in Paris the last few days." she said as
they ate their soup; Il hope you have
saved Europe ne of itSex-crowned heads?'
''To any one Tut you l am professionally
tongue tied" whispered the doctor gal
lantly Her ma Vesty Is now out Of dan.
ger. I was in fact able to leave Paris by
the II train-just 10 tDne to dine here to-
night. But | haven't opened single let
ter or telegram"
He kept the talk on the gossip of the day
until he saw the corne US of her mouth give
way with little tired droop.
And your article on the hospitals?'
said the doctor, bending his head and smil
ing at the charming VIC man at his side. u
hope you're going to let us down easily"
"Ahl nv article will be on quite another
question" said Lady SEbthorpe. 81 have
been curiously interest ed in case which
is typical of one of the great problems OF
modern society. have been three times
to the 'WhitechapeP since that day'-
"Iwish to heaven you would not run any
such risk We doctors are hardened, you
know, but there is always the fear of infec-
ton for delicate women"
Butts that poor Observation-Disclosures Tween
ty-nine7-
"Ah!" sighed Sir Kenneth, frownine
slightly, as he reached out his hand toward
his champagne glass "Dear Lady Sib
thorpe, those are terrible cases. They are
cankerous wills, eating away the very life
of our social system"
"My dear DOCTOR" urged the lady, in hel
most delightful drawl, you forget what
Mr.. Lecky says. Number Twenty-Five
on the contrary, is the martyr OF civiliza
tionp'
Possibly" replied the physician drylyi
"but nneanwhile"-
Meanwhile the woman haslsuccumbed
She died last night"
There was a burst of laughter from each
side of the table. A well known O. c. was
telling the latest joke. In the pause that
followed, Lady Sibthorpe studied the menu
and Sir Kenneth fingered some grapes on
his plate How much did she know? II
seemed to him an eternity before she spoke
again.
81 have taken Number Twenty nine
as a typical case. The woman seemed to
be what we are now agreed to call NOR
ally deficient person. Yet, properly trained
| and protected, Number Twenty nine
might now be alive, we'll and a tolerably
useful member of society. Think of it
That IatiaIde woman was barely forty"
my dear lady," said Sir Kenneth slow
ly, you have probably only heard half hel
story. Doyou really know anything about
herr"
YES" said Lady Sibthorpe abruptly
And as she looked him straight between
! the eyes the doctor knew that she was
aware of the whole story. I'm not senti
mental, ;" she added, with smile, but I've
taken fancy to have this wretched Great
ure decently buried-in some little country
churchyard She shall rest now-for good.
| Shall | undertake the necessary arrange
ments? Or would you, perhaps, prefer''-
The ladies were rising to go. Brandon
bowed his head.
II think l would rather see to this
thing myself"
! Nothing more was said. He sat down
again when they were gone, staring blank
/ ly at the fruit strewn plates and hall
drained glasses. Her crlmpled napkin
fell across his knee, and as it fell he saw
with a shudder a vision of a,stiff, silent
! figure in the hospital mortuary- He could
! hear the ladies' silken trains and high bred
voices as they trailed up stairs. And the
| doctor knew that when that sueve, desira-
! bic, but unrelenting woman had passed out
| of the door she had also passed finally out Of
! his life.-True Flag
First Savings Bank in America.