Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-11-16

sails. She WAS almost always sitting uI
IL bed, her elbow on her knee, her
head half bent resting upon the palm
OF her b te ard almost transparent
hand. She smiled softly, and her red
IL Is and rosy cheeks gave her the APP
p 'arance of perfect health. But often
"a terrible cougL tortured her frsil body
and left her exhausted, almost without
breath 1t was heart-rending
One morning Marcel stopped me-
chanlca'ly before the bed of the young
girl. sick person to him was only a
case and nothing more; the case bore a
number simply. All griefs, tortures
and agonies were nothing more or
less than figures. However, with
out knowing why, he looked
at the paper fastened to the head OF
the bed for the name of the patient,
and read: Martha Engenie Raymond,
! Florist, No. 6. Rue Saint jacques.
Entered December 2nd, 1889, left the
Martha, thought Marcel, it was the
name of my mother He looked at
the young girl; she slept, her head
bent upon her shoulder, her hair IN
bound, covering the pillow, and her
mouth half opened showing her little
white teeth. Her breathing, almost
1mperceptible, became at times labor
ed. Marcel heard fatal rasping
sound which was unmistakable, aud for
the ilrst time, perhaps, the knowledge
that death was near almost unnamed
him. Albert Lefort approached the
bed. ''She is pretty" said he. Poor
gIrlP murmured Marcel.
He moved on and thought no more
OF her. After making his round, and
AS he was about to leave the ward, the
nurse said to him, "No. 2, cannot live
very long" Marcel could not but re-
call the sweet face of poor Martha,
. but he quickly banlshed it, and the
emotions which it excited, and said
"Ah, II she can be saved they will save
| her."
The next day the first look of Marcel,
on entering the ward, was towards the
bed of Martha Raymond. The poor girl
was pale and coughed violently. Mar
, eel approached the bed and asked some
| questions as to how she had passed the
night.
"Ahp' said Sister Prudence, who
had heard the questions, "the night
has been a bad one. but there were
reasons for it, We are going surely to
cure the little one. Here" said she,
extending a bowl of herb tea, drink
this my child"
'How bitter it is" said the young
girl after having drank it, and she
smiled while making little grimace.
You may put some honey in it"
said Marcel to the Sister, and he added
quite under his breath, ''let her last
hours be as free from suffering as pos
sible."
Martha had only heard the first
words, she turned towards Marcel with
smile of gratitude aud thanked him.
Marcel shrugged his shoulders, "that
is nothing" said he.
Ordinarily there springs up between
the patient and the physician a senti-
ment of gratitude on one side, and of
pity on the other, the most fragile of
all sentiments. which usually are
hrok9n at the end of the illness, and of
which not the least trace remains. The
more vivid the sentiments the deeper
the oblivion to which they are con-
signed.
1t was without doubt these senti-
ments which first attracted Marcel and
Martha towards each other. Marcel
child who was dying under his very
eyes 1t was not the common
affection of the physician for
the patient, it was more than
pity; but one would have greatly as
tonished the young man had he init
mated to him that it was love. This
silent and somber reasoner, this
SpinOza of the scalpel had suddenly
become a watchful and talkative nurse.
he knew better than sister Prudence
how to make the tisane for Martha
He gave it to her herself, and Albert
Lefort laughed one day, saying that
Msrcel's hand trembled.
The fact was that Marcel had care
and attention for no one but Martha.
He watched her as he would have
watched a child; he followed with |
fierce unrest the progress of the NAL |
ady which slowly wasted the young
girl He struggled with an indefatiga- !
BILE ardor against this terrible, invul- |
nerable disease. He studied with |
feverish eagerness all books relating |
to phthisis seeking for remedies and |
applying them. ''Ahp said he at |
times with singular exaltatIon, 81 |
will save her, I must"
Martha perceived all these cares, she |
thanked him as best she could some
with tears, sometimes with smiles At |
times they talked, he promising to cure
her. Looking him in the eyes she said,
care you sure that You can do itf"
81 swear that I1UiU."
And he turned away to conceal a
tear. No one came to see Martha, she
was alone in the world. "Your mother
is dead?' asked Marcel one day.
"Yes, she is dead"
"And your father?"
81 have never known him." Ray
mond was the Lame of her mother.
This common misfortune had attracted
Marcel
There was a radical change in Mar
eel; when alone instead of opening his
books as formerly, he induIged in deep
reveries, often his eyes were filled
With tears. He was astonished one day
10 see the blue sky, green trees and
lowers by the wayside. "How beauti-
ul it all is, he cried. "Ah nonsense
10 you become enthusiastic over
,uch trifies?" said Albert, 81 have
never seen them before" replied Mar
,el.