The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-01-08


their helper.
When a doge was 20 be elected the
great council of between four hundred
and i've hundred mem bers was called
As l looked ct TINS goIden-nalred
sSirl two feelings awol1e in my breast.
pitied her-yorIg, beautiful and ac.
complished, doomed to spend her life,
or part of it, at least in an asylum
for the insane. ] loved her-not be-
cause pity is akin to love, nor only
because of her beauty, but becarse-I
could not tell why. | only knew that
loved her with my whole heart.
The patients began to move here end
there around the room, some regarding
me with curious looks. Seeing me
standing there, Sibyl-I already dared
call her that in my heart-approached
me. She smiled, and the smile lifted
the sadness from her face, and babe
me good morning. Young as she was
not more than twenty could see
by the ease of her manner that she had
been accustomed to the best society.
She asked if that was my first visit to
Longvue hospital l noticed she avoid
ed the term asylum" and felt it was
because the insane have often violent
dislike for that word
/ answered that it was nv first visit
and mplimented her on her singing,
saying that words could not express
the pleasure it had given me.
She accepted my praises very serene
" and said it was her one gift. Then
she turned the conversation to the
piano, which was a very fine instru-
ment with remarkably pure tone.
/ felt an almost uncomfortable de-
sire to know more about her. She was
seemingly sane at the moment: per-
haps she had only occasional spells of
madness or distressing monomania.
felt sure she could never be very vio-
lent.
'HVhy not ask the usher or seek one
of the physicians?" l questioned of my
self. But | shrank from the idea of
drawing the history of my loves life
from any but herself. 1t seemed not
only unkind to do so, but positively in
delicate.
No; L would try to find out her story
from Sibyl herself when we knew each
other better.
Have you been here long?" / felt
myself a clown, stupid fool, as
asked the question. Where were the
feelings of delicacy 1 had just boosted
of to myself? Her great, brown eyes
looked at me in an odd, surprised way.
''Oh, no; just few weeks. shall
not stay much longer" she said, with
g sweet precision of speech. "Do you
know" she said, coming little nearer
to me and speaking almost in whis-
per, Il sometimes fear if ! stay here
much longer /, too, shall lose my
reason and be like those unfortunate
beings"
Poor girl! She imagined those
around her insane-herself sane. She
imagined she had only come on a short
visit, instead of being incarcerated
there for an indefinite period.
l almost wept for the pity of it, but I
answered her soothingly, and talked of
tie grounds which were laid off in
winding walks that extended in every
direction around the building.
DO you ever walk out alone?" I
asked.
Certainly" she said, seemingly sur
prised. You do not suppose spend
ali my time in here, do you? l should
perish if / did not get out and spend
part of the mornings and evenings
alone"
1 remembered then that the fences
were very high, the gates massive and
securely locked. There could, of
course, be no danger in allowing the
patients a little liberty, if they had no
tendency to harm themselves or Others.
| resolved to watch for Sibyl and
talk with her alone during her walks
| felt positive that her malady was not
deep-seated. l determined to return to
the sanitarium and search through the
doctors PIRATE library-to which l
had free accession books on insanity.
Every day would try to see Sibyl and
study her case carefully, and, perhaps,
by devOting myself heart and soul to
the work / might be able to find
cure. fingered at the asylum near
ly an hour. She was so charming and
lovely, and talked so sensibly and en-
tertainingly, it was hard to leave her
presence.
At last went away. assuring her
that would see her quite soon.
The brown eyes took on look of
surprise again, as if she wondered why
/, perfect stranger, should be so inter.
ested in her. But she answered me
kindly and left her.
There was no peace. however, in my
breast thought only of Sihyls sad
fate as / wendell my way along the hot
sands, and l sent up a silent PRAYER
that the Ruler of all would help me
find some way to deliver nv little
princess from the thralldom of insanity.
| knew l had left my heart in her
keeping. and, come what might. |
would love her. My sudden passion
was indeed so great that 1 felt willing
to take her as she was, if no cure could
be effected, and knowing nothing of |
her antecedents or former life. The |
look in her sweet face was enough to |
convince me that she was a good and |
pure woman. No woman could sin and |
yet retain that indefnable expression |
Of purity that was hers She was un.
fortunate, she might be poor and friend.
Iess-I cared for none of these things.
loved her; she must be mine
l fastened homeward full of these
thoughts, secured the desired books
from the library, shut myself up in my
room and began TO read l read stead.
Ily until the shades of evening dror,ned
like veil between the printed words