The Saline County journal., 1892-01-28

Strategic, sympathetic devoted trea
ment
There was another science beside
that Of medicine To which he was 4,
voted and which he pursued. thong
merely for recreation, with scar.el
less zeal than he did his profession.
This WAS the science of astronomy
and. of all things connected with thi
scicnre, there was nothing else in Shicl
he took ~ much interest as the moon
our own little satellite. lie pevs
wcaried of learned speculation in re
gard To this cold little planet. and tn
contemplation and investigation O
lunar phenomena possessed not only al
interest, but a facination for him.
In any other than Dr. Ptru pschC
this would have been an offensive hobby
but no one ever thuught of char9iris
him with the possession uf a hobby
He was much beloved.
There is but one Dr. Ptemp -cho,' .
was common expression among those
who knew him.
There was but one DIR. Ptempscho
indeed. Had there been another, the
terrible malady which at length ati
tached him might have been foreseen
and prevented.
Among the DOCTORS most intimate
friends was Judge ThorptOn, a man OF
different habits of thought, but Of not
less breadth of culture than the doctor
himself.
One clear, calm summer evening this
gentleman, riding up to the doctors
gate, while the full moon was blending
Its light with the not vet retired day
light, was surprised to find his friend
peeping at the moon through a stove
pipe, which he had mounted on a wood
bine frame in the yard.
II tell you" said the doctor. as the
judge dismounted and approached him,
the moon rs not a barren waste, and
should we never get u lunar mundane
railway built-of course mundane lunar
would be more exact name for il, as Il
must be commenced at this end; but
say lunar-mundane for euphony's sake
should we ever get this raiiway con-
structed, ] have theory which / shall
proceed to put into practice immedi-
ately after my arrival on that fair and
fertile planet"
Judge Thorpton stopped and gazed in
CONSERVATION at the doctor, who con-
tinued, laying his hand with an affec-
-
This telescope reveals TO me some
facts concerning my fair little friend up
there, which / never perceived before.
have n mentel concept of two instrIfs
ments, the montoscope and the ter
ragraph. which If properly CONSTRUCTED,
will render lunar research easy and
satisfactory"
The judges first melancholy and
ludicrous reflection was:
III only DIR. Ptcmpscho could
study and treat his own caseI' HIS
second thought was: Does his wife
know of this calamity"
Leaving his unfortunate friend he
entered the house, and, finding Mrs.
Ptempscho, learned by few minutes'
cautious conversation that she was ig-
norsnt of her husbands condition.
Knowing that she must soon learn
the awful truth, he addressed himself
TO the painful task of making IL known
to her as gently as possible.
She said that when her husband took
tea with her an hour before he had ap.
peared perfectly sane, though she re-
membered that he had been given to
unusual moods of eNhilaration and de-
preston during the past few weeks.
The sad, the frightful intelligence
soon spread throughout the community
that DIR. Ptempscho, the beloved,
the penetrating, the patient. the skilled
in treating mental maladies. had him.
self fallen into the dark abyss from
which he had saved so many Others.
His case excited the deepest interest
among the medical fraternity far and
near, but none could place again upon
its throne that towering intellect that
had tumbled into the awful gulf of OBJ
scurity.
Not being violent, he was not sent 10
an asylum, but allowed TO pursue his
harmless fancies, chief of which was to
make lunar observations and calcula- /
tions.
He talked much about the monto- |
scope and terragraph, and the railway
from the earth to the moon, which he I
believed to be underconstruction among
the sblest engineers of the country, and
to explain to every one be .
met the difference between the syncdid, ,
anomalistic and nodical 4
As he lived on an estate in the coup-
try in summer, he often walked or rode .
put into his fields that he might view
the object of his interest from all
points of the compass" he said.
The distance to the nearest town was
! mile and q half, but through the fields
L was not more than half that distance.
md by this way the doctor had been
N the habit Of frequently riding thither.
In going this way it was necessary TO
ross what was known as 1.-The dark
avine."
This was deep ravine in the midst
II grove, or rather, a little wood,
With so dense growth of underbrush
md wild grapevines that in the iesfr
'esson the sun scarcely ever penetrated
% the bottom of the ravipe.
Mrs Ptempscho had often besought
Ter husband to have this ravine filed
Up or bridged, but he was negligent
Il such mattersi besides, he liked to
cap the ravine on his strong black
lorse, and so Il remained open.
Among his other whims, the doctor
oDceived that Of going to this rsvins
o make lunar observations
He would descend TO the bottom, and,
ying on his back. gaze for hours at the
little patch Of sky visible in the open
Children CYV for