Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-05-14

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 departure had startled her or because the mysterious forces at work in her dis organized intellect happened to manifest themselves at that moment, she had ut tered as they moved that strange, faint, inarticulate cry which was so terrible to the good people who took care of her. The two physicians simply noted it as a curious fact.
 After they had disappeared from the range of her vision the girl sat for a long time without any apparent change, save that ill lieu of scanning the faces of the physicians her eyes looked with the same dreadful fear into the fire in the open grate. Over and over again, with a persistent mOnotony that of it. self was enough to make the sympathet- ic observer shudder, this embodiment jn motion of the unnatural and unvary- ing condition of the shattered mind, this alternate clasping and unclasping of the hands, went on. The white palms came together, the fingers intertwined, the palms moved slowly across each other, the fingers lost their hold and wandered nervously, and then the dreary round began again, and so on, ceaselessly and always.
 ''Is she never still?" the elder physi- elan asked.
 "Never wholly so. Nervous motion of some sort is necessary. Nothing but ac- tual interference from without can stop it, even for an instant. '
 It happened then that all external in- terferenCe unexpectedly occurred to H. lustrate the practitioner S statement A cat, which had been curled up by the fireside, crossed the floor and sprang into the girls lap. With a repetition of the peculiar cry and a sudden intensifica- ton of the dominant expression ill her face, the patient started to her feet. The cat jumped down and ran away. The girl gave no heed to his departure Her gaze was fixed immOvably on tho spot where she had seen him, and she contin- ued uninterruptedly for several minutes to move her hands as if driving back some palpablc object which persisted in remaining in her lap
 ''She sees the cat stillv' whispered the elder physician. Just as thought, The impression produced on the retina by an object that startles her is too vivid to leave her even after its departure. This is more remarkable retention than I had deemed possible. But there is no evidence that she thinks at all '
 Not as we think. Nc"
 Gradually the repulsing motion of the hands gave place to the old nervous clasping and unclasping The time came when the poor creature seemed to forget the special terror caused by the cat ill the general dread with which all things seemed to inspire her. But she still con tinued to stand.
 'Thinkl" murmured the elder physi- clan. "Why, she doesn't even know enough to sit down when she is tired "
 In truth, at that moment the girl be- gan to sway violently, and had not the foremost physician gone promptly to her assistance she would have fallen
 Her limbs arc too weak to stand so long," said the younger man. But don't put her to bed yet. I want to try an experiment.. "
 "Of what nature?"
 Simply to see what effect music will have. have known downright idiots, who responded to scarce another provo cation than the sight of food, to have their interest visibly aroused by the sound of a musical instrument. Miss Maxey will favor us with few selec- tions. I'll speak to her. '
 He rapped at the door of an adjoining chamber and exchanged a few words with the person who responded. In a few minutes pretty young lady with black eyebrows and damask color in her checks had taken her seat at the piano The two physicians had retired to their former position behind tho bed curtains, and the patient, as before, sat on the edge of her bed.
 What shall play?" the young lady asked.
 Something loud and energetic. There was a rustling of leaves, and then the drastic opening chords of a Liszt rhaspody made the vases shiver on the mantel. The sounds startled the pa tient as blow might have done. The dark eyes seemed to grow darker, the pale lips quivered more perceptibly with the utterance of that plaintive cry, the pitiful all that was left to her of voice and speech. But she seemed to realize the origin of her fright. Her glance went immediately in the direction of tho piano and remained there, fasci- l mated, as if she momentarily expected an | unknown horror to rise up out of the cheerful red cover which adorned the case of the instrument. Never for an in stant was the forlorn monotony of the moving hands inteTrppted. Nevertheless