The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-09-26

being seated, he handed me q cigar and
mused half to himself:
"Yes, Agnes case is a pathetic one.
l don't know why it is, but she always
affects me most strangely. These at.
tacks come on without the least warn
ing. 1 am often attracted to her room
by hearing violent weeping, to find her
prostrated with grief over some object,
which she imagines to be her dead hus.
band. Sometimes she remains in this
state of uncomfortable insanity for hours,
but the hallucination always terminates
in the same way. When we left her
she was as sane as you or 1.
"The saddest feature of her case is the
fact that she knows she has been insane
and that she may have recurrence of
the attack at any moment. Such pros.
pect must be most forlorn and hopeless.
In her rational moments I have heard
her talk over her condition and cry as if
her heart would break. Poor woman
l pity her from the depths of my soul.
It's strange, too, how these periods of
grief always end. All at once she will
Jump up and shout, 'he has shot him.
SELF or something similar, then shrek
and scream till she falls exhausted in a
dead faint, just as you have witnessed.
After this she gradually returns to con.
sciousness, very weak, but with per.
fectly clear mind"
"You say she was your neighbor.
What brought her here?'
"Her's is strange story. In her sane
moments she has told me all about her
unhappy life. As 1 say, she is more
than patient to me, for take deep
personal interest in her, and she makes
me her confidential friend and adviser.
When began practice she was bride
and lived just across the street from my
office. She married a young lawyer,
handsome bright and prosperous. I often
saw him, and although I was not &C.
quainted with him, he greatly interested
me. He was tall and straight, with
black hair, rich olive complexion and
eyes that fairly glittered with search
ing fire that seemed to penetrate your
very soul. You would notice him in a
crowd and he would fascinate you. It
struck me he exercised a peculiar power
over his sweet, fond, retiring wife, for
she always seemed to be under some
strange spell. While thus interested in
the couple, the husband fell sick of a
fever. It was in the latter part of Aug.
ust, and remember the weather was in.
tolerably warm. was sitting at the
open window when the Doctor, a young
physician who had been the patients
client, responded to the summons.
remember felt just little hurt-or
was it jealousy-when he drove up, for
I didn't see any good reason why
shouldn't have been called instead, as 1
was certainly the nearest. However,
wasn't, and as had plenty of time at
my disposal employed some of it in
observing from my Office window the
movements of the physician in charge.
At first he called but once day. Then
the patient grew worse, and two, three
and even four visits were daily made.
Long conversations between the wife
and the young doctor frequently occur.
red at the door, and / wondered what
minute instructions he could have been
giving. In little while noticed that
the servant no longer answered the bell,
but the young wife would come in per.
son and open the door for him. Weeks
passed, and there was no visible improve.
ment in the patient. Finally, late one
afternoon in November-I remember it
well-I was sitting in my rotary chair
near the slow cold drizzle as it gathered
in drops against the pane and rolled
down to the window sill, when the
young doctor drove up and hastily
alighted. He seemed pale and haggard
and presented, in the uncertain, misty
twilight, wierd spectacle. He nervous.
ly mounted the steps and pulled the
bell. As usual, he was met by the
beautiful wife and ushered into the
home. The doctor seems little wor.
ried this evening" mused. Perhaps
his patient is hopelessly worse,' 1 ex.
planned to myself, and wondered why
the young lawyer didn't die or get well,
for the whole business was becoming q
nightmare to me, Then my attention
was attracted by the bent form of the
lamplighter across the street, as he
struck light. While watching the pale
yellow flare which seemed far away in
the gathering gloom, the doctor appear.
ed again at the door, it seemed, more
excited than before. He was evidently
trying to impress upon the mind of the
young wife something of great import
ance. She also seemed anxious and
worried. With q nervous gesture he