The evening times., 1896-04-14
IN THE DORMITORY.
Night of Horrors That Was Almost
Unrndurable.

| logical agreeable discourse, six or seven
| hours had succeeded i'll bringing, me- io Il
| pitch Of intense nervous excitement which
bordered ON the same hysicria which had
| overcome me In the station hUu.e. The
| experiment was making was = dangerous
| one. for / had the whole tide of opinion
| against me. Every glance | received from
! sane eyes held the suggestion Of my mad
ness, every look OF other eyes WAS mad
| | had only my inner consciousness 10 >us-
| tain me, and now at the close Of the third
day of my deceit began to feel an intO!-
| crabc weight on my soul.
il was, therefore, with int cnsc relief
| that saw the attendant approach our al
| cove and say. Ladies, J will cS' Ort you
| to bed now in a tone which one might
use to some chiittren pla wing at g,rpwH-Up.
The attendant who took me in charge
was the head nurse or this ward. Sh. Is "A
cold and Sclf-Containcd woman who had
spoken to me twice that afternoon. aud on
both occasions with marked 'O!dnc>S. once
she had chidcd me in the wasErooIn for
my terribly di>hcvcled appearance. and
once later when intruded on her re-
quest which IL seems should have pre-
fcrr.d TO another person. She j regard
cd as an exceptionally level-headed nurse
and believe she is. II j. not possible for
all these people To be tender. and | speak
OF her qualities merely 10 illustrate what
follows.
She took me down the hall, aud I. an
uClpatmg 4 few hours of quiet and rrpoSe.
went very willingly. But she stopped NJ
the door OF Il large room, which saw at
once was 4 durmitory. II contained ten
beds. which quite filled the apartment,
placed end to end and in harrow dIsles.
Each bed had an oc cCupaut ami IL seemed
was the last of TINS bcyy TO be COndG' ted
here.
Idrew back from the doorway In shoe ked
amaZemrnt. but the attendant paid no
attention TO my demon nstration and said:
"C0me along, Lizzie
DO | have to sleep in this ROOM"
asked.
Yes: what is the matter with this room;
doesn't 1t suit you?'
IquiCkly conquered far possible the
emotion which overwhelmed me and went
Ia the bed she Indicated as mine ana whe re
She turned back the coverlets. Here /
sat down on the side of the couch and
gazcd around me while she gave some
attention 10 the unqueicd ones who were
sitting up aud staring about.
ALONE WITH THE INSANE.
II these patients had been depressing to
look upon whru'irc>srd and walking about
a bright ward, they We're infinitely more
so III their night clothing. with their shorn
heads and ldiOtlc grius and demOnstrdt ions.
tcnda ut's couch. but saw none.
Come. Lizzie, get your clothes off,
said Miss Courhln.
She came up 20 me as though 20 assist
mr. i'll that operat ion. and luokedupat her
with terror in my face. / was IN a violen.
trcmblc from hcd-it 20 foot and could hardly
control my lips to speak.
Tell me- managed 10 say. does u
attendant sleep here
No. there does not she ro-Urusi. taking
hold Of nae 10 III my disr"hing. Bnf
caught hold other arms ana look eda her be
srcchingly.
Listen TO me-" said. Il cannot posi-
bly, sleep here. must go out of here
There is no other place for you. 80 he
quiet. You hav" nice bed and all these
other ladies' for company"
But they are all INSANE I sonbed,
forgetting in my misery thaj | was one OF
that unfortunate number.
'Oh, are thcy?'' she said, laughing.
Well, what are you? What were YOU
brought here for? Now keep quiet ana go
to bed. i am going TO get you a night
gown"
She went out OF the room 20 find the
gown, and / sought wildly in my brain for
some method to persuade this woman TO
let me out. But in my terror | could
not think, ! could only observe the demon
str.itionS of the creature in the bed below
mine, who was wildly rubbing her quilts
on an imaginary wasl.-board, and talking
eXCitclIy 10 herself.
When the nurse came back I was still
sitting there. in extreme agitation. on the
edge of the bed. and rs she took hold Of
my clothing with determination this time
| implorcd her again, Historically:
please don't make me sleep here. cam
not bear il. | shall die with fright They
frighten me so l am sick. l beg of you
not to leave me lhere."
"Now stop this crying and talking" she
said. These ladies arc all right. No one
is going to touch you. The night nurse Will
be in every hour to see that you are all
right. Just get into bed and go to Sleep
Stunned with the situation, / allowed
her to IindreSs me. l saw no way out OF
it but to declare myself or submit. And in
all my agitation felt confident that there
could be no danger TO me or they would
fort to be calm.
A NIGHT OF HORROR.
Yet as long as the light wa in the room
could see these frightful creatures and |
dreaded the light being taken away. In
a few moments l was placed in the bed
and l leaned up against the headboa rd
and watched the nurse depart. / am
afraid | was unreasonable enough to be
wildly bitter toward her, though j know
she simply did her duty under the circurn-
stances. She Is just, though stern and
undemonstrative.
When she went out she locked the door
behind her, and in minute the gas in
the corridor was turned out and the room
was left in absolute darkness. Never in
my life was more terrified. cannot eX-
aggerate the situation. II seemed 10 me
that | should die.
The woman below me continue d herscrub-
bing, a woman 10 the right fine was swear
ing N an intollerablc fashion, calling some
fancied enemy the vilest names she could
evolve from a wel-stocked vocabulary.
The idiot on the left of me was laughing
long, mirihless laughs, and over in a
corner some one kept calculating, ION,
my God! Oh, my Godr'
/ clasped my hands over my eyes and
cars and felt my brain reeling. In that
moment my altruistic ego spoke to me
clearly, calmly, distinctly. You are all
right. You have only to be calm. You
must be calm.''
In little while j conquered myself and
stopped weeping. l was filled with a
profound pity for these living wrecks.
All OF them seemed torn with a consumptive
cough, which kept them u n state ofagitate
retching. The air In tie room was filled
with the stencil OF this wcite ring humanity.
l cannot describe il; 1T is unwritablc.
And yet feel ii necessary 10 make plain
what mean N this point. for IN investiga-
ton would be worthless and suffering
thrownaway were II otherwise. Uncovered