Iron County register., 1899-12-07

ana an OnSOpHlStlCat6O ldtbu III Tue
promised rest. refreshment and sleep.
Alas! How disproportionate the frui-
ton to the hope! For five minutes he
is easy and restful. but just as Nor
pheus' embrace is closing about his
wearied frame, comes kink In his
comfort, aud a readjustment Is neces-
sary. This repeats itself again and
again, like the call to a sleeping tele-
grapher, until utterly wearied and
miserable and disgusted. he restores
his chair to dts erstwhile non-recum-
bent position and resolves to be stolid-
ly awake since he cannot go comfort
ably asleep. To me the old-fashioned
day coach, if not crowded, is para
disc of restful possibilities in compari-
son with the broken faith Of its more
aristocratic successor.
So dozed, and yawned and expec-
torated the heightened way TO Mem
phis, in the darkness of night and
cheerless gray of rainy morning.
The lowering clouds and persistent
father of the rain made dismal the ad-
vent OF the newborn day, and the
whole city was dripping, dripping with
the chilly wetness thereof. After a
hasty lunch on an oyster stew, grate-
full in its steaming holiness, fortunate
ly struck the proper street car and was
in due time transferred to the South
ern Railway station. The train was
.'done made up," and, after half
hours waiting, steamed it's way out of
mans creation into the more blessed
and extensive domain OF Gods handi-
work.
The trip to Asheville, my destina-
tion, taking nearly twenty hours, it
became profitable to abandon the chair
car and take a .'sleeper"-a transit
tion happy as the change from a log
wagon to one of Collins surreys. The
sleeper is rarely crowded, and your seat
is yours, and your right to it no man
or woman may dispute. Your
neighbor usually has the affability of
travelled experiences; he Is more cos
mopolitan than the ordinary short-trip
passenger, and is quicker to avail him
self of the amenities OF passing ac-
quaintance. On this occasion less
than half the berths were occupied,
and only two ladies bent their pres
ence to grace the journey. One of
them was being taken by her husband
to this city In the forlorn hope of re-
covering to her the blessing OF health.
They were residents of Chicago and
had been sojourning at a sanitarium'
in New Mexico, but the altitude of
that locality was too great for her
weakened heart, and Asheville was
recommended as possessing the cli-
mate most favorable to her condition.
She ia suffering from tuberculosis
that dread disease which numbers its
victims in greater multitude than do
all the devouring pestilences combin-
ed. The devoted husband and afflict-
eG wife are yet IN the prime OF life,
and are financially we'll fixed, the re-
suit of years of industry and frugal
management. But now when the
fruits of their labors are ripened to
the plucking comes affiictlon's hand
and lays its weight upon their happi-
ness. The stricken wife Is not even
cheered by that hope with which con-
sumption nearly always cheers it's VIC
tins to the end, and, while accepting
the inevitable, she breads the suffer-
ing which leads TO certain dissolution.
just three years ago, almost to a day,
another husband and wife came over
the same road to this health resort,
returning home after few months
that she might lay down the cares o;
life among the scenes of earlier hap
piness and sustained by the minister
ing hands of relatives and friends.
With the vivid recollection of those
days of anguish and despair. it is not
singular that the writer's heart went
out in sympathy to these actors in the
ever recurring drama. Surely all the
joys of the promised Paradise can no
more than repay the trials and dis
tresses which impede the way to it's
everlasting portals!
Talking of disease and death, the
mind reverts TO the doctor. In one
particular his profession, arduous and
exacting as it is, makes amends TO him
in time of ultimate doubt and absolute
certainty. He sends his patient TO
some celebrated Fountain of Health
and washes his hands of results. If
the F. of HI. cures, we'll and good; Ii
not, it is perfectly plain that all
earthly means has been exhausted,
and the doctor does not claim to be a
worker of miracles. Fate is beyond
him. and it is unreasonable to ask him
to set aside its decrees; yet / some
times wish there were less Latin and
more certainty in his diagnosis.
E. ID. A.