Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-08-26

1O 5Du SFE tHdJ man vi IuC IlOuI
seat?" asked the doctor.
Following his glance | beheld tall,
thin man in black wedged between two
stout women in white. Their garments
half-submerged him, so that he seemed
impossibly meager-a mere black stripe
on the top Of which appeared counte-
nance more pallid by contrast with the
round, flushed faces on each side OF
him.
He was a German beyond question;
intelligent, even intellectual, II one
might judge by his looks. His yellow
hair. which he wore very long. curled
upward at the back of his neck. His
elbows were squeezed ont in front of
him, his hands were clasped together,
and he was gazing upward with sin
gular placidity of expression for one
who was being crushed and roasted.
That's my musician, Heinrich con
tinued the doctor. You remember my
mentioning the case to you-nervous
prostration. The fellows going to
break down, and it's too bad"
You merely told me, said |, that
the man was going TO pieces because
something was preying on his mind and
you couldn't find out what it was.
"Preeissly," responded the doctor.
This is the way of it: He was brought
to me by the girl who's going to marry
him. Her name is Martha. She's a
bright. smart, pretty girl who earns her
living by hard work very cheerfuily
and she loves this man with all her
heart.
1T was she who found out that he
was ill., He never would have known
1t. so she says. She came along the
first time and wanted me to give her
some medicine that would be good for
a man who was wasting away. That
was all she knew about his malady.
81 explained to her that it was usual
ly necessary for a physician to see his
patient. for the purpose of making the
two gliesses of the profession: what
the matter with the person? and, How
much OF a bin will he stand? She
showed a proper appreciation OF my
pleasantly and we concocted a scheme
by which Heinrich was induced to pay
me a visit
He confessed frankly that he was
not feeling his best, but scorned the
idea that anything serious was the
matter. He was losing weight and ne
didn't sleep well. He sometimes felt
weak, but could always control that
feeling by an effort of will. He had
headaches that were like a tight hat
damned down on his head, but II he
refused TO think about them they would
go away.
obviously nervous exhaustion-the
man was organically healthy, and his
life was well regulated-so said,
There's something on your mind.
He looked at me with those gentle,
honest blue eyes and shook his head
slowly in a sort of a wonder. How
could he be worried by anything in
the midst of so much good fortune? l
always knew that he was going to
marry Martha. Was not that enough
to make any one happy? A child
could have seen that the mans love
was strong and sincere and that he re-
garded it's success as a heavenly mira
Gle.
Any one dependent upon him? NO
one. Debts? Not q penny; since Sc
curing his present fine position he had
paid all. 1t was a great happiness.
He spoke as one for whom the sun
OF prosperity had dispersed all clouds.
I was a long time securing recogni-
ton he said, but it has come at last.
| am the leader of an orchestra. There
are only six of us, but we are all real
musicians. We play at the Mount
Holly cafe afternoons and evenings.
He went on to say that the pro-
prietor Of the Mount Holly was perfect
ly satisfied. The position could be re-
garded as permanent. He had absolute
control of the music, and no one both
cred him in the least. The work was
much easier than that to which he had
been accustomed in tne days of his adj
yersity.
The man was certainly well content
and yet he was just as surely suffer
ing from some severe mental strain.
lie cause was mystery. | came to
the conclusion that he didn't know
what 1t was himself"
II shou-a think it might be remorse
if ! hadn't seen the man. safd | con-
templating the gentle, earnest, spirit
uai countenance of the musician.
You will laugh when | tell you what
it is" responded the doctor. Martha
has solved the riddle. She toll. ME
yesterday afternoon. Its the noise"
WHAT noise?"
Why the noise In the cafe. Have
you ever dined there7"
had not done so recently, though the
place is much frequented by some of
my acquaintance. 1t is restaurant in
the park. and in the VARY weather
there are tables on the veranda beyond
it, under great awning that stretches
down to some steps where in the dinner
hours gay equipages or rumbling rick
ETY. cabs are all the time discharging or
taking on their human freight. 1t is a
laughing, rollicking crowd that gathers
at the Mount Holly, but | should not
have supposed that its noise could
shatter the nerves OF man who had