The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-31
Friday, August 81, 1906.

like that has to exist anyway, why can.
-cumstances7. That girl as daughter OF
New Jersey farmer is an anomaly. If
she mates at 'all'it must be with an
other New Jersey farmer, then she dies
after bringing a few degenerates into
the world Providence does things like
right things. That girl has had symp-
toms of about every known disease, and
my diagnosis has failed to prove the
existence Of one Of them. Yet there
are the symptoms. Call it hysteria, or
what you will. call it an injustice on
pose that is .blasphemy, but I am forced
to it. Can that girl help the longings
for her rights, her longings which are
abnormal1Y acute because Of her over
fine nervous system? Those longings,
situated as she, is, can never be salts
lied IN any way except for her own
harm. Meantime she eats her own
heart, since. she has nothing else, and
hearteating produces all kinds of symp-
toms. I am absolutely. powerless in
such case, tho sometimes I make a
diagnosis which think may be correct,
sometimes I think there is some organic
trouble which l can mitigate. But al
ways [ fall back upon the miserable
truth which I am convinced underlies
born into life which does not and
never will afford her the proper. food
for her physical and spiritual needs.
Oh, the horror in this world, and what
am I to set myself to right it9 Shut
the door"
1.-THE horses are uneasy" James
said.
"Never mind, shut the door, Glenn
ency is away, and Emma out in the
kitchen. I must speak to somebody,
or I shall go mad.''
James shut the door and turned to
Gordon, who sat rigid in his chair, his
hands clutching the arms. FDo you
think I did right7" he groaned. "You
know what did. Was it right?''
eff you mean about your wife,
James said, 81 think you did entirely
right .~
"But you could not,'' Gordon re-
turned bitterly. cit was too much for
you to attempt, and yet she was moth
ing to you as she was to me, and the
sin would not have been so terrible.'
~ had not the courage" James re-
piled simply.
"You did not think it right. You
did not wish to burden your soul with
such a responsibility / was wrong to
d try to shift it. upon you, wrong and
: coxardly, but she was bone of my bone
crime a@ for M me- murder is and suicid i It
was not because you had not the cOur.
age; you have faced surgical operations
and dissecting. You dared not commit
what you were not sure was not a
crime. There is no use in your hedg
ing, Elliot. I know the truth.''
"Still think you did right, - James
said stubbornly. "She had to die any
ply fastened it,
Gordon looked at James, and his eyes
seemed to fairly blaze with somber fire;
for moment the young man thought his
reason was unhinged. "But what am
/? Who is any man to take whip or
spur to the degrees of the Almighty, to
''She was suffering-'' James be-
"What of that's Who can say, tho
she had led the life of a saint on earth,
so far as anyone could see, what subtle
sins of life itself her pains were coun-
teracting? Who can tell but I have
would have compensated a thousand
times for those pains by shortening
them?"
cdr. Gordon, YOU are morbid
James said, looking at him uneasily.
..How do you know I morbid2 that
other-Nendon. Who is to say that was right
even about that? 1t is probable saved your
life, and possibly my own, as we'll as Clemency
from misery. But who say that death would
not have been better for both you and me than
lfc and even misery for Clemency had that
man lived?- God had allowed him life upon
EARTH I may have shortened that life. He
was monster Of wickedness but who say
that he not weapon of Cod and that I
have not done incalculable mischief by depriv-
ing him Of that weapon? There is only
consolation which have with regard to him:
unless my diagnosis was entirely at fault, he
would have had that attack of erysiDelas any
way. hardly think deceive myself with re-
gard to that. and there is very probable
chance that the attack would have been fatal
He had nearly lost his life twice before with
the same disease. That know. and do not
+, think that unless the poison was already in his
blood it would have developed 50 rapidly from
that slight bfuise. So far as the simple wound
from the dog went. he in danger what
ever: I have that consolation in his case, in
:: not being absolutely certain that caused his
death. I not even absolutely sure that