Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1908-04-09
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some mischance have lost his balance
No, did not see him fall, but | heard
the crash. Yes it's frightfully sad
Here's my card Officer-JOhn Sister
son, builder, Wandsworth. He's my
partner, and as good a man as ever
stepped. Get an ambulance-yes, but
Toms dead. Best take him home
Dead repeated Sir john family; and
lapsed into silence.
The machinery of the sick brain
had stopped again; the eyes, which
had become suffused with blood clos
ed. and the lips drew together. Sir
John was to all appearances totally
inanimate once more as Christabel
bathed his face and did what she
could to ease him.
She was about to sit down by Sir
Johns side when she noticed for the
first time that Maxwell Sisterson was
standing in the room: he had come in
so softly that she had not heard him
enter, nor could she tell how long he
had been there. AS she met his gaze
she thought that he looked at her curl
ously.
He is asleep again" he said, in his
slow way.
Il am afraid that he's unconscious" "
said Christabel.
He's been speaking, nurse?"
Eyes, like a man in dream; he did
not know what he was saying"
He is sometimes like that = gen
orally once a day, | believe said
Maxwell. He suffers from a chronic
delusiOn - from a fixed idea, as Dr.
Flint calls it. His brain appears to
ravolve until some thing like a spring
is touched, his tongue is loosed, and
he speaks this nonsense. My poor
father talks of some secret, and of
the death of partner he had while
he was a comparatively young man;
he talked of these again just now,
nurse?"
Yes, he did"
'T know, for I heard most of what
he said. | have heard it all before.
The odd thing" he continued. in his
slow, hard voice, lis that there is a
secret in his-in our business; it is
the process by which our cement is
manufactured, but everybody knows
that that is secret And another
strange thing, nurse is that his part
ner was killed by falling from scat
folding. 1t happened long ago: in
fact before | was born-some years
before. His death made no great stir
at the time, and was Immediately for
gotten; my father was not the rich
and we'll known man he is to-day,
though he and his partner were in fair
circumstances. The secret of our
business and his partners death-it
is on these that my fathers delusion
are based; it is these that obsess his
brain. I have told you the facts. All
the rest that you have heard is sick
mans diseased fancy, as you will no
doubt have guessed for yourself"
of course, in his condition." said
Christabel, ''he is completely irrespon-
sible ! understand that thoroughly,
and / know that mems thoughts wan
der and take on strange shapes when
their minds are affected"
Yes: there is nothing unusual
about my fathers case. But I deem
ed it we'll that you should be acquaint-
ed with the actual truth; l. suppose
there is generally some foundation
for these fantastic imaginings of a
brain that has been injured You
will probably hear him repeat again
and again what he has said this even
ing-and it might get on your nerves.
Christabel thought that he meant to
be kind, so she thanked him.
ut was best to tell YOU" he said
MY poor fathers deluson is a mon
strously painful one to all of us. Flint
has tried various ways of keeping
him quiet. but they have not been sue
cessful; perhaps nothing would be.
And after a time you will become ac-
custOmed to these rawlings"
Yes" said Christabal; but it is
piteous to hear him.
"Have you ever had similar case,
nurse?"
Not quite similar, think" replied
Christabel. There are hardly any
TWO case OF 1Helltdl lIouDlt LHdL dIe
alike"
But the persistence of the thing,
the fixed deals that new in your ex-
perience?"
Il have never come across anything
of the kind, but | have heard and read
of it. 1t is not new thing"
mo, it is not new thing" said
Maxwell, who, all the time he had
been talking. had been gazing admir-
ingly at Christabel. do you know" he
said, with a sudden Quickening of his
voice, you don't look like a nurse one
bit; nobody would take you for one if
it wasn't for your dress"
Indeed" said Christabel, quietly,
looking from him to Sir John.
You are a very pretty woman" he
said, with d bold glance.
Indeed" said Christabel again, but
she flushed angrily and faced him. i
think you had better leave the room,
nantly. while she wondered what man
ner of man was this who would say
such thing while his father lay dy-
ing.
Il don't wish to be rude" he said.
alphabetically; but you must know
| that you are a very pretty woman
| for nurse" And. turning away from
her abruptly, he quilted her presence.
What a hateful mani" thought
Christabel; she recalled Lady Sister
| sons words of warning. and their
! meaning seemed now to be plain. Ev-
! identity Maxwell Sisterson was a man
| to be avoided as much as possible;