Year: 1873

4 STORY OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.


The Major is a capital fellow, doctor,n
| said rs we sauntered cut to smoke our
cigars. after an early dinner; ''but he
ought to be more merciful to us wretched
bachelors. What with his charming wife
and exemplary baby, he makes it difficult
to respect the tenth commandment"


You admire Mrs Layton?"


Admire her, If she were not Charities
wife, should fall head over ears in love
with her. | have seen fairer faces, but
for dear, pretty, delicate, womanly ways,
never met her equal"


You couldn't understand mans thirst
ing for her blood ?''


Good gracious! A wretch who could
touch one Of her golden hairs roughly de-
serves to be crucitied"


And yet for many days she was in
deadly peril of her life


''For her fortune?N


''She had none


''Don't tell me, Doctor, that an innocent
creature like that could give any cause for
revenge"


no; | won't tell you anything of the
sort


Il think | see Some one was madly
in love with her


IF YOU were to guess till this day out
YOU would not find the cause" said my
friend Let me sit down here, and [
will explain It's no secret; ! wonder the
Major has not told YOU"


'.Down here" was on rustic seat that
the Majors pretty wife had made at the
end of his garden, close to where little
rill tinkled its way through his grounds


During the war" began the doctor, 81
served in the army, in the same regiment
with an old schoolmate He was as fine a
soldier as ever drew sword Hale, hearty,
and sound in mind and body eager to see
srrvice-and he saw plenty. | thought he
bore Il charmed life, till one day he was
carried into the hospital tent in bad way.
\ bah had entered his shoulder, glanced
on the clavicle (what you call a collar
bone and had gone-somewhere. That
was all we could tell, tor there was no
other oriiice; but whether it had passed
up or down, or taken some erratic course
round about, such as balls will take, we
knew not, and no probing could find out.
Well, he recovered and went North to
regain his strength, and for nearly three
Years lost SIGHT of him. When the war
was over and had begun to practice as
a civilian IN New York, | met him again.
But how changed. He was living
skeleton, and l saw in moment that he
had become habituatcd to opium. Do you
know what that means Well, throw
bucket of water into piano, and then
light a fire under IT, and its strings will
not be more out of tune than an opium
smokers nerves are out of order. He
asked me if he might call on me at my
Office and of course | aSSented but it
was DAYS before he came, and when he
did arrive | knew that he had been pre-
pairing himself for a fight with himself
Some foolish patients come prepared to
hide the truth, some to magnify their ills
1t is a part of our business, in serious
eases to examine a mans mind before we
ask about his body; and hardened as a
surgeon must be, confess that the condi-
ton Of my poor friend frightened me-
There was an expression in his eye that
had never seen in any sane being; and
what made this worse, was the calm, bust
ncss-lil1e manner in which he spoke. He
told me that soon atterhe had (apparently)
recovered from his wound, he began to
suffer from pains in his head, which in
creased in severity till they became so





to alleviate them but have not come
to consult YOU about this he said, this
| can bear-must bear. Would to God
they We're always tearing me! The worst
is when they are not.


They leave You very weak ?" | sug-
gested.


They leave me-" he replied, quite
calmly, with a burning, but unconquer
able desire TO take human life"


| am not generally Il nervous man, but
| started and looked round me for some
weapon Of defence Don't be afraid,' he
continued, with sad smile, '.the fit is
not on me now should not have come
if ii had been have been nearly starved
once or twice, not daring to leave my
room. ! can conquer my madness now
the question is, how long | can continue
to do So | feel that it is growing upon
me. feel my power Of resistance be-
coming weaker and weaker-the craving
for blood getting stronger and stronger
am like a man who has slipped over a
precipice, and feels the earth and shrubs
TO which he clngs, slowly, slowly, surely,
surely giving way with him. have brought
wretched ours out of the street, and killed
them, in my frenzy, in the hope to exhaust
il on them 1t is no use | must have
human life


Amy human life" inquired, ''or some
one III particular ?'


why do you ask this, Doctor2" he
cried, getting suddenly excited.


mo matter; go on


'tSometimes,' he resumed, ''it seems as
if any life would do; and sometimes
Doctor, four days before l saw you l met
upon a New Jersey ferry boat, young
girl SO pretty SO refined and nice! l
followed her to her horle-the devil that
has taken possession of me, led me, She
went in, and soon came out again into her
little garden, and tended her flowers
poor child! Doctor, if had had pistol
with me | should haye shot her. You
may smile; but some day soon shall take
a pistol on purpose, and shoot her"


1t was clearly no use arguing with him.
The best way with such people is to admit
their facts and try to work round them.


''Then,' said |, 1.-THE only thing you can
do is TO submit to the restrictions of an
asylum till this feeling has passed"


1T will not pass If We're to 60 to
mad-house, should sham sane. Sooner
or later, their vigilance over me would be
relaxed. Then should murder my keeper
and go straight for that innocent girl"


Then leave the country"


''Well, that would save her; but Doctor,
one life is us dear 10 it's holder rs another
If don't Kill her, shall kill soMe one
else"


''My dear fellow" replied, In as light
a tone rs | could assume, "these fancies
are curable. Put yourself under sAillful
medical treatment You are all to bits,
physically: Get sound in body, and you'll
get all right in your mind"


''On the contrary, am all to bits. as
you say, mentally, and my body suffers
through my mind Medical treatment! l
have consulted every practitioner of note