Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 January 1892 — THE NEW DOCTOR [ARTICLE]

THE NEW DOCTOR

BY TOM P. MORGAN.

** Gentlemen,” said Colonel Ferguson Pride, addfessiag certuin other prominent citizens of New Chicago then gathered in the single room-of the combined real estate, loan, insurance and collection office and 'bachelor .residence of tlie speaker. M we ore confronted by an epoch. Heretofore .it hits been our policy to welcome immigration with open arias, so to speak, bat mow the time has urtived for the <exereiso of discretion. Wlbat do you think, Eajishuw?" “ I reckon,” returned Air. Hank Famshu'w, sententious^.. “ That's so,” assented Air. Ike Fos'dick. M The mew doctor will have to ««•” Messrs. Banning mnd Benson wagged ■their heads in.affirmation. “ Exactly!” 'resumed the colonel. While working tfor the advancement of ■our .city as.a whole, we must also concider .the best interests of its citizens in the abstract.” “ Shorely!” -said Ike Fosdick, briskty. “An 1 'Weill -stand by Harry. The'new ■doctor will have to go.” “Mebby he’ll.try to -cut up rusty ’began Banning. "Let him cut!” broke in Fosdick. ■“We're able ifor him. ” As the ancient adage has it, two <of u iradetrarely agTee. But.it is Tare dadoed that'Oncofany trade or profession is possessed of partisans -so prejudiced that they will voluntarily take it upon themselves to purge his path of professional rivalry. Equally unprecedented was the determination of these .five prominent citizens of Now .Chicago—--asettlement as yet tiny almost todnsignificenee, but big with hope of future greatness —-to deliberately dqprive its census roll of an addition who might perhaps prove as .prominent as themselves andatfaetor lin the advancement of the hamlet toward that desideratum of all Western-settle-ments—a boom. Then, too, it was littlo short of amazing that Colonel .Pride—a self-convictod legislator in 'embryo — should coolly turn back an untested comer in whom, for all he knew, might be tho material of which active partisans are made. Conflicting representatives of other professions would probably have been left to-settle their differences after the good old fashion of the Kilkennycuts.or otherwise as they might elect. But now that the professional bailiwick of Dr. Harry Wakefield was trespassed upon, ■the matter was not one that, concerned the young physician alone, but his ’friends as well. Should they stand tamely by while an alien interloper was endeavoring to possess himself of the position and practice rightfully belonging to Dr. Harry? They emphatically ‘ reckoned” not. Dr. Harryihad "stood by ’ New Chicago in direst need, and New Chicago, represented by Messrs. Pride, Fosdick, Fanshaw, Banning and Benson, would "stand by” him. t Two years before had come the time of New Chicago’s dire.need. Apoorwretch, ' n deadly terror of dying alone, had drifted thither and thrown himself on the 'tender mercies of .the -settlement. He had kept, his ghastly -secret veil. The 'hamlet, boasted no physician tken, and it was not till his malady manifested its deadly nature so plainly that the tyre could not doubt, that they knew it was -small-ipox. Then it was too late for precautionary measures to avail; the seeds.of the posrtilence had been sown broadcast through the settlement. Then ensued a litile -season of chaos—-when despair reigned, the eve of a grim battle before the prospect of which strong men cowered for a little whileand trembling mothers clasped ■close wondering .children .and -sickened with dread. But inaction ireigned but for a little while, and .then the strong men turned -squarely toward the issue. They voluntarily isolated the -settlement from the world around and begin the grim battle with thepestilenoe. Then hudioame to them young Harry Wiakefield, ,a new-fledged graduate from mn Eastern medical college, who, while seeking a location in .the West for the displaying of his maiden “shingle,” Pad herjrd of New Chicago’s .extremity and flurried thither. What he lacked in experience .he made up in (will. The settlement took Peart, and presently the pestilence was conquered, but not until it Pad claimed for its prey more than one poor soul. And from thenceforth New Chicago called Harry Wakefield blessed, and Pis fame soon extended all over the adjacent county, and sometimes a whole day’s ride wus necessary to bring him to a more remote patient. And now there hud come as alien intent upon trespassing upon Dr. Harry's professional preserves. They knew little about the new-comer, and cared even less. The rising sun of the morning upon ifpich t e conference wus held in Colonel Pride's office had shown them, nailed to the door-frame of a modest cottage, this sign: “J. L. Ransom, ALD.” And that told them all they desired to know. So far ns they:had known, the only coiners to the settlement within tho last few days had been a young woman and an older one —mother and daughter they believed—and it had been rumored that they were to ocoupy alone the cottage which now displayed the offensive ign. No man had thus far been seen about tho cottage. It was now supposed that, the new doctor had arrived during the night and at on?e thrust out his sign. r lhe women were probably his mother and sister. Further than this the prominent citizens neither knew nor cared. A new doctor was there. ‘‘An’ the new doctor must go!” said Fosdick. And the others agreed with him. The women could stay or go, as they might elect. Ike Fosdick was for turning the doctor out headlong and thrusting him from the settlement with scanty ceremony. But the others were a trifle more conservative. It would be well to learn Dr. Harry's wishes in the matter. The interloper might possess paraphernalia that Harry would be glad to purchase, and besides it would be but fair to allow him to witness the downfall of his professional rival. It was dull waiting, especially as Fos-

<ffck continually fretted to he up •send ■doing, and so they decided to meet afar off Dr. Harry, who was expected to be returning from an all night’s visit to a distant patient. They did not meet him coining, and when they found him It was in a desperate plight indeed—lying insensible and bleeding in the grass-fringed prairie road. They understood the situation at a glance—his horse, frightened perhaps at a blowing tumble-weed or the sudden bursting of a jack-rabbit from a clump of iron weeds, had unseated bis master and drugged him cruelly, and perhaps kicked him, before his foot, which had remained fastened in the stirrup, had been released. They here him tenderly to the settlement. up the one short street,and knocked at the door beside which was displayed the offensive sign. "Looks as if the new doctor painted it himself,” growled Ike Fosdick. The yenng woman —now that they saw her bettertbe prominent citizens, knew that she was veryyoung, but just out of her teens —'opened the door. “Bring him right in,” she said,briskly. They did so, and placed poor Harry on the bed that, the young girl indicated. She -began to examine his wounded head im a prompt, business-like way. “We want the mow doctor,” said Ike Fosdick, hastily.

“I am the mew doctor,” answered the girl, without turning her head. “Mother, 'bring me a basim of water, please. I should like t© have one of you gentlemen remain and assist me. The meet will iplease go. Your presence now would hinder ratheir than aid me.” Colonel Pride remained and the others ■shuffled out,-so dumbfounded that, for the moment, they hardly knew whether they ■were'on foot or horseback, as Ik-e Fosdick afterword expressed it. “A girl doctor!" snorted Fosdick, presently. “Girls, as girls, is.all right.; but ns doctors —wuh! I’m a-feared Harry is da mighty poor hands!” Thomthers wore of the same-opinion, but it seemed as if they had done the best they could. They iniiseddejectedfy ■oyer the .matter till Colonel Pride joined 'them au hour later, with 'the information that Harry's right arm was shattered, his head contused, and that in addition to -sundry abrasions there was a possibility that he had sustained internal injuries. “Then -he’ll shore die!” growled Ike Fosdick, impetuously. “Ite good-bye, Harry, poor feller!” “I do not know that,” -said. Colonel Pride. “The young lady seems to understand her business.” When the conference was ended the others went their several ways wagging their heads.

For a week Harry’s life hung in the balance, and during that time the girl hovered over him it seemed almost constantly, and our friends voted unanimously that it was to her constant and untiring ministrations, more than to his own constitution that young Harry owed his life. “Gentlemen,” said Colonel Pride to the other prominent citizens, one day after the crisis was over, “I huve always maintained that woman should not go outside of her proper sphere in life; but —er — Well, there weie tears in her blue eyes when she sot the shattered bones in Harry’s arm.” This was not at all to the point, perhaps, but his hearers did not call him to account. “Yisterday,” said Benson, slowly—he was upver much of a talker—“when I sorto sa’nterod over to see if I couldn’t bo uv of some uSte, I heered suthin’ that kinder set me to thinkin’. I was tiptom’ around tho house as softly as I could, an’ ns I passed tho open winder I heered the girl prayin’ for Harry—jest a homely, earnest prayer to her dear Lord for Harry's life. I dunno as it’s what you might call custopiarv for a doctor to pray for a patient, but, sez I to myself, ‘lf a doctor mixes prayer with medicine I reckon the combination is hard to beat.’ ” ‘‘An’ I say, added Ike Fosdick, “that if a girl wants to be a doctor she’s got just as good a right to as anybody!” “I reckon she has,” agreed Hank Fanshaw. ‘ An’,” continued Benson, in his slow way, “she kept on a-prayin’ kinder ns if she was tellin’ her dear Lord all about it. Harry must live, not only for all that it meant to him, but the much that it meant to her, too. I s’pose she was that tired and worn with watchiu’ that her courage had kinder given out, an’ she felt as if she must tell it all to some one, an’ it seemed, too, as if her dear Lord wus about her only friend. I judged times had gone pretty hard with her, an’ that if she failed to make a livin’ start here, it was all up with her, so to speak. An’ she prayed on an’ on jest as if she was tellin’ all her troubles to a pitvin’ friend, an’ then her head dropped forward oil .her .hands as she knelt iby a ohair, an’—an’ then I come away.” Colonel Pride, never of a retiring disposition,.'had, during the days that followed the accident, made hiirffeelf os familiar .as possible with the antecedents ■of the girl doctor. Her mother, a slender, unworldly -woman, had .been .glad to pour the story into .the sympathetic ears ■of the colonel.

She was very proud. im a meek way, of J earn, and full of quiet faith in tho girl’s future. The past had been full of stern self-denial and brave struggling against privation, but she felt sure that Jean's triumph was not far off. The little widow und the fatherless girl had hoarded their sariugs long and well before Jean could begin her course at the medical college, and though mother and daughter practised self-deuial to a pitiful extent, their little savings were wellnigh exhausted ere the completion of the studies. “<And she worked, oh, so hard!” the little mother said, with moistened eyes. Then, when Jean graduated, they had put their two inexperienced heads together and decided that iu the West was to be found the field wherein Jean would presently win a modest measure of fame and fortune. There were great opportunities in the West, they felt sure, and bo thither they had gone, and by chance and the perusal of one of the grandiloquent and mostly foundationless boom circulars sent out by Colonel Pride, had been led to seek New Chicago. “ And here,” continued the little widow, “we have found friends, and Jean will be appreciated, I feel sure. It has been a long, hard struggle, but I think brighter days are iu store for us.” Then Colonel Pride came away. “ An’ this,” said Benson, slowly, “ is the doctor we air goin’ to run out!” “Who says so ?” demanded Ike Fosdick, briskly. No one answered. When next the prominent citizens met in conference in Colonel Pride’s office it was upon the afternoon that found Dr. Ha ry so far recovered that he had been able to leave Jean’s modest little house and walk weakly over to his own office. Colonel Pride was retieentand ill at ease. Hank Fanshaw taciturn. Banning and Benson well-nigh dumb, and Ike Fosdick grumpy almost to pugnaei*y " Gentlemen,” began the colonol, awk-

wardly, “we have emyraßsoJ tii* thoroughly, and—er —ah—■” “ I reckon,” agreed Fanshaw, “And—er—” continued the colonol, “ have reached the coucluskni that in considering tho interests of our fellowcitizens we—er —cunuot discriminate against the weak in favor of the strong We—er ” “Yep,” encouraged Fanshaw. “The case stands thus,” went on the embryo legislator. “Stands thus—er—” “Stands this a-wav,” broke in Ben-on, steadily. “Poor girl, tryin’ her best to make a livin’ for herself an’ mother —kin do it, too, if it wu’n't for opposition. If she hus to go —I—-er—only her dear Lord knows what’ll become of her an’ the little mother! I—l ” And there he stuck. “But Harry,” said Colonel Pride, in an almost accentless way. “Harry,” ndded Hank Fanshaw. “I reckon we love him!” And Fanshaw never spoke truer words. Love him? Aye! they loved him with the deep quiet love of strong men. “But ” began Colonel Pride. “But Harry’ll have to go!” uttered Ike Fosdick, sternly. And the others wagged their heads. Dr. Harry was not at his office when th-e prominent citizens, marching slowly and dejectedly, reached it. They shuffled solemnly over to Jean Ransom’s cottage. At the gate Colonel Pride, the embryo legislator, held back. They had decided to break it to him gently. “I can’t tell him, boys!” he said hoarsely. “I’ll tell him,” growled Ike Fosdiok, with desperate energy. The oottage door was open. As they ■crowded up to it there was a flutter ■within, and Fosdick’s astonished senses told him that he would have been warranted in taking oath that Dr. Harry’s uninjured arm had beeu around Dr. Jean’s waist. “Boys,” cried Dr. Harry, heartily, the while a decided dash of red shone in his pale cheeks, but less deckled than the red that dyed Jeanie's face, “I am glad you have come. Wc—l should not have told you for some time yet, but now you may as well know the happy news, for I know your congratulations will have the hearty ring of truth. Jeanie has promised to -become my wife. I —■” “ Whoop!" roared the sphinx-like Banning. ‘“That settles it all!” Dr. Harry did not understand him, but was too happy to inquire. “Ladies and gentleman, or —or” began Colonel Pride,grandiloquently,, as Harry, right before them all, placed his hand in that of blushing Jean. “Er—er—dear boy and girL, we do congratulate you, and —or ” “Como away, Prido!” wispered Ike Fosdick, hoarsely. “Come where we kin all yell!” When next the prominent citizens gathered at tho office of Colonel Prido that gentleman felt called upon to say something. “While I have always maintained,” he began, “that woman should not go outside of her proper sphere in life, “But her proper sphere is jest where she blame pleases to go!” broke in Ike Fosdick. “I reckon it is!” agreed Fanshaw. — [Frank Leslie’s.