Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 December 1881 — KILL OR CURE. [ARTICLE]

KILL OR CURE.

One evening, late in November, an elderly man, with beetling brows, piercing gray eyes, thin, compressed lips, and long bony ’hands, eat in a shabbily-furnished room in a eplendid old house, casting up accounts by the light of a eirgle candle. The weather beiug cold, one of those baskets for lfreooftls which are sometimes appropriately called “kill joys,” glimmered in the huge grate. The door of the room which op med into the line oakpaneled hall was ajar, and presently a servant girl, bearing a riight, flitted by from the staircase. Her master called her, saying: __ “Hi, Jenny! come here. What makes you look so Beared? Is your mistress worse?” “I’m afeared so, Sir. Timothy.” “Eh! what? really bad?” “Ye-es.” “Going to die?” .) “She says so, Sir. Timothy; and oh! he looks it, too. Ohj sir,” cried the 0 "irl, earnestly, blurting out what was bn her soul, “if she were to die without a doctor!” The abuormal possibility shocked Sir. Timothy Grabham also, the invalid being in a manner dear to him. It was a very {.aieral sotiou amongst his neighbors and tenants that the man was incapable of caring for anybody; but that was prejidice; he did care for his wife, after his own fashion. It was not an enthusiastic attachment, or a deep one; I do not suppose he loved her as well as a good bargain, for example; but comparisons are qdiqus. He remained silent for a while, looking down, and then muttered: ? “I declared that I would never send for that fellow Radford again,” which was au error on his part; lie had never made that rash observation —it was Mr. Radford who had vowed Le would not come. “Shall Charles go for Dr. Rid/ord, please, Sir Timoty.” “There is uo one else; so I suppose he must.” » Jeuny vanished in search of that footmau-eroom-garduer named Charles aud her master tried to get back into his sum, but made a mistake 2}d, aud relapsed into revery. Sir Thomas Grabbam was uot a nice if he had remained indifferent to, his wife’s condition he would have been a monster. She had now, for thirty years, devoted herself to the difficult task of pleasing him; she had brougjit-cim money, ami saved him money; born economical, she had developed the faculty into extreme meanness to gain his approbation. Passion would have been out of place at his age aud hers, but he esteemed her. . After a hard day’s work, Dr. Radford had turned into bed with the snug conviction that he was going to remain undisturbed up to 8 o’clock on the following morning, for his last “lady’s case” was going on as favorable as if civilization had been unknown, and no fellow creature looked to him for an introduction into this world for the next fortnight to come. But at- 11:30 his sleep was broken by the night bell, aud he had to wrench himself ffrom his warm nook in the feathers, feel for his dreseiug gown and slippers, blunder into bis dressingroom, which looked out on the front of the house, and open the window. “What it it?” he shouted, shivering as the frosty night air blew iu upon his face, aud played about liis unprotected legs. “Please, sir, it’s me.” “Idiot!—your name.” “Charles, from the Hall.” ‘“Then, Charles, from the Hall, you may go back again, for I am not cuming.”

“My lady is very ill, sir.” “Can’t help it. Tell' your master that I won’t attend him or his family, and he needn't send any more messages, as I shall muffle the night bell.” v_Aud with these words the doctor down the window. “What are you doing, John?” said a voice from the best presently. •Vi'ying a stocking round the clapper of this confounded bell,” , “What for?” “Toget a good sleep, insplteofSir Timothy Grabham.” ‘,‘Whv, he has never sent for you!” “He nas, though, the insolent screw; his wife is ill.” “Well, well, don’t tie ud the bell, John; she may be really bad—dying, you know.” “What’s that to me?” * I know they have treated us very badly; a rich man like that to refuse to pay for your attendance; it is unheard of! But. other people might want you.” “Not likely.” .“No, but it .Is just possible. Don’t muffle the bell.”/ I need bardlv tell the married reader that the doctor got growling into bed, with the bell-clapper free to rouse him out agaiu. In au hour’s time the hit of iron availed itself of that liberty, but for some minutes Dr. Radford deelined to stir. Consideration of his wife’s rest, however, at length induced hfta to turn out once more and again gd through the process refrigeration. “Bir Timothy’s messenger again, I suppose!”he cried. “No,” replied a well-known voice; “I.am here myself.” .•Tor what* purpose, Bir Timothy Grabham, do you come and disturb my, when you know very well that I never intend to enter yonr doors again?” “Ay, ay, ’’replied the voice from befow; “but this Is not the time to bear malice. I tell you that my wife is

dangerously ill—dving r I believe; and If she dies tor want of medical assistance, you will be responsible.” “Not so; tbe responsibility will all lie on your own shoulders. I am a po* r man, working hard for my living, but no one ever knew me to neglect a patient because he could not pay me. Two-thirds of my work is done for nothing, or next to nothing, aud those who can afford it ought to take some share of the burdon. more especially you, the lord of the manor, under whose protection the whole placed by Providence. Instead of which, you refuse to pay me for actual attendance upon yourself and family for upward of a year!” “Stay, stay!” cried Sir Timothy; “you mistake; I never refused to pay you, I only omitted to do so. You are really wrong to look upon it as a personal matter, because I never pay anyone unless I am actually obliged. Why did you not bring an action? But come lei; us see if we cannot do business together. Save mv wife aud I will pay you £IOO. There!” “Eh?*’ said Mr. Radford, rather staggered. “But you know there is no taking your word for anything.” “Come down and let me in, and I will put the promise down iu black and white,” said Sir Timothy. “That sounds like business,” the doctor, not altogether sorry for an excuse for going to the aid of a dying woman. So he shut the window, put on some clothes, and admitted Sir Timothy Graham, taking him into his consulting room and lightning the gas. “Now, how am Ito word it?” inquired die baronet, taking up a pen and arranging a sheet of foolscap before him. •“I promise to pay the sum of £IOO to Mr. John Radford, sufgeon, if he cures ’ ” “No, no,” interrupted the doctor; “it is ouly quacks who make such bargains as that; I must have my fee, whether I am successful or uot.” “Very good—‘surgeon, for attending upon my wife, kill or cure.’ Will that do?” "Yes, that will do: but sign it.” “Oh, oh! I forgot. How stupid!” And Sir Timothy appended his name to tiie document, aud then, putting ou Iris great-coat and bat, the doctor lelt tin* house with his successful visitor.

He found Lady Graham very ill indeed, quite past human aid in fact; and though he was indefatigable in his attendance, and performed that feat which is popularly called -‘exhausting the resources of his art,” she sank on the third day. The widower was not inconsolable. The undertaker took some timber which had lately been felled in part payment in expense; and on the very day of the funeral, Sir Timothy let a farm, the lease of which had expired, for an’increased rent, without having to do as much in the way of repairs as lie had anticipated; so that he was enabled to bear the domestic misfortune like a Spartan. After a decent lapse of time Mr. Radford sent in a note referring to the promise which Sir Timothy Graham had made him, and requesting a check for £100; and no answer being voucl - safed to tim communication he presently wrote again, in more urgent lauguage; but the second letter was ignored as quietly as the first. Then the good doctor got angry, and meeting his debtor in the course of his rounds, he upbraided him with his condpet, and threatened to take legal proceedings. “Quite right, doctor—quite right,’’ said Sir Timoihy. “Force me to pay you, and I will do it; but 1 never part with a farthing except under compulsion; it is against my principles, and I am sorry I cannot make an exception in your favor.” So Dr. Radford put the matter in the bauds of a lawyer; aud -in due time the case came up. It was a gay day in the little country town, for the case excited a great deal of curiosity and amusement. The poor doctor, who was a general favorite, had been pitilessly chaffed, though everybody hoped for aud anticipated his success; and the court was crowded with county magnates. It added to the attraction of the affair that Sir Timothy Grabham, with all his faults, had the merit of being consistent. He would not employ a lawyer, but conducted his own case. Of course the doctor’s solicitor was jubilant, and quoted the proverb which avers that a man who so acts has a fool for a client. “Not but what the case is clear enough,” he added; “all the lawyers in London could not get him off paying up.” And indeed it did seem simple. The doctor was put into the witness box aud told his story, aud Sir Timothy did not question the correctness of it: on the contrary, he openly said that, to the best of bis remembrance, everything had occurred exactly as described. “But,” he added, “I should like to look at the document which has been alluded to, and ask the plaintiff a question or two about it.” The memorandum was handed to him, and he read it aloud: “‘I promise to pay the sum of £IOO to Mr. John Radford", surgeon, for attendance upon my wife, kill or cure.’ Exactly. Well, Dr. Radford, did you cure her?” “No; that was impossible.” “Did you kill her?”