The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-01-30
POPULAR TALES.
The Doctors Third Patient:
OR, "REMINISCENCES or OLD Err. MICAH ASHER
ny Rev, John Todd, ID. ID.

had made up my mind to live and die poor.
There were nostrums, indeed, which might
have ridden into notice, and / knew that with
aloes, colocynth, and calomel, I could make pills
by the barrel, and promise that they would cure
all diseases that ever afflicted humanity, and /
could roll up fortune by lying daily about plas-
ters and loxengcs; but from my soul abomina-
ted All empiricism and resolved tina. would be
honorable in my profession, or would starve
My third patient had not yetcalled for me. Full
of manly resolutions to do right and honorably,I
could not conceal from myself feeling of jeal-
ousy VIXEN saw carriages loaded with people
90 past my Office and call cdr. Bradis, the ce-
lebrated Indian doctor / knew the charlatan
could hardly read or write, knew nothing about
the human system, and next to nothing about
diseases. Yet with his impudence and cool
boasting, he had no lack ofpatients. How peo-
pie love to be imposed upon! At length, when
my hopes began to sink, on returning home one
evening from my solitar, office,-for home,
called my boarding place. found short note,
written in a neat, delicate, and thought, tremb-
ling hand, intimating that aMiss Lucy Braisley
desired to consult DIR. Asher professionally and
confdentially this evening or tomorrow morn
ing, as will best suit his convenience" 1t was
too late to go that night, especially as having
seen Miss Braisley walking out just at sunset,
knew she could not be very sick herself. How
and forming all manner of conjectures as to the
nature Of the consultation desired! But who
was Lucy Braisley? This did not know, ex
cept that she was beautiful stranger to whom
had been introduced, who had come to spend a
few months in our village with distant relative.
She was dressed in deep mourning, was an or
phan, understood to be poor, though once in
great affluence, and beautiful she certainly was,
as every beholder testified. By some means or
ofhor r kod ~ inf, fho horr
latlve, and suspected that it was to her influence
that was indebted for my call Had the young
stranger the first ssslight cough and the first
'hectic flush, which are such sure heralds of
the awful destroycr-the consumption? l re-
solved that never should patient be treated more
carefully Had she some chronic disease, hid
den, but sure to make war upon the system till
it had destroyed it, would leave no efforts
unmadc, by which to dislodge the foe. Long
before morning had imagined and treated
score of diseases in my new and fair patient.
even rose an hour earlier than usual, and read
what books | had on ssScrofula,' sPhthisis,'
and sSpine.'' Nor need feel ashamed to own
that brushed my boots, coat hat and hair with
at least common care, and drew on my best
gloves at an early hour. On my way studied
what might be the golden medium between the
cheerful, buoyant look with which a physician
wants to encourage his patient and that long
show that he has deep sympathies, and feels the
responsibilities of his position. am inclined to
think the latter predominated, for my saying
to the young lady, that hoped she was not Sc
riously i'll, she burst into laugh, and said she
was never once in better health in her life.
threw myself at once upon my dignity, and said
that as she had done me the honor to intimate
that she wished to consult me professionally,
and as she was in such perfect health, was at
a loss to know how l could assist her. She dis
missed her looks and tones of levity at once, and
gave me to understand that she wanted my as
sistance in behalf of an uncle, rich merchant,
who was at that very moment confined in chains!
Ia mailman! .a.
'We have consulted many distinguished ply
sicians, sir, but they give us no hope of his re-
covery. He is so violent that he has to be chain
ed day and night, and is especially outrageous
when come into his presence. My aunt, his
wife, received a terrible shock on hearing my
uncle return from Europe, where he went on bu-
siness, raving in madness, and she is now a
bed Of sickness. She had heard of you through
the praises of backwoodsman, whose wife he
says you cured eff a sit of ravin' distraction in
less than no time!' Is that so? l was commits
stoned by my aunt to come to this village, and
if your character stood as she hoped it would, to
see if she could not get you to take my uncle
under your special charge, with the hope that he
may be restored to reason but if this may not
be, that he may be made as comfortable as posi-
BILE. have been reading some French writer's
on Insanity, and I have acquired some new
thoughts in relation to it. Perhaps you would
like to read them? If so, they are at your SER
vice." She pointed me to at least dozen of
volumes which by their binding knew must be
French. What could do could read French
but very imperfe ctly-next to nothing, and
longed to get at the thoughts and views in those
volumes, and dared neither to say that could
or could not read French / believed my face
must have shown troubled expression, for she
said in kind voice, "Doctor, perhaps you would
like to think Of our proposition few days, and
in the mean time will send over the volumes,
and you can dip into them or not as you can COM
mand leisure.
It appeared in evidence, as the lawyers say,
that the history of her uncle's madness was as
follows: At very early age the two brothers,
James and John Braisey, left their home among
the hills to try their fortunes in the city; they
were apprenticed to the same mercantile house,
and served their time together. 1t was soon
found that James was the boy for bargain. If
forced sale was at hand, he knew it, and ap-
priced his employers accordingly. If lot of
goods none the choicest, came in, James would
contrive to sell them without delay. On one &C.
casien large lot of molasses was to be sold on
the wharf. When the first hogshead was put
up with the privilege of taking tone or the
whole, = it was observed that a carman, with his
face dirty, and in his well-soiled frock, and a
whip in his hand, was eager to bid. He did not
hang back and try to appear Indifferent, as the
merchants did. He was prompt, and the mer-
chants concluding that the poor fellow had con-
trived to scrape money enough together to buy
"a whole hogshead," did not bid against him
Down came IKE hammer of the auctioneer, and,
ssWell, carman, how many will you take?'" "Ill
take the whole!" tsThe whole! who will be re-
sponsible for yous" 'sGriffin and Lang" The
auctioneers and the owners raved, but there was
no help, and james Braisley, in the carman's
dress, bad made two thousand dollars for Griffin
and Lang, by that stroke Griffin and Lang
pocketed the money, praised James for his
and promoted him in their store.
On another occasion, being sent to the Office of
the commissary Of the navy on some Grand, and
while the officer was out, he took the liberty to
peep into his papers. Among them he found an
advertisement soon to be printed, inviting pro-
posals for large quantity of vinegar for the ma
W, to be delivered at an early date. What does
The fellow do, but whip round to all the vinegar
dealers in the city, and engage SO much of their
,tock as to render it impossible for them to throw
Il proposals. The result was, that Griffin and
nnU III nm enormous advance furnished the vi