The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1873-04-12


out Of the way. Let me see.'
While he was pondering thus the boy
was thinking Of the same subject but in
very different strain. Young rs he
was he became satisfied at the death Of
his father that he had not been fairly
dsalt with, but could prove nothing
Doctor Monroe Skinner was the only
physician OF any note in that part of the
country. His word was laE in all
questions of medicine, and it would
have been bold mau indeed, who
would have dared to accuse him of NAL.
practice. But, had such charge been
made, lrw could it have been proven +?
There was no chemist to analyze the
contents of the stomach of 1iie dead
man-uo one sufficiently skilled in
poison to apply the proper tests, Spd the
standing of the doctor would have out
weighed score Of witnesses before the
uneducased juries common upon the
frontier ut that time.
But the poor orphan boy had his own
opinion Of the matter. He rcmembo
the last and fatal sickness of his father
his last kind words-the icuderu ess
with which he had always been treated
and he could not understand why he
should have been lett boggar.
Perhaps others thought the same, but
they were wise in not expressing it, and
making an enemy Of the nabob of the
tr' utter villlge. They knew little of
the final sickness of John Manning. He
had died suddenly, with no oncssave his
only son and the physician. and the
account the latter had given of it could
not we'll be questioned. But he was a
rich man-that is, he was the owner cf
many acres of wild laud that would
Iapidly increase in price,, aud sAwhen it
was found that he had willsd ~ tc
tMohrue S Emncf, they shf5Sk thef. ) esds
douhl!n'ly. However, there were noue
to lock after the interests of or take the
part of the boy, and he drilted from
place to place, though often visiting the
doctor and ondcaycring to obtain what
he firmly believed was his right.
But again and again he had cen re
pulsed, even though the phy.ician made
great show OF tenderness 80 Au in
pubic, talking loudly Of hat he in
tcndcd to do, aud never doing it; pro
ies.ing TO pity a..d at h, same time
cursins-l laying the saint and living
the vaunting his liberality and
keeping his pockets closed, and at last
resolving to remove the boy from his
path, though shuddering at even the
name mulder like one who had already
tasted of the bloody cup.
If he had done 80 it could never be
proved upon earth-uo, not until his
trembling soul awaited judgment before
a higher tribunal.
Rising from his chair-takinr
another draught of his fnvorite pre-
scrip,ion (f"r himself !)-Monroe Skin
ner walked t" the window and grew still
more angry, ns his eyes rested upon the
pallid face OF the b"y, who was still
lying at little distance, with his head
resting against the trunk of tree.
Repeating his favorite expression, he
retreated beyond the eyes of the boy
that even ,ppear,l to him to be reading
his guilty soul, communei with himself
for long time, and then finding tn 1t
John Manuing Che bore the same name
as his dead falher) had disappea ed, he
started forth, mounted his horse, and
rode out Of town, with his customary
dignifed bearing aud not to be read
face, when lie choose to CONCEAL his
emotions.
But it was no patient that had called
him from his comfortable office, as soon
became apparent; for, turning aside
from the vicinity Of the sparse settle
ments, he struck into wooded path
and went on until he reached u little
group Of wigwams Of the Indians one of
whom-a snchem, by the engls plu mes
twined with his scalp lock--hc Familiarity
addressed and motioued aside, SO that he
could converse with him uubeard.
The medicine of the pilc faces want
more Of the root iha. 4rows in the deep
swamps ? said the Iudian Gaestioniug-