Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-05-12
"COnceit Kills, and COneeit
Cure8.s,
BY ANNA HoLYoKE.

Some years ago q young man, who
had been studying medicine with an ex-
cellent physician whom we will call DR..
x, began to think of practising what
he had learned on his own account. As
he was bidding farewell to his old tutor,
the old doctor said to him
'There is one thing my young friend
that I have never told You. 1t is an
important secret which but few physi.
clans fully understand.
"What is it ?" asked the young doc
tor, 81 want to know everything in
medicine worth knowing"
"The secret is so valuable" replied
DR.. X, ''that I cannot take less than
f30 for it." ir
Every well. replied the young man,
81 agree to pay you that sum when you
shall make it known to me.
"This then is the secret" said DR..
X, "Conceit kills, and conceit cures. F."
DR.. o. was somewhat chagrined at
what seemed to him something of an
imposition but sitting his indigna-
ton, he paid the fee and quietly went
his way. Several years passed and DR..
o. during very successful practice
often found occasion to remember the
saying. He worked hard, made money
and went abroad for q vacation. After
spending some years in France he re.
turned to his native land, where his
reputation as "the skilled French doc
tor" found him plenty of patients and
high fees.
In one of his long rides through the
country he chanced one day to pass the
house of his former instructor, DR.. Y.
The old gentleman was walking in his
garden at little distance from the
house, and did not see his former pupil,
who seeing him reined his horse up to
the gate, and said in very decided
though low tone to q bright-eyed grand
daughter of eighteen who sat knitting
on the door step, "Take that gentleman
into the house Immediately, and take
care of him, if you have any regard for
his life. Do you not see how i'll he
looks? He has every symptom of a
serious, and fear dangerous illness,
and 1 warn you to obtain medical ad-
vice for him without delay or I will not
answer for the consequences" So say
ing he galloped away and was soon out
of sight.
The family was soon alarmed, as the
young girl communicated what had
been said, to her mother. and others of
the household. They did not like to
tell the old doctor what had been said,
but telling him he did not look well,
they feared he was i'll, ETC., and per-
suading him to lie down, he soon began
to think he was really i'll. and the more
he thought of it the worse he felt, until
it was at last determined to send at
once for the celebrated French doctor
of whose wonderful cures they had
heard.
The doctor arrived shook his head in
an ominous manner, examined the
tongue and pulse, shook his head again,
and pronounced it bad case but said
he would do all he could for him. DIR.
D. was so changed in personal appear
ance that DIR. Y did not recognize his
old pupil who now gave his name a
French pronunciation and had alto
gether foreign aspect.
DIR. o. ordered first a hot bath for
his patient, and then leaving him two
or three kinds of medicine to be taken
every hour, left him, ordering perfect
quiet and rest. Next day he called and
pronounced his patient little better
but in a very critical state. Day after
day he renewed his attentions and pre-
and DR.. X. as well as his
family had begun to think this his last
illness when one day DR.. o. pronounced
his patient decidedly better. He now
gained rapidly and was soon quite re-
stored to health.
"Now DIR. O., said DIR. Y. one morn
ing, "let me express to you the graft
tude I feel for your devoted attentions
during my illness. I feel that you have
saved my life" So saying he handed
him q check for ESQ.
DR.. o. took it and handing back e2O
said, "Dr. X, will take f30, which is
Just the sum 1 paid you some years ago
for an excellent piece Of information
which you then gave me, viz. "Con-
ceit kills, and conceit cures