The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-11-09


, be q teacher? ? Yes, she might be ;
but he promptly decided that she
wasn't. She might be half Q dozen
other things, but he was sure she
wasn't. He stopped, appalled, by s
thought he had mentally extinguish-
ed two or three times. Might she not
be physician Every drop OF his
conservative bloOd-howing long
generations back, from the Scotch
Covenanters-curd at the idea,
Yet, Judging from the sptness OF her
afternoons performance, what more
likely than that it was the result OF
thorough training.
Life IN its hard, grinding, money
earning aspects had never come near
enough John Campbell 20 give him
any clesr or adequate conception OF
1t. He and his father and his grand
father before him had been born TO
the purple and fine linen of existence,
and whole mines Of silver could hardly
exceed the wealth their baby tongues
might have commanded. Esoh
had an income far greater than he
! spent thus tue Campbell possessions
bad increased, till the third John
could not have told within q small
. cAlChL VI ht6
Consequently, to work from necessity
and for money, was condition as
foreign to his consciousness as the
life OF slave. He had certain no.
ton Of men following profession or
engaging in business but that wO-
men should ever lAbOr for pay was an
anomaly he found difficult to recon-
cIle with his belief in an OverIuling
Providence. The Campbell women
have never worked. They had been
swathed in richest vestment5, had
lain on rose petals from their birth,
and when they had married-ss Mr..
Cambell believed it ever womRn's
duty to do-they had gone rarely
lowered to their husbands homes.
Therefore, while be admitted that the
lower classes OF women might be
forced to labor for their own support,
vet that q woman In his own rank
should be compelled to be her own
bread-winner he could scarcely COM
prehend. 1t was bad enough that
woman should be q washer-woman,
seamstresses, teachers, though these
calIings might be tolerated, since
they belong to the legitimate sphere
OF the sex. But from q woman who
should so far forget herself as TO study
a prOfession-a mans profession -
John Campbell's soul recoiled in
holy horror. That is to say, he re-
cOiled from the idea of it, for to his
knowledge, he had never come in con-
tact with so epicene q creature.
Thus it was quite nutural that he
should shrink from the possibility
that that low-vOleed, brOwn-haired
little lady, who had impressed him
more in half an hour than all the wO-
men he had known, could be aught so
unfeminine as a physician.
He could not help thinking about
her, despite his strongest effort and
his aristocratic mother, who presided
over his table and in his drawing
room, observed that he was singular
ly silent at dinner that day.
A fortnight later, Mr.. Campbell
had nearly forgotten his feminine puz-
zle, as he took his afternoon stroll
through the Avenue. The day was
clear, sharp, and wintry, growing
colder, hourly, and glazing the walks
with q thin, treacherOus covering
where the water had stood in the
morning. Pedestrianism was rapid
ly getting dangerous, and pedestrians
were as rapidly disappearing from the
streets. Absorbed in his own
thoughts, the much-sought bachelor
failed to notice the slipperiness of the
payements, until, just as he came to
q crossing, his dslntily booted feet
described large segment OF q circle,
and to his immense astonishment, he
found himself seated in the gutter,
with a pain in his wrist severe enough
to draw an exclamation OF surprise
from his lips. Picking himself up,
he looked about for q carriage. No
vehicle of any sort being within
haiIing distance, however, he was
Obliged perforce to get himself home
as best he could. When he was once
more by his own freside, his wrist |
hurt HIM intensely, and he dispatched
q servant for the nearest physi clan.
The man dashed unsuccessfully |
through two or three blocks, and at
last modest sign,
"P. BROWN, M. D."
stared straight into his face from the
balcony of plain little house in
side street. Ringing the bell furious
Iy, he inquired, "Is DIR. Brown at
home ?"
"At home, but engaged. Will be at
liberty In a few minutea."
"TeIl DIR. Brown to call at mum Der |
% street, Immediately, to dress q
spra!n."
The man rushad back to his master
to inform him that DR.. Brown o.
street would attend him at once. On
the heels OF this statement came q tap
1T the door, and the servant an
nounced "The doctor, sir w with so
questioning an emphasis that MIR.
Campbell turned hastily toward the
entrance, and beheld woman Not
only a woman, but the woman who
had been bathing his penetration for
the past weeks. He was bewildered.
RoPuishness tWinkled in the brown
ewes, beIying the sober mouth, as she
said, with q semi-business air, ''Pene-
lope Brown, M. D., at your service,
sir 7"
"I he'd no idea that Brown was a.
the patient, more thor
UcghI7 i'll at ease than he could re-
meElbar ever being.
az woman, you were going to say,
sir. / presume not. Nor ehould l
have Ventured to come here had not
your messenger departed from my
house before he could be informed of
the fact. 1 will go away now, unless
you are suffering so much that you
desire to have me look at the injury"
with Just q suggestion of sarcasm in
the tones.
HBy-by no means % interpOsed
Mr.. Campbell, hastily. f'I should. be
Obliged to You IL you would examine
1t at once. 1t has already swollen q
good deal, and is very painful ;" and
he turned back his sleeve, barring the
puffy, discolored wrist.
It must be admitted that while
those slender, delicate hands were
softly feeling the hurt, soothing the
pain with their cool swift touch, Mr..
Campbell,s prejudices against women
who unsex themselves by following
8 profession were rapidly evaporating.
BY the time the sprain was carefully
dressed, and the unlucky arm resting
on q low cushion, he was almost TAX
ing credit for having called this deft
fingered woman-sO prone is human
nature to felicitate itself on happy ac-
cidents-in place OF some iron-handed
man, who would have done his WORK
with half the delicacy, and not
whit better.
''I think" said DR.. Brown, rising
and putting her shawl about her
shoulders, proudly determined he
should have her no more unless he
chose to, "that your servant, who has
watched me closely, can dress the
sprain properly hereafter, and that it
will be unnecessary for me to come
again. You think you can, do you
not ?n Turning toward the valet,
who transfixed with horror at the
whole proceeding, had never lifted
his eyes from the Doctors face.
fsNo, no, beg you will call to-mor-
row." interposed the patient, as ca
gerIy now to have her come as he was
first abashed by her coming. 81
really don't feel willing to trust my
man yet. You must Oblige me by
calling till 1 am ready to discontinue
your visits"
At last promising, DR.. Pen, as her
familiar patients called her, departed,
and Mr.. Campbell lay back On the
lounge to recover his composure,
which had been sadly ruffied by the