Connecticut western news., 1876-10-13
HIS OWN MEDICINE.
The Story of Village Doctor who was Always Drunk

Old Dr. Bunker was @ stout, red faced man of about sixty, in perpetual state of intoxication. Sometimes he was worse than at others, but he was always drunk.
 s'Now, only see" some admirer would exclaim, "you go to Dr. Bunker and state your case, and he may be so drunk as to be scarcely able to open his old sad dle bags, and yet he will give you some- thing, that will go to the spot and no mistake. What a man he would be if he would only keep sober.''
 This fame of the doctors, however, came to tragic ending. We had among us, widely known and much loved, a little girl sadly crippled from her birth. Her delicate and morbid condition seem- ed to stimulate her brain, so that she became renowned throughout the valley as an intell sctual prodigy. Unable to walk, she was carried to school by her parents. She was an only child, and it was pitiable to note the pride they .ook in her culture. At best she was not long for this world, and her exit was being hurried by the cramming to which her fond friends and relatives subjected her. Her pure white soul seemed ito shine through her delicate face, which even traces of pain and the sad, waiting patience of frequent disap- pointment failed to mar. At spelling bees and other public exhibitions of the schools crowds would gather to applaud the clear, silvery voice that so readily responded to the vexing questions. In this way Lucy Hooper came to be so generally known and so much beloved.
 Little Lucy" one would say, " has an answer ready to any question; and as for spelling, she's ahead of the master. 7" |. When about ten years of age little Lucy developed 8 new torture in the shape of paroxysms of pain that were known to the country as fits. Tho poor child suffered horribly while these at tacks lasted, and Dr. Bunker was called in on gallop to administer relief. This he did on several occasions. But the l evil hour came when, more intoxicated than usual, he sent the medicine to the suffering child. The powders were ad- ministered, and Lucy, instead of being bettered by them, grew suddenly and alarmingly worse. She said, between I paroxysms of intense pain, that the pow ders did not taste as the others tasted. The doctor was again sent for, but found insensible from drink. The neighbors, who sought in much excite ment to sober their favorite medical ad- wiser, felt that the little patient had but a brief time to allow for remedies. They poured cold water over his head and hot coffee down his throat. At last he was sufficiently aroused to justify his being | hauled in wagon to the house of Lucy E parents.
 | Daylight was stealing softly into the rude room when the doctor staggered in. A greater curer of life's ills than he had entered before. There is tide in oul vitality that finds it's ebb between mid. night and early morning, and how often are we called to note the coming oi death and daylight together! The cool, l dewy morning walks in lusty strength over the eastern hills and the birds sing and the rills sparkle, while the cows low and the chickens crow, as if all na. ture felt new life, with renewed lease on all that is pleasant and beautiful. Al that moment, as if in mockery of us, the sick unto death feel their hold weaken, ing and the shores of life recedine swiftly and silently from them.
 Lucy's parents were poor people, in habiting a log cabin to which had beer added a porch, and one end of this porch had been turned into bedroom for the little favorite. It appeared neal and cleanly, but there was no curtain te the window, no carpet upon u @ floor One could almost cover the rude furni ture with blanket, but each spoke il an uncouth way of tenderness and affec tion. When the doctor entered there was 8 profound stiffness in the ittl. apartment.
 "She is better now," whispered tn, unhappy mother to the doctor, "bu she has been very sick"
 The now sobered physician took tn, candle from the stand. tt was talloy dip and burned dimly at best, but nov had long unsnuffed wick, and gutte of hals melted taIlow running like stream of lard from the summit. Be lieving Lucy to be asleep, the watcher at the bedside had neglected the candle
 "She is sleepin' seemingly very com fortable now," again whispered th' mother.
 The doctor nearly put the candle ou in 8 clumsy attempt to snuff it, ant the face Of the girl. Alas! the slee, was hoG one to pc courted. The eyehd covered but one half the ball, ani through the white, the only part visible death stared. The doctor hastily seized thin little hand and felt for the pulse He felt in vain. Bending over the poo sunken face, he listened at her partet lips for tidings of life in her breathing He listened in vain.
 "Lucy, my girl," said the doctor chow are you9" .r.
 There was no response beyond quiv ering of the eyelids so faint that it wal .l almost impercentible. This was th.