The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-04-19
The Man whose Yoke was not Easy


Elizabeth Stuart Phelps
The Man whose Yoke was not Easy.
He was spare man, and physically, |
an conditioned man, but at first
glance scarcely seedy man. The In
dications of reduced circumstances In
the male of the better class are, fan
CIV. first visible in the boots and shirts,
the boots Extensively exhibiting de-
gree of polish inconsistent with their
dilapidated condition, and the shirt
showing an extent of ostentatious sur
face that is invariably fatal to the
threadbare waistcoat that it partially
covers. He was pale man, and fan
cied still paler from his black CLONES.
He handed me note.
1t was from a certain physician;
man Of broad culture and broader ex-
perience; man who had devoted the
greater part Of his active life to the
alleyiation of sorrow and suffering,
man who had lived up to the noble
vows of noble profession; man who
locked in his honorable breast the Sc
crets Of hundred families, whose face
was as kindly, whose touch was as
gentle in the wards of the great pub
lie hospitals as it was beside the laced
curtains of the dying Narcissa; man
who. through long contact with suffer-
ing. had acquired a universal tender
ness and breadth Of kindly philosophy;
a man who, day and night, was at the
beck and call of Anguish; man who
never asked the creed, belief, moral or
worldly standing Of the sufferer, or
even his ability to pay the few coins
that enabled him (the physician to
exist and practice his calling, in brief,
a man who so nearly lived up to the
example OF the Great Master that it
seems strange | am writing Of him as
a doctor of Medicine and not Of Divin'
ity.
The note was in pencil, characters
tically brief, and ran thus:
..Here is the man | spoke OF. III
ought to be good material for you.
For a moment sat looking from thu
note to the man, and sounding tn
"dim. perilous depths Of my memor.
for the meaning of this mysterlou
communication. The ''good material,
however. soon relieved my embarrass
ment, by putting his hand on III
waistcoat, coming toward me, an
saving sit is just here; you can Zee
it.
Tt was not necessary for me to do sc
In fash remembered that my med
cal friend had told me OF certain poo
patient, once soldier, who, anon
other trials and uncertainties, was a
ficted with an anuerism caused by tn
buckle of his knapsack pressing upo
the arch of the aOrta 1t was liable
hurst at any shock or any moment. III
moor fellows yoke had indeed bee
too heavy.
Tn the presence of such a tremel
dous possibility | think telt anxlo'
only about myself. What should q
how dispose of the body how expia
the circumstance of his taking OFT; no
avoid the ubiquitous reporter and Il
Coroner's inquest ; how susplclt
might arise that had in some wa
through negligence, or for some da
purpose, unknown to the jury, precl
itated the catastrophe, all flashed +
fore me. Even the note, with its dar
" suggestive offer of ''good materia
for me-looked diabolically signitical
What might not an intelligent lawy
make of it.
| tore the note up instantly, and wi
feverish earnestness begged him TO
seated.
"You don't care to feel it!' he sa
little anxiously.
mo"
"Nor see it!''
ono"
He sighed, trife sadly, as If | /
reiected the only favor he could
stow. saw at once that he had bt
under frequent exhibition to the
tors, and that he was, perhaps, or
vain of this attention. This perc
ton was corroborated moment la
by his producing copy of medi
magazine, with the remark that on
sixth page l would find full sts
ment of his case.
Could | serve him in any way
asked.
1t appeared that could. If CO
help him to any light employms
something that did not require
GREAT physical exertion or mental
citement. he would be thankful.
he wanted me to understand that
was not, strictly speaking, a poor n
that some years before the disco1
of his fatal complaint he had ia
ont a life insurance policy for S.
and that he had raked and scrs
enough together to pay it up. and
he would not leave his wife and
children destitute. ssYou see,
added, ssif | could find some sol
light work to do, and kinder sled
YOU know-until-"
He stopped awkwardly.
have heard several noted .
thrill their audiences with s
phrase. l think / never was as
estly moved by any spoken wo'
that ssuntil' or the pause that foll'
IL. He was evidently quite u