Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-09-24
A Doctors Story.

ry, must say few words of that time.
When M. D. was tackled to my name,
l bowed at two shrines, my profession
and-my Angelina. Her name was not
Angelina, but my wife being modest
little lady, desires she shall not be drag
ged before an inquisitive public. Let
then, the abstract, Angelina. represent
the real woman. conceal my own name
for similar reasons.
OF course had rival. Name, Rich
ard Somers age, twenty-six; general
appearance, striking and handsome;
character, very bad.
Neither my affection for this gentle
man nor his affection for me would have
caused conhagration on any river of
which l know. We disliked each other
heartily from the first. Being a much
handsomer man than myself, he might
have been dangerous rival. However,
he saved me all trouble. He committed
a forgery which was discovered sooner
than he expected. He was arrested for
the ofense, tried and convicted. 1 was
one of the principal witnesses against
him. When the sentence was passed
upon him, he requested a moments con-
versation with me. l shall never forget
the look of hatred upon his face as he
Kissed out:
"You have ruined my love and my
life. Remember that and fear me l''
am not timid man, and attached
but little Importance to his implied
threat. l thought it simply the bluster
of a self-defeated and disgraced rival.
Shortly after, Angelina and l were
married, and, as the story-book says,
"lived happy ever afterward."
So much by way of introduction, now
to my story:
We had been married little over two
years. During that time l had heard
nothing of Somers. His sentence had
been comparatively light one-a year
and six months. After his discharge
from prison, however, neither saw nor
heard fhim.
For SO young man, l had been very
successful as physician. Perhaps my
success was principally due to my strict
attention to practice. No matter how
late, or dark and stormy, might be the
night, l promptly attended to all sum-
mons to the bedside of suffering.
One night, little while before the
hour of retiring, the door-bell rang, and
shortly afterward a man entered the
room where we were sitting. He was
not prepossessing. His hair was short
and thick, and the general cast of his
features villainous.
He evidently belonged to that variety
of fowl known as the jail-bird. Never
theless, without hesitation, l put on my
coat and hat and prepared to go with
him.
ga gentleman, he said, "has broken
his leg"
1 thought it pity that, if he were
anything like his messenger, he hadn't
broken his neck. 1 did not tell my wife
where was going. for it was distant
part of the town, and in anything but a
respectable neighborhood. l did moi
wish to make the little woman nervous.
On our way, my friend, the jail-bird,
was very uncommunicative. He answer.
ed my inquiries about the injured mar
in surly monosyllables. He was appar.
emily in no haste, for he walked very
slowly-more slowly, l thought, thar
was consistent with the welfare of my
| patient.
; At last we arrived at our destination
1t was very dark-looking house, in ;
{ very dark little street.
My guide led me up two flights o.
very dirty and rickety stairs, that creak
ed objections to our weight upon them
.. In the third story we stopped before ;
! door which, to my surprise, my compan
r ion opened with key which he tool
from his pocket. Was he afraid that ;
man with broken leg would escape?
, was still more surprised when on enter
, ing the room found it empty He mo
: toned me to chair, and, remarking ht
would return soon, left the room.
For the first time l was somewha
nervous and suspicious. The empty room
!, the last action of my guide-his care
! lessness, on our way, as to the health o
: the supposed injured man-the lionel,
r house and neighborhood-all combined
to make me suspect foul play.
|, stepped to the door, only to find i
: locked from the outside-to the windoy
: only to find escape impossible there. l
= was many feet from the ground.
: My suspicious were now certainties
e was trapped. None of my friends, no
even my wife, knew where l was.
e might be murdered in this den, and M
u death remain a mystery.
l suppose l waited about an hour be
: fore 1 heard the key turn in the dool
/ Then to ny dismay, half dozen me
|, entered.
- When nature made the jail-bird, wh