The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-07-19
OUR STORY TELLER.
A DOCTORS STORY.

oOOiy MN ~
time.
When NJ. D. was tackled to my name,
I bowed at two shrines, my profession
and-my Angelina. Her name was not
Angelina, but my wife being a modest
little lady, desires she shall not be drag
ged before an .inquisitive public. Let,
then, the abstract, Angelina, represent
the real woman. I conceal my own
name for similar reasons.
Of course 1 had a rival. Name, Rich
ard Somers; age, tw%enty-six; general
appearance, striking and handsome;
character, very bad.
Neither my affection for this gentle
man nor his affection for me would have
caused a 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 a dangerous rival. However,
he saved me all trouble. He committed
a forgery which was discovered sooner
than he expected. He was arrested for
the offense, 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, and he
Kissed out:
"You have ruined my love and my
life. Remember that, and fear mel"
am not a timid man, and attached
but little Importance to this implied
threat. I thought it simply the buster
of a self-defeated and disgraced rival.
Shortly after, Angelina and l were
married, and, as the story-book says,
"liyed happy aver afterward."
So much by way of introduction, now
to my story:
We had been married a little over two
years. During that time I had heard
nothing of Somers. His sentence had
been a comparatively light one-a year
and six months. After his discharge
from prison, however, / neither saw nor
heard of him.
For so young a man, | had been very
successful as a 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, 1 promptly attended to all sum
monses to the bedside of suffering.
One night, a little while before the
hour of retiring, the door-bell rang, and
shortly afterward a man entered the
room where we were sitting. He wa:
not progressing. 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, 1 put on my
coat and hat, and prepared to go with
him.
ga gentleman" he said, "has broker
his leg"
1 thought it a. pity that, if he vert
anything like his messenger, he hadn't
broken his neck. did not tell my wife
where / was going, for it wa a distant
part of the town, and in anything but
respectable neighborhood. 1 did no
wish to make the little woman nervous
On our way, my friend, the jailbird
was very uncommunicative. He an
swered my inquiries about the injured
man in surly monosyllables. He wa
apparently in no haste, for he walked
very slowly-more slowly, l thought
than was consistent with the welfare o
my patient.
AT last We arrived at our destination
1t was a very dark-looking house, in
very dark little street.
My guide led me up two flights o
very dirty and rickety stairs, tina
creaked objections to our weight upol
them. In the third story we stoppe,
before a door, which, to my surprise, m,
companion opened with a key which h
took from his pocket. Was he afrai,
that a man with a broken leg would es
cape? ] was still more surprised when
on entering the room, / found it empty
He motioned me to a chair, and, remark
ing he would return soon, left the room
For the first time / was somewhat mel
vous and suspicious. The empty roor
the last action of my guide-his care
lessness, on our way, as to the health Q
the supposed injured mantle lionel
house and neighborhood-aTl combine
to make me suspect foul play.
l stepped to the door, only to find
locked from the outside-to the windo,
only to find escape impossible Their,
1t was many feet from the ground.
My suspicious were now certaintie
l was trapped. None of my friend
not eve my wife, knew where I was.
might be murdered in this den, and m
death remain a mystery.
1 suppose l waited about an hour b
fore l heard the key turn in the doc
Then, to my dismay, half a dozen me
entered.
When nature made the jail-bird wi
had led me into this trap, she did n,
break the mold. These gentleme
were of the same pattern. All wore IL
same hang-dog, murderous look. One
them raised the light in the room, whit
had been burning low. With hardly
glance at me, they took seats upon Il
floor, and began to play cards.
Soon the door again opened, and a
other man enterted. 1 hardly had
hope as I looked at him, for 1 saw Il
exulting face of my enemy Di,
Somers!
At a glance he saw that l recognize
him. With a malicious leer, he stepp,
forward, and quoting his own words
two years before, said:
"You have ruined my love and n
life. Remember that, and fear mel"
saw in his face, at once showing /
revenge and desperation, that nothil
could turn him aside from his purpo.
"Somers," 1 said-for my life
couldn't have called him Mr.. Somers
az know that you have trapped me he
for the purpose of revenging yours
upon me but remember, sir, that 1 ha
friendsl Remember law and justice
81 fear nothing" he answered.
defy man and Godl Revenge on you
dearer to me than life; and though
me the bottomless pit were yawning
would have it."
1 saw it was useless to appeal to Il
man, and 1 sullenly waited for WI
seemed fate.
At his command the ruffians search
me. One of them, who appeared to b,
kind of treasurer for the gang, secur