The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-05-18
A TROUBLESOME YOKE.

He was a spare man, and, physically,
an ill-conditiened man, but at first
glance scarcely a seedy man. The in
dictions of reduced circumstances in the
male of the better class are, fancy, first
visible in the boots and shirts, the boots
offensiyely exhibiting degree of polish
inconsistent with their delapidated con-
dition, and the shirt showing an extent
of ostentatious surface that is invariably
fatal to the threadbare waistcoat that it
partially covers. He was a pale man,
and fancied still paler from his black
clothes.
He handed me a note.
1t was from a certain physician a man
WHO had devoted the greater part of his
active life to the alleviation of sorrow
and suffering; man who had lived up
to the noble vows of noble profession /;
a man who locked in his honorable breast
the secrets of hundred families, whose
face was as kindly, whose touch was as
gentle in the wards of the great public
hospitals as it was beside the lace cur
tains of the dying Narcissa; man who,
through long contact with suffer ing, had
acquired a universal tenderness 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 stand
ing of the sufferer, or even his ability to
pay the few coins that enabled him (the
physician) to exist and practice his call
ing; in brief, a man who so nearly lived
up to the example of the Great Master
that it seems strange l am writing of
him as a doctor of medicine and no of
divinity.
The note was in pencil, characteristic
cally brief, and ran thus:
Here is the man | spoke of He
ought to be good material for you"
For moment I sat looking from the
note to the man, and sounding the "dim
perilous depths of my memory for the
meaning of this mysterious communica-
tion. The "good material" however,
soon relieved my embarrassment, by put
ting his hand on his waiscoat, coming to-
ward me, and saying, It's just here;
you can feel it"
1t was not necessary for me to do so. In
a fash / remembered that my medical
friend had told me of a certain poor
patient, once a soldier, who, among his
other trialsand uncertainties, was afflicted
with haneurism caused by the buckle of his
knapsack pressing upon the arch of the
aorta. Itwas liable to burst at any shock
or any moment. The poor fellows yoke
had indeed been too heavy.
In the presence of such a tremendous
possibility think for an instant felt anx-
ious only about myself. What / should
do; how dispose of the body how ex-
plain the circumstance of his taking off;
how evade ubiquitous reporter and the
coroner's inquest; how a suspicion might
arise that | had in some way, through
negligence. or for some dark purpose, un-
known to the jury, precipated the catas-
trophe. all flashed before me. Even the
note-with its dsrkly suggestive offer
of good material " for me-looked dia-
bolically significant. What might not an
intelligent lawyer make of it.
/ tore it up instantly, and with feverish
courtesy begged him to be seated.
I" You don't care to feel it ?'' he asked
little anxiously,
"No."
"Nor see it ?"
"No."
He sighed, trihe sadly, az if had re-
jected the only favor he could bestow. /
saw at once that he had been under fire.
quent exhibition to the doctors. and
that he was, perhaps, trifle vain of this
attention. This perception was corrobor-
ated moment later by his producing a
copy of q medical magazine, with the re-
mark that on the sixth page l would
find full statement of his case.
- Could serve him in any way, asked.
1t appeared that could. If / could
help him to any light employment, some
thing that did not require any great
physical exertion or mental excitement,
he would be thankful. But he wanted
me tounderstand that he was not, strictly
speaking, poor man; that some years
= before the discovery of his fatal COM
plant he had taken out life insurance
policy for $1,000 and that he had raked
and scraped enough together to pay it
sup, and that he would not leave his wife
and four children destitute. YouIfee,"
he added, :. if / could find some s5rt of
light work to do, and kinder sled along
you know--until--''
He stopped, awkwardly.
have heard several noted actors thrill
their audiences with single phase.
think / never was as honestly moved by
any spoken word as that "untii" or the