River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-03-28

she's been queer-kind of laughing end
| crying, like-so we just played about,
baby and me, and didn't heed her."
"Poor little gull" Mrs. O'FlaEnlghan
said, softly; no wonder the fever got into
her head, with nothing TO eat Well, 60
down now, Dickie, and leave baby in my
room, and bring me up Billy's beef tea,
and then run round to DIR. Stanley, 5
Greenacre, and ask him to come down
| tonight
Dick, scared and Mortified at the idea
of doctor being needed for Polly, bur
| ried off in the gathering darkness to DIR.
Stanley's house he rang twice before the
| bell was answered, and then the maid
/ just opened the door a crack, and, to his
/ timid question, answered, mot ut home,n
and shut it again with bang so Dickie,
miserable and shivering, sat down in the
light of the surgery lamps and cried
| He fancied he had been sitting there
for hours, when carriage stopped quite
close to him, and gentleman jumped
out an / ran up the steps. Dick skunk
| away and crouched up in corner, but
not before the gentleman had seen him,
and stopped to touch his shoulder.
"What is it, my boy2" he said; ''do you
want to see Dr. Stanley"
At the voice and touch, ali Dicks
troubles broke loose and overwhelmed
him. ooh yes, do he said, drying his
eyes, sand, please Sir, he's not at home
and Polly's raging in tever-and can't
put baby TO bed, and Mrs. O'Flanni-
CHAN win have TO go to Billy; please,
Sir if you're doctor, couldn't you come
and help us2''
"What dreadful state of affairs p said
the gentleman, in pleasant, CHEEKY
voice. Yes, | am doctor, and can
spare ten minutes to come and see Miss
Polly it you like. Here jump into the
carriage, and tell me where to drive to-"
Number 10 Groves Alley" said Dick,
briskly, "up two flights, in the garrett
and SO he drove away side by side with
one of the best men and enc of the clev-
crest doctors in London, to the dingy
room in Groves Alley, where Polly,
with the light of reason shining in her
eyes again, was lying exhausted with her
hot tangled head on Mrs. Flannighan's
shoulder.
The doctors first thought, as he came
into the room, was shuddenng horror
OF the dinginess and gloom and empti
ness of this unhomelike home; the next,
when he turned to the corner with the
bed where the one Dip guttering on a
chair threw titful light On Polly's flush
ed face, was to recognize as by instinct
that here, In this dreary room, and on
this childish face, was concentrated all
the careful love and tender patience that
can make home any where.
For Polly raised her head painfully
with CHEEKY, patient smile, and tried to
speak; and Mrs. O'Flannighan rose hasti-
ly, and dropped a ongforgotten courtsey
to the doctor, FOR she was not as ignorant
as Dick, and she knew the great man by
sight.
He NODDED to her kindly, and took the
place she had left vacant by the bed,
feeling the Pickering pulse gravely, while
he asked her many questions about Polly,
that she answered with tears in her eyes.
Then the doctor laid the wasted hand
down tenderly and said, Z" Rest and quiet
and patience, Miss Polly and you'll do.''
"But the children" faltered Polly.
"Oh, never mind the children" said
the doctor; "we1l look after them, and
you're to think of no one but yourself.
And while you can't earn money, Miss
Polly" he added, in his gentle way, as if
he were telling her the most natural thing
in the world, IN take care of the house.
hold expenses for you, and Mrs. OFlan-
nighan here shall be your nurse, if she
will"
"Thank you," said Polly, accepting the
goodness as quietly as he offered it, 81
was wondering about the children; but
Dickie earns a bit with his backing, and
baby's getting deal less trouble with his
teeth"
Those were strange days TO Polly, and
dark times came among them-times of
rackmg pain and feverish thirst, of de-
lirium and misery and horried dreams
out of which she wakened one February
morning into life of stiffness, of utter
content; when her sight was dim, and
the hum of life in the alley came as from
afar off to her feeble ears; and she could
not speak to Dick when he came and sat
on the bed beside her and told her how
beautiful it was out-of- doors.
The doctor staid with her whole hour
that day, and gave her beef tea and
brandy every little while, and spoke gen
thy to her, and read to her out oil the torn
Bible about the streets of gold and the
water of the River of Life; and he kissed
her when he went away, and said, "God
bless you, Polly;;n for he thought himself
that by the next morning she would
know more about the city of God than the
Revelation could teacher her.
But Polly surprised them all. The
crisis passed safely over, and the wave of
life that had ebbed away. and left only
the wasted body that they all loved and
tended, swept slowly landward again, and
Polly Yves safe. The doctor told her so
one day, kneeling by the bed, and smooth
ing back the short rough locks from the
gentle face; and Polly said, "Thank you
Sir, God won't forget all we owe you
the boys and me; I'm one of the Il asst of
these" she said, smiling family, land /
think, Sir, you did it to the Lord"
And then the doctor went home, and
talked to his sister for an hour of the
gratitude of this so-called uugrateful
world, and of the good that lies dormant
in nearly every human soul. "There's
Groves Alley" he said, ''the worst place
in London; and Mrs. O'F'lannighan, that
the very police are afraid of, sitting up
night and day with little child who is
down with fever, and all the neighbors
coming in now and then to bring her bits
Of things, and oranges, or pictures, or to
take the baby out for an airing! Depend
upon it, if we went deep enough, we
should find stratum of good every
where"
And his sister thought, though she did
not say it, for the doctor hated to be
praised, that you would not have to go
very deep for the stratum of good in some
people.
showed you Polly first on glorious
July day, clinging to the ratings in Gros-
venor Square, with all her family around
her; l show her to you, for the last time,
on sunny April afternoon, when she had
crenf out into the Park for her first walk