The Red Cloud chief., 1879-05-22
HIS STRANGE rxrAruATIoy.

her iarose. and . esner.sioa Of wits and
geninscs strus;sd about usdsr hses PERI
uigs-adornmcnis nightly out ct piAcs
with the wisdom they muffed-a Ger
tain doctor II antique mold MA ifvsnG
In London. and waiting philosophscaiiy
for The fame and reputation which hsd
looked 81 him through fu,urv's vista
Fifty years ago. Nov, in truth. Doctor
Bone. as be Vas called, vas no qusck
bat his nature refused 20 conform itself
TO the dictates of fashion and patronage.
and consequently the general public hsd
always regarded him through the wrong
end Of hfe's telescope, whereby his per-
son and skill h.d appeared Of indifferent
make.
Thus for 50 years or more he bad
trudged bis weary journey, proving
himself of infinite value To the needy,
and acknowledging uncomplafDingly
the proprieiy Of his fate. but with .
pride thai showed his indifference 20
fashionable appreciation. He met dis
dain with contempt; and. although be
Was loser thereby. had the conscious
self satisfaction Of an independent spirit.
Perhaps, morally speaking, he wAs In
the right; but in those days Of fawniug
and fiat;ery, the rsnown be sought Was
as unat;ainable 10 him as the Lord May
orship would have been.
As for bis person, be VA tall and
lank, with a somewhat ponderous 10
man nose, lips tha; fell, by long prac-
tice, ST the corners, and penthouse
brows which thaiched bis eyes but poor
ly, for the water would often CLEAN I'M
der them a. . tale Of pity. Upon his
head he wore, within doors, . rusty old
skull-cap, from which his natural locks
fell downwards in . thin avalanche OF
six, and upon his shoulders habitually
n cloak, unlike Wilmington, turned lit
tie 10 its advantage. His knee-breeches,
witless Of ornament, bore some resem-
blance 70 iron stove-pipes which have
known many a ~downpour OF rain; and
his heelless shoes, long unthralled by
buckles, but too often succumbed by the
pressure Of circumstances, and brought
portions Of his bare feet into contact
with their mother earth.
When the world was grcener 20 the
poor Bone, he had married q merry
hearted lass from his native village, who
for many n year had faithfully and IN
grudgingly borne the trials Of poverty
by her side, and lightened The gloom Of
his existence with unflagging spirit;
but one blank night the flame Of her
little life shot up brilliantly for . mo-
ment and then gutiered into darkness,
though the poor child was sorely
stricken for the tired traveller she VA
leaving behird. And he, simple prac-
titioner, bowed his fading head 10 fate,
and toiled onwsids childless alone and
sorrowful.
But one day, when he had passed his
Goth yiear, q patient Of his, sn old
woman, lied, and in the bounty OF his
ancient heart he took . forlorn little
grandson Of hers 10 his own home, and
swore solemnly TO foster this STRIPPING
Of 3 years old and bring him up as his
own son.
And he kept TO his word, and for
three more years now had reared the
minute adoption with q zeal aud en-
derness BETTING his noble nature. For
hours would he sit in his moldy old
study, feigning to be absorbed in some
moth eaten volume, but in reality
watching and enjoying the gambols OF
his little Godfrey as he tumblcd about
the floor with . hundred infantice
whims which went direct TO the sunny
heart of the observer. With his own
hands would he direct the baby's mca 8,
and, when bis old housekeeper, Betsy.
had put him to bed. he would creep up-
stairs for q goodnight kiss or q playful
wrestle, in which the little arms always
come of victorious. Then would he
return TO his gloomy den and exercise
his wits in the resolving of some intri-
cate problem, which last habit had hap
PLY absorbed many an hour Of his te-
dious life.
The good Doctor had, in truth, plan
ned and consummated no glorious addi-
tons to science by this habit Of his; but
he had at least gained greater riches to
himself than wealth could bring, which
compensated in some degree for the
dreary poverty Of his younger days. So
far he had logged on with q quiet pa
thence and humor, but when the parent
less baby fell to bis keeping . new and
rich interest was added TO his little store
of grain, by which he wa thrust into an
INFESTED groove of calculation.
Yet in the meantime his patients had
no cause to complain Of his ~inattention,
for he never permitted a hobby 70 inter-
fere with his professional duties.
And now arose the main object of his
life-namely, TO prepare a way 70 future
success for the child OF his affections,
the little waif he had drawn 10 shore, %
that his own death, which could not be
80 far distant, as he thought, might not
leave this poor one 70 the tender mer.
cies of q world he had no reason TO place
much confidence in. Hour after hour
of the night Jaw him still musing by his
study-table, no nearer q solution Of the
difficulty than the previous night had
left him, but with q brain bewildered
by the propositions which whirled in
rapid succession through his aching
head.
Then would he rise at length with .
sigh, and, trimming his lamp, creep
silently to bed, listening ever on his way
for the light breathing that came through
the door of the room in which his baby
lay unconscious.
Now it so happened that, returning
one day from visiting /. wretchsd pa
tient in the neighborhood OF Westmin-
s,er, he WA attracted by . crowd near
the Whitehall, which surrounded the
apparently lifeless body Of . young
man, who, it appeared had been thrown
from his horse and injured TO such an
extent that he lay insensible. A cry
vent round for o doctor, and ayerse -
he was to attending . creature OF quail
", "a the young fellow seemed 70 be by
his dress, Circumstances would admit
Of little hesitation 70 charitable nature
Ia the present instance, which ended
6nally in his accompanying the sufferer
10 his home, consisting OF bachelor
chambers in the Strand