The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1880-10-07
A DOCTORS STORY.

| lnenceu tnc praCtlce OF meulelne. 10y
way of necessary introduction to my
story, / must say few words of that
! time.
When NJ. d. was tackled by my name
/ 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 a rival. Name, Rich
ard Somers; age, twenty-six; general
appearance, striking and handsome; char
| acter, very bad.
Neither my affection for this gentle
man nor his affection for me would have
| started confiagration on any river of
which | know. We disliked each other
heartily from the first. Being o 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 offence, tried and convicted. [ was
one Of the principal witnesses against
| him. When the sentence was passed
upon him he requested n moments con
versation with me. I shall never forget
the look of hatred on his face as he hissed
out:
"You have ruined my love and my life.
Remember that, and fear me-"
am not timid man, and attached
but little importance to his threat. I
thought it simply the buster of self
defeated and disgraced rival.
Soon after, Angelina and were mar
ried, and, as the story books say, ''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 I heard nothing
| of Somers. His sentence had been a
comparatively light one-a year and six
months. After his discharge from prison
neither saw or heard of him.
For so young man I had been very
successful as physician. Perhaps my
success was due to my strict attention to
practice. No matter how late, or dark
and stormy might be the night, l prompt
! ly attended to every summons to the
| bedside of suffering.
| One night a little before the hour of
retiring, the door bell rang, and shortly
| after 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 Jail bird. Nevertheless,
without hesitation, put on my coat and
hat, and prepared to go with him.
| "a gentleman" he said, ''has broken
his leg"
thought it pity that, if he were in
any way like his messenger, he hadn't
| broken bis neck. | did not tell my wife
where I was going, for it was a distant
part of the town, and in anything but a
| respectable neighborhood. L did not
wish to make the little woman nervous.
On our way my friend, the jail bird,
was very uncommunicative, answering
my inquiries about the injured man in
surly monosyllables. He was apparently
in no haste, for he walked very slowly
more slowly, 1 thought, than was con-
sistent with the welfare of my patient
At last we arrived at our destination.
It was very dark looking house, in o
very dark little street.
My guide led me up two flights of
stairs, that creaked objections to our
weight upon them. In the third story,
we stopped before door, which to my
surprise, my companion opened with q
| Was he afraid that the man with the
broken leg would escape? Twas still more
surprised when, on entering the room, L
found it empty! He motioned me to a
| chair, and, remarking he would soon
return, left the room.
For the first time I was somewhat ner-
vous and suspicious. The empty room,
tine last action of my guide, his careless
ness on our way as to the health of the
supposed injured nan, the lonely house
and neigl5orhood, all combined to make
me suspect foul play.
l stepped to the door only to find it
locked from the outside-to the window
only to find escape impossible there. 1t
was many feet from the ground.
Ny suspicious were now certainties.-
l was trapped. None of my friends, not
even my wife knew where 1 was. might
be murdered in this den, and my death
remain a mystery.
I suppose l waited about an hour be-
fore I heard the key turn in the door,
Then, to my dismay, half dozen men
entered.
i When nature made the Jail bird who
had led me into this trap, she did not
break the mould. These gentlemen were
the same pattern. All wore the same
5 hpg dog, murderous look. One of them
raed the light in the room, which had
beeburning low. With hardly glance
at M they took seats upon the floor and
beguto play cards.
{. Soothe door again opened, and an
,s other NJ entered. hardly had a hope
:; as | loosl at him, for / saw the exulting
face of n, m,enemy-Dick Somers!