River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-02-17
A PHYSICIANS REWARD.

| had been six years surgeon in the
navy, and for the last two of these six
years had b en- cruising on that
dreadful Gold Coast. Perhaps | was
not the best tempered man in the SER
vice, but thought | was badly treated
The Admiralty and ! had slight dis
agreement, and the end was that !
threw up my commission in disgust.
My health was much broken, and while
l was recruiting my strength in a little
Devon village, ] did the one thing
which l have never regretted-fell IN
love with a good girl and married her.
l had a certain amount of money,
which / invested in a country practice;
and for some time all went well with lis.
But we were not to escape our share
of trouble My health, which had suf-
fered more seriously than / imagined
during my period of service, broke
down; my practice went TO the dogs;
we got deeply into debt, and, to make
long story short, three years after my
marriage, one miserable Sunday in No
vember, found my wife and myself,
with our two little children, occupying
single poor room in Granville street
off Guildford street.
We had then been in London about
six months, and | had been unable
chiefly on account of my preoarious
health-to get anything to do. About
month, however, before the day
speak of, my only friend in London
had held out hope of obtaining for
me the post of private physician to a
| 4 l,{. p,1f fr,a h,.y Il
been compelled suddenly to so abroad,
and though he was daily expected
back, y three weeks had now passed,
and l Hal gone to his house IN Ken
sington day after day without getting
any tidings of him.
Meanwhile our little stock OF money
was quite exhausted; everything that
could be spared was sold or pawned; and
this Sunday evening, with a month s
rent due next day, my wife and l sat
before miserable apology for fire,
with absolute want staring us in the
face; we had not quite shilling left, and
when l looked at my sleeping children
and thought of the future, / fairly
broke down in utter dspair. 1t was
| then / found what treasure | had in
the noble woman by my side. Affect
ing cheerfulness which she could not
feel, she impaired to me a portion of
her own courage, and at length induced
me-anXious to please her, and glad TO
do anything rather than sit poYerless
to 90 once more to my friends
| house.
1t was ten o'clock on cold drilling
night when set out on my walk some
| how felt kind of fictitious hopeful
ness and walked briskly, resclutely
shutting out the thoughts of failure. |
stood some time at my friends door
before ! dare to ring the bell tn at would
change my hopes or my feelings into
certainty; and when at last the servant
who answered my ring told me that
her master had not yet returned,
fairly staggered into a chair in " hall,
overcome with disappointment.
The woman, seeing my condition,
brought me little brandy, which re-
vived me somewhat: but it was some
time before midnight as l left the door
for my long cherries walk. The rain
fell in q steady drizzle, but though l was
lightly clad | never needed IT. my
thoughts were fixed on my poor wife
sitting alone and watching for NE, and
on the wretched news | was bringing
her. | walked on needless of the bitter
cold and of the constant rain, feeling
the numbness of misery in my heart.
How it happened | do not know, but
somehow | lost my way, and after wan
dering aimlessly for some time found
that / was in street that did not
know-the Gray's Inn Road, as / after
wards learned / could see no one to
direc, me, and was walking on rather
anxiously when / stumbled over the
form of man. who was lying half in
and half out Of the covered entrance
of wretched court For few yards
walked too absorbed in my own
troubles to think of aught else; but
then, thank God, | thought of the un-
fortunate man lying in tie raiA, and,
rs a doctor, felt, perhaps more strong
" than / otherwise should, that il was
my duty to go back and assist him If
possible. There was a gas lamp in she
entrance 10 the court, and by it / was
enabled to see that the PROSTATE figure
was that Of singularly tall and power
fully built man; and on a closer in
spection | was surprised TO find that
his dress was that of a gentleman. At
once thought that he had been rob
bed and perhaps murdered; but, tax
ing his hand to feel his pulse. saw
that he had remarka able handsome
diamond ring on his finger, ard the
beating Of his pulse, though very faint,
showed me that he was not.
Then / thought, with something Of
contempt, that had case Of mere
drunkenness to deal with; but yet on
careful examination | could detect no
fume of spirits, and the faint action Of
his heart at length convinced me that
the man was in state Of complete ex-
haustion. probably from w mt of food.
With considerable labor, in my weak
condition, j managed-half lifting,
half dragging him-to convex him
into the covered passage, and deter
mined TO stay with him until some
passer-by would assist me- ! had not
waited long when a halftinsy woman,
walking past, looked into the passage
and came over 10 see what was the
matter. She looked keenly at me and
my unconscious patient, and / not
ASS~ A4SA CsC EA1hhA ~ oliC NAAEa+t
sight Of a massive gold chain ON his
vest,
asked her to 90 at once and fetch
but she Immediately replied
that | need not trouble myself any
further
know him well. He's Rooney,
that owns the public-house close by.
I'll get him home all right"
At first her assurance almost i'm
posed upon me, but when ! looked at
the pale, aristocratic face that I sup
ported on my knee, i felt convinced
that she had invented the story which
a view to plundeling the helpless
man.
toll her sternly that if she did not
go for policeman / would do so my
self She went off hurriediy-4ls
thought for that purpose--but game
back no more; and now / was once
more alone with my strange patient,
and as the minutes went by | Knew
not what to do.
Help, however, was near. | noticed
a poor girl--sbe did not look rlore
than sixteen-w walking slowly ons the /
other, side OF the street; / called TO |
her, and after a moments hesitation
she came over / briefly explained |
to her the circumstances, and asked her. |
if she possibly could, to get me drop |
of cordial, or the man would die.
81 have only rot fourpen &c, she |