Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-06-08
The Two New Doctors.


to take his patient post at sick beds, and his
silver hair and kindly forehead had been
the last object upon which so many closing
eye had gazed that Dr. Carew's vanishing
out of our midst seemed one of the incred-
bles
But he died, and was buried and almost
before they had piled the green sod over his
grave, two new disciples of Esculapius came
to Wild River, and hung out their glittering
signs.
There was DIR. Garnet spruce, handsome
man, who had black moustache, and wore
kid gloves and shining boots-who boarded
at the Eagle Hotel, and kept colored man
to hold his horse.
And there was DR.. slcox, absent and tall,
with stopping shoulders. who tied his neck
cloth awry, and invariably forgot to put on
his gloves.
And, of course, they were both anxious to
succeed
"Im told there are some very wealthy
families here" said DR.. Garnet, whep ac-
cording to the dictates of medical etiquette,
he called at the unpretending little office of
DR.. Silcox, and found that gentleman
STOPPING, in a near-sighted way, over huge
folio, with no fire in the CRATE, and only
secondhand ol-cloth on the floor.
"Yes ?" DIR. Silcox was absently bending
an ivory paper.cutter back and FORTH "And
a deal of sickness among the factory hands,
and no adequate drainage to those marshes
back of the railroad. There should be
free hospital here, too; the population war
rants it,"
"Oh, hang your free hospitals !" said DR..
Garnet, impatienty. IF people want
doctor, let em call him in and pay for him.
That's my theoryl"
DR.. Silcox lifted his big eyes gravely
to the others face.
"But suppose they can't afford it?" said he.
"Then they've no business to be sick"
said DIR. Garnet, looking compacently
down at the onyx buttons in his spotless
linen cuffs.
{" He has no more heart than paving
stone," was DIR. Silcox's verdict in regard
TO his medical contrere
lie is a fooll' said DIR. Garnet, as he
jumped into his carriage and gave the de-
Scendant of Africa directions to drive on.
Free hospitals, indeed and system of
drainage Does the man want to bite off
his own nose p? What's that, Cato !? The
big grey-stone mansion on the hill is the
one that Miss Chrystan lives in Not a
bad location, ELI ? / really must get some
one to introduce me to the heiress of Wild
River"
And he chuckled at his own wit.
Miss Chrystan herself, did he but know it,
was little curious in regard to the two
new doctors who were competing for DR..
Carew's practice. She was a slight, small
creature, of the humming bird order of wo-
men, with hair of the genuine buttercup
gold, dreamy blue eyes and the least percep-
tible lisp in her voice.
How is one to know what to do?' said
she. In case, | mean, of sudden sickness?
Oh, wish dear, good old DIR. Carew could
have lived foreverl"
"Ah," said Miss Jewett, her cousin, {" send
for DIR. Garnet, of course. He's such a love
And the other young man shambles when
he walks, and always has his hands in his
pockets"
Miss Chrystan laughed, and forgot all
about it the next minute until, one day, one
of her favorite old women fell i'll, and Miss
| Chrystan resolved that something ought to
| be done about it.
"She has sent to DIR. Garnet, twice." said
the heiress to Ellie Jewett. "And he has
taken no sort of notice of the call. DR..
Carew always attended Janet gratis and
this other young doctor must be made to un.
derstand how it is. Ellie, I've a great mind
to go myself and see him ~
"Oh, do !" said Miss Jewett, capping her
hands. $50 to Dr. Garnet's and, if he's
real nice, Lulu, ask him to dinner"
Nonsense !" said Miss Chrystan.
But she smiled, and did not look alto
yether displeased at the idea.
1t was dark February afternoon, with
frost-bound roads, sky uniform leaden-
gray, and occasional furries OF snow in the
air. and Lulu Chrystan had one or two cot
tages to stop at on her way, so that the twi-
light had fallen, chill and gloomy as a
funeral pail, before she left the last place.
Old Mrs. Drudgett insisted on wrapping
her own tartan shawl around her young
visitor at the door,
"That little silk jacket won't keep the
deadly cold from thy bonnie bones, Miss
Lulu" said she; can we Gamma spare any
body like thee just yet, my dearie-dear."
So Miss Chrystan smilingly accepted the
loan of the ancient garment, rather than to
hurt Goody Drudgett's feelings by declin-
ing it.
DR.. Garnets ofIi,e-door, in the II Ugh street,
stood partly open, and Miss Chrystan could
see the red glow of a comfortable coal-fire in
the CRATE There was no light, no attend
ant. Miss Chrystan knocked twice, and
then she entered and sat down.
He will be here soon," she said to her
self; "and I'm not sorry for the opportunity
to rest little"
As she sat there dreamily gazing into the
fire, heavy step sounded in the back room
beyond.
Hello, Cato, you lazy dog "why aren't
you here to take my horse ?" cried out
clear bass tone.
" Bress us an save us mas'r |" cried a
drowsy voice, simultaneously with scufiling
sound, as if some one was scramblng up
from the floor =" done gone dropped clean
asleep-suah as de world, | done Did
mas'r see young DR.. Silcox go by, jis
now, wild ole Widow Keppel in de kerridge2"
"Eh said Dr. Garnet; "the crazy
pauper ?"
Cato chuckled.
"Shuah as dis nigga Ibis an breaves,
mas'r," said he. "OId Widow Keppel, in
her yaller grownd, an ole white hair, flying
cherry which way. Laws, doctah,' says de
folks at de 'sylum, why didn't you let her
walk back She's as crazy as a cricket
says dey. An what you done s'pose DR..
Silcox says Says he-I done heerd it wiz
my own years, masr-'D'ye s'pose, says he,
I'D let pore ole soul like dat ar walk, dis
bitter cold night, when dar's vacant place
in my chaise2 rs had mother myself,
says he an she had white hair, too /"
He's a fantic," said DIR. Garnet, burst
ing out into loud laugh
"Dat's what thinks myself" said Cato,
who had not the least idea what fanatic
meant.
lie hurried out, to take the doctors horse,
which had been driven up to the back door,
and DR.. Garnet came slowly into the Office
"Eh |" said he. "What Who's here 7
Oh-Mother Drudgett again " as he rec
ognized the pattern of the old tartan shawl
in the uncertain freight. "Come, clear
out of this !"
Miss Chrystan had risen to her feet, and
stood prepared to speak but this strange
greeting put all utterance out of her mind.
81 told you the last time you were here,
you know" said DIR. Garnet finging his cap
and gloves down upon the table, "a that
wasn't going to be overwhelmed by a swarm
of poor people. If you want advice and
medicine you must pay for it; and il you
can't pay for it, as you've the audacity to
tell me- why, then, the best thing you can do
is to die, and be out of the way. Now be
off, and let this be the last time = Eth
What"
For Miss Chrystan, who began by this
time to comprehend the situation OF affairs,
had now advanced into the full glare of the
freight, and flung aside the tartan shawl
| which covered her black sllk sacnua edpad