The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-03-19
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HOWL PAID MY DOCTORS BILL.

HOW PAID MY DOCTORS BILL.
l awoke one morning, with dull, throb
bing pain in my temples, and shivering as
if in an ague fit Knowing how necessary
it was that | should be at work, | made
an attempt to rise; and then, sick and gid
dy, laid my head back upon the pillow,
the moan that escaped my lips being oe-
casioned more by mental than physical an
guish.
Sick, alone and penniless in strange
cityl If the reader does not know what
this means by actual experience, words
can give him but faint conception Of it.
| knew the contents Of the worn pock-
ct book that was resting on the window
sill-forty- cents to penny. knew,
also, that small as was the salary paid me
by Lawyer Blackwell for writing twelve
hours a day in his diagy Office down
town, too many stood eager to take my
place for me to hope it would be retained
for me.
heard the breakfast bell ring, and the
rest of tie boarders going down to the
diniug-room, together with the usual chat
ting 10 the halls aud laughing on the stairs.
Then followed an interval Of silence, which
was broken by the footsteps Of Katy, the
hard worked ehambermaid. She entered
very uneeremoniously, broom 10 one
hand, pail in the other, aud pile Of
towels resting on her arm. Some concern
mingled with the look Of dismay with
which she regarded me.
care you sick, Mister Graham? The
saints pity them that's sick in this house,
anyway y she mutlered, as she Obeyed the
sharp, wiry voice that called to her from
the hall below.
Katy, in her hurried exit, left my door
ajar.
"Mr. Graham sick, did you say, Katy n
| heard my landlady say, few moments
later. How provoking! / believe sane
people would rather be sick than not, if
they can make any trouble.
Il was evident that Mrs Garyin was cut
Of temper that morning not unfrequent
oecurrence-and a strong impulse came
over me TO shut and bolt the door. Be
fore | could do this she was in the room
tall, thin, angular woman, with red hair,
high cheek bones, hard, cold look to her
eyes.
Mrs. Garyin might not have been hard
woman naturally, but she had kept board =
ers over thirty years, which had brought
her in contact with so many dishonest
thankless aud exacting people that she
was continually on the defensive.
As | looked into the face, whose forced
smile so thinly veiled her anxiety lest she
should be put to some extra trouble aud
expense, the pain through my temples
grew so sharp that it wruug faint moan
from the lips.
Mrs. Garvin looked alarmed.
"If its anything serious you'd better let
me send for your friends"
II have none-not here" / said Il
wish you would send for doctor
Promising to do so, Mrs Garvin with
drew, to my great relief. Another dreary
hour passed, and then Katy came up with
a cup of cold, sloppy tea, and bit Of
toast so burned that it wss black and
bitter.
| think l must have fallen into stupoI
after this, from which | was aroused by
the touch Of cool, soft hand upOn my
forehead, and low sweet voice saying:
"Poor fellow he is very ILL., Is there
no one to take care of him, / wonder p
On opening my eyes, l saw dainty
young creature standing by my bed, her
fingers upon my wrist, and her soft brown
eyes fixed pityingly on my face.
She smiled as she met my astonished
gaze.
Il am Dr. Joe; otherwise known as 10.
sephine Tracy You didn't expect lady
physician, l suppose? But papa is out Of
town, and I'm attending to his patient:
this week. You needn't be one bit afraid
I've been through a regular course of med
icine. Papa says that | am getting tC
know more than he does"
Here low, sweet ripple of laughter
broke from the rosy lips Of the speaker
She then proceeded to measure out some
medicines from the case she carried; hel
grave, professional air, as she did so, con
trastiug oddly, yet not unpleasantly, with
the womanly grace and gentleness of every
motion. She was simply attired in sui
of brown linen, the skirt of which jus
touched the tops of the neatly fitting boots
Her hat was brown straw, with knotteC
ribbons and long, dropping plume of thc
same color Everything about her wa
brown, even to her eyes and hair, excep
the pure fresh face and the dainty whit
ruffie at the wrist and throat.
As l meekly swallowed the composing
draught that she held to my lips l saw he
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