The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-16
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sitting on a sack filed with straw, her husbands
plaid round her and his big coat with its large
white metal buttons, over her feet
l never saw a more untorgetable face-pale,
serious, lonely (a) delicate, sweet, without being
at all what we call fine. She looked sixty, and had
on a mulch, white as snow with its black ribbon
her silvery, smooth hair setting off her dark
gray eyes-eyes such as one sees only twice or
thrice in lifetime full of suffering full also of
the overcoming of it; her eyebrows black and
delicate and her mouth firm patient and con
tented, which few mouths ever are.
AS have said, never saw more beautiful
countenance, or one more subdued to settled
quiet. allie" said James, this is Master
John, the young doctor; Rab's freend, ye ken.
We often speak ABBOTT YOU Doctor She smiled,
and made movement but said nothing; and
prepared to come down, putting her plaid aside
and rising Had Solomon in all his glory, been
handing down the Queen Of Sheba at his palace
gate, he could not have done it more daintly,
more tenderly, more like a gentleman,
than did James the Howgate carrier.
when he lifted down Allie, his wife. The con
trast of his small, swarthy, weather-beaten-
keen, worldly face to hers-pale, suhdued, and
beautiful-was something wonderful. Rab
looked on, concerned and puzzled, but ready for
anything that might turn up-were it to strangle
the nurse, the porter, or even me. Allie and he
seemed great friends.
''As was sayin', she's got kind O. trouble in
her breest, doctor; wull We tax look at It'll" We
walked into the consulting-room, all four, Rab
grim and comic, willing to be happy and conf
dentialif cause could be shown; willing, also. to be
the reverse on the same terms. Allie sat down,
undid her open gown and her lawn handkerchief
round her neck, and, without word, showed
me her right breast. l looked at and examined
it earefully-she and James watching me, and
Ra6 3 eyneing all three. -, What .1 could anod
been so soft, so shapely, so white, so
gracious and bountiful 50 'full of all blessed
conditions. hard as stone, center of horrid
pain, making that pale face, with its gray, lucid,
reasonable eyes, and its sweet resolved mouth,
express the full measure of suffering overcome.
Why was that gentle, modest, sweet woman,
clean and lovable, condemned by God to bear
such burden9
bide?7 said James. ''You may; and Rab, if he
will behave himself" 'ISe warrant he S do
that, doctor, and in skunk the faithful beast
l wish you could have seen him. There are no
such dogs now. He belonged to lost tribe
AS l have said, he was brindled and gray like
Rubislaw granite; his hair short, hard and close,
like lions; his body thiek7set, like little bull
"a sort of compressed Hercules of dog He
must have been ninety pounds weight at the least;
he had a large, blunt head; his muzzle black as
night his mouth blacker than any night tooth
or two-being all he had-gleaming out of his
Jaws of darkness His head was SCARED with
the records of old wounds, a sort of series of
fields of battle all over it; eve out, one ear
cropped as close as was Archbishop Leightons
fathers; the remaining eye had the power of
two, and above it, and in constant communica-
ton with it, was tattered rag of an ear, which
was forever unfurling itself like and old flag; and
then that bud of tail, about one inch long if it
could in any sense be said to be long, being as
broad as long-the mobility, the instantaneous
ness of that bud were very funny and surprising,
and its expressive twinkIings and winnings the
intercommunications between the eye, the ear,
and it were of the oldest and swiftest
Rab had the dignity and simplicity of great
size, and having fought his way all along the
road to absolute supremacy he was as mighty in
1, TEL H. I'LL C
Wellington, and had the gravity (b) Of all great
fighters.
You must have often observed the likeness of
certain men to certain animals, and of certain
dogs to men. Now. never looked at Rab with
out thinking of the great preacher, Andrew
Fuller.(c) The same large, heavy, menacing,
combative, sombre, honest countenance the
same deep inevitable eye, the same look, as of
thunder asleep, but ready-neither dog nor a
man to be trihed with
Next day my master the surgeon, examined
Allie. There was no doubt it must kill her, and
soon. 1t could be removed-it might never re
turn-it would give her speedy relief-she
should have it done. She courtesed, looked at
James, and said, when" Tomorrow" said
the kind surgeon-a man of few words. She
and James and Rab and l retired. l noticed
that he and she spoke little, but seemed to an
ticpate everything in each other The follow
in, hurrying up the great stair. At the first
landing place, ON a small, well-knOwn black
board, was bit of paper fastened by waters,
and many remains of old waters beside it. On
the paper We're the words: can operation to-
day. j. B., Clerk"
Up ran the youths, eager to secure good places;
in they crowded, full of interest and talk.
whats the CASE" (which side is it?'
Don't think them heartless they are neither
better nor worse than you or 1; they get over
their professional horrors and into their proper
wofk-and in them pity as an emotion, ending
in itself, or at best in tears and long drawn
breath, lessons, while pity as a motive is quick
ened, and gains power and purpose. 1t is well
for poor human nature that it is So.
The operating theater is crowded. much talk
and fun, and all the cordiality and stir of youth
The surgeon with his staff of assistants is there.
In comes Allie; one look at her quiets and abates
the eager students. This beautiful old woman
is too much for them; they sit down and are
dumb, and gaze at her These rough boys feel
the power of her presence. She walks in quick
ly, but without haste; dressed in her mulch her
neckerchief, her white dimity short gown her
black bombazine petticoat showing her
white worsted stockings and her carpet
shoes. Behind her was James, with Rab. James
sat down in the distance, and took that huge
and noble head between his knees. Rab looked
perplexed and dangerous; forever cooking his
ear and dropping it as fast
Allie stepped upon a seat, and laid herself on
the table, as her friend the surgeon told her;
arranged herself, gave a rapid look at James,
shut her eyes, rested herself on me, and took
my hand. The operation was at once begun: it
was necessarily. slow; and chloroform-one of
Gods best gifts to his suffering children-was
then unknown. The surgeon did his work. The
pale face showed its pain but was still and
silent. Rabs soul was working within him. he
saw that something strange was going on
blood flowing from his mistress, and she suffer
ing. His ragged was up, and importunate.
He growled, and now and then sharp, impa-
tent yelp; he would have liked to have done
something to that man. But James had him
firm, and gave glover from time to time, and
an intimation of possible kiek-all the better
for James; it kept his eye and his mind off Allie.
It is over. She is dressed, steps gently and de-
Gently down from the table, looks for James then
turning to the surgeon and the students. she
courtsies, and in low clear voice Begs their par
don if she has behaved ILL., The students-ail of
us-wept like children The surgeons wrapped
her up carefuly-and, resting on James and me,
Allie went to her room, Rab following We
put her to bed James took off his heavy shoes,
crammed with Jackets, heelcapt and toe-capt,