The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-04-25
GETTING A COUNTRY PRACTICE,

"Dr. Minter, Surgeon" such was the
name upon a brass plate on the door
and as the young practitioner surveyed
it, he modestly hoped that it would not
draw a great many calls while he was
away from home, and wondered if he
had not better take it down and leave
it until he returned with his bride. He
had Just passed, not yet tried practis-
ing, and was sanguine in his ideas upon
the subject. He finally decided to let
1t remain Us it would serve for an adyer-
:;isement while he vas away; and leav-
'ng word with his one servant woman
that he would be at home on the eigh-
teenth of the month, he departed on
his short journey. The marriage came
off, quietly and inexpensively, at the
house of the brides uncle. Annie had
lived with this uncle aver since she was
a little orphan child of three years.
Now, having been fitted out respect
ably, in the way of clothing, which with
his large family and limited means, was
all her uncle could afford to do, she left,
with Charlie for his new home. with
many kind wishes and prayers for her
happiness.
DIR. Winters sole tangible possessions
were a horse and chaise, q few articles
Of furniture, a pretty good stock of med
icines and surgical instruments, and a
loving little wife, whom he well nigh
ldolized. He had taken a tiny house,
IN the pretty town of Pineyille, and had
boldly displayed a brass plate, although
it was directly opposite to that of DR..
Jaeger, who supported his with many
years experience, q generous ~sprinkling
Of gray hairs, and pomposity of man
ners. The unpretending little house,
taken by the new doctor, consisted Of
four rooms and a surgery.
Armies skillful hands soon trans
formed their abode into a little Para
disc. Bright flowers flashed from every
available nook; hanging-baskets We're
fashioned of moses and creepers; cur
tains of snowy muslin were suspended
from the windows; glasses and shells,
filed with buds and blossoms, were lib
orally distributed around the rooms land
innumerable little inexpensive things,
which only q woman's hand can form
filled up the voids, giving an air of re-
inement, and purity, and comfort to the
whole. But people cannot subsist up
on pretty nick-nacks; even a plain way
of living requires money for its support;
and u friends became painfully con-
scious of this unpleasant fact as the To-
nance of their lives was not invaded bv
the patients.
Annie would sit in her front room,
and watch the patients flock to the
house of her opposite neighbor, and
wonder why people would persist in
rushing blindly on to their ruin, as she
felt certain they were doing in thus
thus passing by her husband. OF
course, she reasoned, a talented young
man just fresh from the hospitals, must
be better posted than one who had
been rusticating for so many years IN a
country town. She had heard that a
wife had much influence in establishing
a practice; and she resolved that if her
husband lacked business, it should not
be owing to any dereliction of duty on
her part. She gathered all the chill
dren of the neighborhood about her,
and amused them by the hour with
stories, she dressed dolls for the little
girls, and played horse with the boys.
She received calls with the utmost
afability, returned them promptly,
and was sociable with most stupid and
tiresome, as we'll as with the most elig-
ible inhabitants of the town. Pineyille
was a place of considerable gaiety and
new Corners, on principle, responded to
all their invitations to parties and tea
drinkings. They threw open their
small house in return, and entertained
pleasantly and freely, putting them
selves on a diet of potatoes and salt for
days afterwards to make up for the ex-
ira outlay, People visited them, liked
them, and made much of them, but in a
business way ignored them. Her best
friends seemed to forget in time of ILL
ness, that Annie had a husband, and
persistently sent ortheir old physician i.
When our friends came in contact with
DR.. Jaggar, the latter always shook
hands in a pompous manner, smiled
with al air of satisfaction, which seemed
to say, "You are not in the least in
my way, and are quite welcome to re-
main here if you wish" and blandly in
quired how they liked ''our little town"
When others inquired his opinion of the
new doctor, he would stroke his own
grey beard a~ffectionately, and reply,
ooh, a clever boy enough! A very
clever boy, needs experience" This
style of eulogy was not exactly calcu-
lated to throw patients in the way of the
new candidate, who penniless and half
discouraged, was awaiting visits.
It is true, that owing to the fact that
DR.. Jaeger was sometimes away, and
was too tired to ride when wanted, our
friend found some few opportunities for
airing his medical knowledge; but rhe
generality of his patients were eli ler
very poor pay, or no pay at all, al his
opponent showed remarkable en- rgy
for being at hand for people of i'm, ,or-
tance. Humanity, however, cannot al
ways be ubiquitous; and the time C me
when DR.. Jaeger was wanted for S, me
of his wealthiest patients, and he was
away from home. The occasion was ,.r-
gent and DIR. Minter was called in. It
was q case of fever, which the older
physician had been attending, and he
had pronounced his patient full conva-
descent.
A relapse, however accompanied with
unexpected SYMPTOMS. had alarmed her
friends, and they had speedily gathered
around her from far and near.
When DR.. Minter first entered the
sick room he started, surprising for a
moment that the lady must have died
since the messenger left home, and that
they were now holding her funeral.