The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-10-01
courage and confidence now. | know
it will mt fail mo -

and months alter that when poor
Georges confidence almost failed him.
Old Enoch had truthfully said:
Doctor George will have a hard
row to dig
He had, indeed The name of Hix-
son was i'll bad repute in and around
Sharon. The people were prejudiced
against the poor young fellow, al
though they could not but admit that
his own character was above reproach.
They had known MIN from his baby
days up, and it did not '.seem natural"
to call him Doctor" Hixson. Aud he
was SO proud of that hard-earued title.
Those who used it at all called him
doctor George that took away half
the dignity for him, and WAS a famil-
iarity he resented in secret, although
he dared not do so openly: Others called
him doc, and that was simply gall
ing to the highstrung young man. He
was daily hurt by covert or open
sneers. Even children ridiculed him
and his new title.
Could anything be more eXasperating
than TO have . crowd Of iil-bred urchins
assemble III front OF his poor, shabby
little office, while one of their number
sung out:
Doctor, Doctor, kin you tell
hat will make 4 sick man well?
Grease his heu.s and tar his nose,
And that VIII 90. suppose.
The Doctors office was a shabby
little affair, and lie was quite too poor
te make it better. 1t had no carpet, no
pictures, nothing but a cheap desk,
chair or two, and the few old but yalu-
able books which comprised the Doe
tors library. Appearances go a good
way toward a physicians success or
failure, no matter how greatly we may
affect to underrate them. He should
be we'll dressed. A shabby man can
never assume very dignitied appear
ance. His Office should be neat and in
yiting. 1t augurs i'll for the amount of
a mans practice If his office is us shabby
as poor Doctor Georges was.
Ii the young fellow could only have
a chance. But there were the people
sending ten miles to k, neigh
boring town, for DR.. Graves, who could
ride over in bis carriage and count
their pulse-beats by magnificent gold
watch. His clothes were of the best
and tailor-made, and he had graduated
from the same college from which Dr.
Georges diploma had come. His father
had left him q moderate fortune, and
he could begin his career in 4 manner
becoming a physician.
And then George had to sit in his
dreary office, in his frayed and patched
garments, waiting for the patients that
would not come, while DR.. Graves
went driving by day after day. Every
few days the disturbed and detected
young Doctor heard rumors of rival
coming to Sharon, and the village pa
per published in its columns that AN
experienced and competent physician
will do well to locate in Sharon"
After that Doctor George thought
he would really have TO seek new field
of labor, and in deepest dependency
he feared that he had perhaps relied
too much on the promise that had so
long encouraged and consoled him.
But he read another promise, solemn
and sweet, to his troubled heart:
Il will not fail thee, nor forsake
thee
at will all come right in the end,"
he said; but the end seemed so far
awav.,
He would be only ''old Joe Hixson's S
SOM to these people all the days of his
life. There was no end to that shame
and sorrow. The sins of drunken
and depraved father were visited upon
the head of son who was deserving
of the worlds honor and esteem. He
had risen above them into the beauty
and glory of pure and noble man
hood. Through shame and sorrow,
encouragement and poverty, he had
struggled up to higher and better
life, and yet the good people of Sharon
daily made him look backward to the
life he had left, And no friendly hand
was stretched forth to help him on
ward.
1T is really surprising to see the as
surance 'old Joe Hixson's SON. dis
plays" said Mrs. Colonel Giddings,
the wealthiest woman in Sharon with
his antecedents, to set himself up for
our physician.
How many of us can look back
through the ages to ancestors in whom
there was no guile and for whom we
need not blush?
During six months Dr.. George had
but two patients. One of them was a
boy who had cut his finger badly, and
the other was u child with the collie.
He had not, however, wasted his time.
He had studied and learned much.
But at last he made up his mind to
90 out West. Hope had died out of
his heart. The people OF Sharon were
determined to- ignore him. lie could
not succeed there. He need not be
.'old Joe Hixon's son" among stran-
gers. Bat there were those precious
promises!
They will be fulfilled yet, in the
Lords own time aud place, he said,
cheerfully. He probably means that
| shall go away from here to something
better than have dared hope for"
So he made ready TO go. The home
of his childhood was dear to him, and
he was fond of familiar faces, even if
they were not always kindly. He had
always felt timid about going among
total strangers. But his poor little
trunk was packed, and he had gone
around saying good-by to the few
friends who cared 10 say good-by to
him. He intended going on Tuesday.
On Monday afternoon little tow
headed boy met him on the street.
Say, you. Doctor George" he said.
my ma wants you to come up to our
house and see if there's anything the
matter of our Tommy; cause if there
is ma wants to send for Doctor
Graves"
The insulting message made the
blood fairly tiugle in the young doc
tors veins. But the next moment he
laughed.
''Oh, well, it don't matter" he
said; I'm go. 1t will help ne to say
truthfully that I've had some prac-
tice."
Tommy was the very urohin who had
sung the hateful doggerel before Or.
Georges office.
The young physician examined the
boy carefully; then he said:
well, Tommy, my boy, it viii take
something more than grease on your
heels aud tar on yoTr nose to make
you well; you have the smallpox,
Il don't believe il" said Tommy's
mother, sharply: Il don't believe you