The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-09-19
son. And he was so proud OF that


hall the dignity for him, and was ia
miIiarity he resented, in secret, al
though he dared not do so openly.
Others called him "Doc," and that
was simply CALLING to the high-strung
young man. He was daily hurt by
covert or open sneers. Even children
ridiculed him and his new title
Conld anything be more exasperat-
ing that to have crowd of ill-bred
urchins assemble in front OF his poor,
shabby little Office, while one of their
number sung out:
Doctor doctor, kin you tell
What will make a sick man well?
Grease his heels and tar his nose,
And that will do, suppose"
The doctors office was such a shah
by little affair, and he was quite too
poor to make it better. 1t had no
carpet, no pictures, nothing but a
cheap desk, a chair or two, and the
few old, but valuable books which
comprised the doctors library.
Appearances go a good ways to-
ward a physicians success or failure,
no matter how greatly we may affect
to underrate them.
He should be well dressed. A shah
by man can never assume a very dig
nified appearance. His office should
be neat and inviting. 1t augurs i'll for
the amount of a mans practice if his
office is as shabby as poor Doctor
Georges was.
If the young fellow could only have
had a chance. But there were the peo
pie sending ten miles to K, aneigh-
boring town, for DR.. Graves, who could
ride over in his carriage and count
their pulse beats by magnificent gold
watch. His clothes were OF the best
and tailor-made, and he had gradu-
ated from the same college from which
DR.. Georges diploma had come.
His father had left him a moderate
fortune, and he could begin his career
in a manner becoming 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 a rival coming to Sharon, and the
village paper openly published IN its
columns that:
IAN experienced and competent ply
sician will do well to locatein Sharon"
After that DR.. George thought he
would really have to seek a new field
OF labor, and in deepest dependency
he feared that be 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:
81 will not fail thee, nor forsake
thee"
at will all come right in the end"
he said; but the end seemed so far
away.
He would be only cold Joe HiXson's
SON. to these people all the days OF his
life. There was no end to that shame
and sorrow. The sins Of a drunken
and depraved father were visited upon
the head of son VINO 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, dis
comagement and poverty, he had
struggled up to a higher and a 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.
at is really surprising to see the as
surance old Joe Hixson's SON dis
plays" said Mrs. Col. Giddings, the
wealthiest woman in Sharon, with
his antecedents to set himself here 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 bad
but two patients: one OF them was
boy who had cut his finger badly, and
the other was a child with the collie.
He had not, however, wasted his time.
He had studied and learned much.
He was a bright, observing young
fellow, and no one in Sharon would
ever have guessed that the bright let
ters and sketches they read in certain
Eastern papers were written by cold
Joe Hixson's SON" He had signed
had been able to meet his small ex-
penses with the money hehad received
for his work.
But he had not spent four years
studying medicine to finally become a
newspaper reporter.
At last he made up his mind to go
out West. Hope had died out in his
heart. The people OF Sharon were de
termined to ignore him. He could not
succeed there. But there was that
young mans Mecca-the boundless
West Perhaps thefates would be less
cruel TO him there. He need not be
''old Joe Hixson's son" among stran-
gers. But there were those precious
promises
They will be fulfilled yet, in the
Lords own time and place" he said,
cheerfully. He probably means that
shallg 90 away from here to something
better than | have dared hope for"
Soon he made ready to 90. The
home of his childhood was dear to him,
and he was fond OF familiar faces, even
il 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 goodbye to the
few friends who cared to say goodbye
to him. He intended going on Tues
day.
! 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 il 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 tingle in the young doc
tors veins. But the next moment he
| laughed.
ooh well, it don't matter, " he said:
IN 90. 1t will help me to say truth
fully that I've had some practice"
Tommy was the very urchin who
had sung the hateful doggerel before