The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1886-07-17

Gray. a man whose name will appear sew
eral times In this narrative, and who may
as well have an introduction now. he came
into my office one day, rough and hearty,
grasped my hand and shook il severely,
and then launched out with his speech of
welcome.
We'll, youngster / hear that you've set
tied among us in the pill business. That 8
right-proyiding you stick TO it. ] know
where you graduated and SO of course you
know your business. You've got a hard
row to hoe; all have to say is, stick to it,
and you'll succeed. That's all.
He bounded out of the office as suddenly
as he had bounded in. / met him often
afterwards; he was always hearty and cordial
with me, and glad | am that he was the man
whose professional skill was later intro
duced and at most critical moment, to
confirm and uphold the story that | was
compelled 10 tell. But of that anon.
The medical business of the village and
its vicinity, as | discovered, was unequally
divided between the two Doctors. The So
lect circle of aristocrats who paid large fees
would have no one but Dr. Beaumont; the
poor. who paid or not, as it happened, had
DR.. Gray; and some of this latter business
SLOWLY came to me. In the hot, sultry
months of that summer | was busy, very
busy, getting little money, but laying up
stores of experience, and daily calling down
npon my head the blessings of the poor
whom | attended. | was busy: | was use
ful; | had future before me; / was be-
coming known in the village; anG people no
longer asked, Who is that DR.. Minton?"
Sometimes | saw DIR. Beaumont, rolling
luxuriously about town in his SNOWY car
riage; frequently | met him On the side
walk, where he always carried his gold
headed cane. He never spoke to me, or
gave me any notice; and l. with the feel
ings that had toward him. would certainly
never court his notice The best people"
of the village always spoke of him in
strain of curious apology. They would
have no one but DIR. Beaumont in their
families, for DR.. Beaumont was a gentle
man as well as most skillful physician.
To be sure, 1t was great pity that the Doc
tor drank quite so much, and greater pity
that he had such passion for gaming 1t
was a pity that so nice man as the Doctor
should always be in money troubles with
gambling debts. But no matter; he was an
excellent physician, for all that From
which it will very easily appear that Berke-
ley was not largely different from other civ
ilized communities, and that an educated
and INSCRIPTIONS black like Dr. Alexis
Beaumont could flourish there as we'll as
elsewhere.
Several times | had seen Clayton Ferrers
in the village; sometimes riding sometimes
driving or walking | cautiously inquired
of tradesmen and others as to the situation
of affairs at Fairview, and could only salts
fly myself that there was great lack of in
formation about the ways of the family
living there. Beyond what the old woman
had told me on the street. | could learn
nothing. Evidently nothing had as yet been
made public as to the fears of Mr.. Clayton
Ferrers; evidently Lawyer. Warner had not
yet been called upon to draw will; and l
was left to conjecture that the conspiracy
between Felrers and Dr. Beaumont had be-
come dead. My careless inquiries after
Hugh Staples, the gardener, and his wife,
met with the answer that they were quaint
old English folks who rarely came to the
village, and that few there knew them. Mr..
Wilson Warner, the attorney, l had become
slightly acquainted with, as | had with
many others. To all human appearance,
the things that | had been disturbing my
self about had become quoted, and prom
ised no more trouble.
Just here the bright, sweet face of Paula
comes to remind me that il was at this time
that we first met