Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1886-11-05
THE UNKNOWN DOCTOR.

seemed to have gone home who had
home to 90 to, and the streets were al
most deserted, when tall man, in
broad -brimmed hat and long, dark cloak,
came tramping down a narrow lane in
one OF the poorer quarters of the city.
Nowadays, any one can walk about
Vienna ut night safely enough; but a
hundred years ago, when rogues and
vagabonds swarmed In every street,
few honest people cared to be out after
dark more than they could help. The
cloaked man, however, went forward
bri.kly and fearlessly enough; but any
one who had been watching him would
have noticed that, whenever he happen
ed to pass a policeman, he kept his head
down, and pulled at the collar of his
cloak, as if wishing to hide his face as
much as possible.
All at once ragged, half-starved
boy came flying past, who, catching
sight Of the tall man, ran up to him,
and said, imploringly:
cone gulden (forty cents), good sir;
just one, for PHYS sake"
He hung back little as he spoke, as
if fearing that his petition might be an
swered with a hard word, or even
blow. But the tall mau replied, in a
kindly tone:
"Why do you want gulden somuch,
my boy? Are you hungry"
"It's not that" painted the boy.
"Mother's very i'll, and the doctor will
not come to see her unles. | give him a
gulden first, and haven't got 80 much
as cent; and perhaps mother may die
in the meantime"
The stranger paused and looked keen
ly at the boy, his large eyes seeming to
glow like live GOALS under the dark
shadow of his slouch hat. Such tales
were told every day by the knaves and
beggars Of the town; but the poor
little fellow looked thin and miserable
enough to make his assertion that he
had no money only too probable, and
the earnestness of his voice and look
could not be mistaken.
"Here'S a gulden for you, my lad.
Go quick and fetch the doctor, and XII
look after your mother in tho mean
time, if you'll tell me where she lives"
The boy hastily gave him the address,
and, muttering few broken words of
thanks, darted away, like an arrow
from a bow.
$50, here's an adventure already"
mused the unknown; "and strange
one it seems likely to be. There are
doctors in this town, it would seem,
who would let sick woman die rather
than lose gulden. And yet people
call me hard-hearted. Bahw
Just then he passed bakers store,
and sudden thought appeared to strike
him. He went in and bought small
brown loaf, taking care to choose the
freshest he could find. In that part of
town most men were fond Of keeping
their faces hidden, so that the baker was
not surprised to see his customer pull
his hat over his eyes as he came in; but
it struck him that the hand which took
the loaf was far too white and shapely TO
suit the greasy, threadbare cloak that
hung over it. The stranger pushed out
at brisk pace through the maze OF
crooked, gloomy alleys, and soon reach
ed the house to which the boy had di-
rected him.
A dismal den it was, much more like
a wild beasts lair than the abode Of any
human being. Not without more than
one awkward stumble did the visitor
make his way up the pi;ch-dark and
tumble-down stairs, to the small, bare,
chilly garret in which the sick woman
was lying, with nothing but an old
blanket between her and the hard,
plank floor. He greeted aer kindly,
and she, supposing him to be the doctor
whom her son had gone to fetch, told
him all about her illness readily enough.
But he soon saw that what she was suf-
fering from was simply starvation, and
breaking up the loaf which he had
bought, he proceeded to feed her with
the softest morsels of it.
Now" said he, seeing that she was
beginning to revive little, "Pll write
down the name Of a medicine which /
think will do you good. Send your son
with this paper tomorrow morning to
90 Ferdinand street, and they'll give
you what you want, and not charge you
any thing for it."
"May God bless you" murmured The
poor woman, family.
At that moment the rickeiy stair
crsaksd beneath a heavy tread, and
into the room strobe the doctor, with
the boy at his heels.
"Hello" cried he, roughly, "what
sort Of dog-hole's this that you've
brought me to-"
IF it be dog-hole," said the stran-
ger, cycling him sternly, otis all the