Smyrna times., 1888-01-18
THE DOCTORS HEROISM.

vi lA4S SObll VI 4doJ MAY LIlb TWO REetlG
waiting rooms attached to the office of the
illustriOus specialist-the infallible healer,
who undertook to cure any affection of
the lungs in any stage of the disease
were thrOnged with patients holding their
tickets in their hands.
At the entrance stood the money re-
ceiver, wearing a long black frock coat:
he took from each patient the indispen-
sable fee of two guineas, tested the gold
with single tap Of the hammer upon a
little ornamental anvil and cried auto
matically, "AII rightp'
In his private Office-a glass structure
like a conservatory, around which great
tropical shrubs were ranged, each grow
ing in a huge Japanese pOt-sat the stiff
little DR.. HallidOnhill. Beside him, at a
little round table, his secretary kept
stenographing brief prescriptions given.
AT the swinging doors, covered with red
velvet studded with gold headed nails,
stood valet of monstrOus frame, whose
duty it was to carry the feeble consump-
tives to the lobby, whence they were low
cred by an elevator, in easy chairs, below
as soon as the official signal, ''Nextr' had
been given.
The patients entered with dim and
CLASSY eyes, stripped to the waist, and
each with his upper garments thrown over
his arm. lnstantaneously upon entering
they received the application of the pies
slmeter and the tube on back and chest.
Tick! tickl plaff! Breathe now
Plaff--Good."
Then followed prescription dictated in
a second or two; then the well known
''Nextr'
And every morning for three years. be-
tween o'clock and noon, the procession
of sufferers came and passed.
On this particular day, May 20, Just at
the stroke of O'Clock, a sort of long skeI-
eton, wiNl wildly wandering eyes, cheeks
so hollow that they seemed to touch to-
gether under the palate, and nude torso
that looked like a cage covered with loose
parchment, uplifted occasionally by the
efforts of rackng cough-in short, be-
ing so wasted that it seemed impossible
Tor him to live, came in with a blue fox
skin mantle thrown over his arm, and
tried to keep himself from falling by
catching at the long leaves of the shrubs.
as he expanded the compass of his femora
in the DOCTORS Office
Click! tick! plaffl - Ali the devil!
Can't do anything for your grumbled DR..
HallidOnhiI. "DO you take me for a cor
oner, whose business it is to certify causes
of death? You will spit up the last cell of
this left lung in less than a week, the
right is already riddled like a sieve!
Nextr'
The valet was just about to carry out
the client When the eminent therapeutist
suddenly slapped himself on the forehead
and brusquely asked, with a dubious
smile:
care you rich?''
a
millionaire" sobbed the unhappy being
whom HaIlidonhin thus unceremoniously
dismissed from the face of the earth.
very WELL then; let your invalid
carriage take you at once to the Victoria
railway station. Take the II O'Clock ex-
press for Dover! Then the steamer for
Calais. Then take the train from Calais
to Marseilles-secure a sleeping car with a
stove in til And then get to Nice as fast
as you canl There try to live on water
cress for six Notwithstanding but water
cress-nO bread, nor wine, nor fruit, nor
meats of any kind. One teaspoonful of
rain water well iOdized every two days
And WatercreSs, watercress, Watercress!-
pounded and brayed in its own juice-that
is your only chance,-an still, let me tell
you this: This method of cure 1 know of
only by hearsay; its pretended efficacy is
being dinned into my ears all the time
don't believe in it the least bit; 1 pro-
pose it only because yours seems to be
hopeless case,-yet I think that as a
remedy it is worse than absurd. Still,
nothing is impossible. Nextr'
The phthisical Croesus was carefully de-
posted in the cushioned car of the ele-
vatOr, and The regular procession of con-
sumptive, scOrbutic and otherwise af-
hicted patients commenced its pilgrimage
through the Office.
Six months later, Nov. 3-just at the
stroke of 8 O'clOck--a sort of giant with
a terrifically senorous and jovial voice,
whose tones shook every pane of glass in
the DOCTORS Office and set the leaves Of
all the tropical plants a-tremble, great,
chubby checked colossus, clothed in rich
furs, burst like a human bombsheu
through the sOrrOwful ranks of DR.. Hal
hdOnhilFs clients, and rushed, without a
ticket, into the sanctum of the prince Of
science, who had just come, cool and calm
as usual, in his black cloth suit, to sit
down before his Office table. Selling the
doctor about the body the giant uplifted
him like feather and kissed and kissed
again in silence and bathed in tears of joy
the wan and worn cheeks of the prac-
titioner, as q paradOXical Normandy nurse
would kiss the face Of child, after which
he set him down again q semi-comatOse
and almost suffocated state in his green
armchair.
"Two millions of francs-do YOU want
them?" shouted the giant, terrible living
advertisement. cor do you wish for
three? 1 owe to you breath, sun, splendid
repasts, hfe-everything Make your
claim upon me for extraordinary rewards;
suffer with the thirst Of thankfulness.
''My gOOdnessl who is this mailman?
Put him out of herep feebly articulated
the doctor, after moments lprostration.
mo, no--you dOn'tr' grOwled the giant,
with q puglistic glance at the valet that
made him cecoil as from a blow 'The
fact is" he continued, 81 understand now
that even you-you, my savior-cannot
recognize me. am the Watercress Man
the hopeless skeleton, the helpless pa
tent. Nice l-watercress, watercress,
watercressI Well, I've done my six
months of watercress diet Look at your
work nOwl See here-listen to thatr'
And he began to drum upon his chest
with two huge fists, solid enough to shat
ter the skuE Of Middlesex prize bull.
"Whatl' cried the doctor, leaping to his
feet. "You are-my graciousl are you the
dying man whom p
eyes, yes-a thousand times yesr'
yelled the giant. 81 am the very man.
The moment landed yesterday evening
ordered bronze statue Of you, and viii
have influence enough to secure you a
monument in Westminster when you
die"
Then dropping himself upon an inn
mense sofa whose springs ereaked and
groaned beneath his weight, he continued,
with q sigh of delight and q smile or
beatific ecstasy:
''Ahi what q sweet thing life isr'
The doctor said something in q whisper,
and the secretary and the valet left the
room. Once alone with his resuscitated pa
tient Hallidonhill, stiff, wan and glacial as
ever, stared nervously at the giants face
in silence for a minute or two then sud-
denly observed in a queer tone of voice:
"First allow me, if You please, to take
that fly of your foreheadp'
And rushing forward as he spoke, the
doctor pulled short ''bull dog revolver''
from his pocket and, quick as thought,
fired at the left temporal artery Of the
visitor.
The giant fell, with his skull shattered,
scattering his grateful brains over the
carpet Of the room, which his hands
beat against automatically for a few
moments.
In ten cuts OF his scissors, right through
cloak, garments and underwear, the dead
mans breast was laid bare, and the grave
narrator emf oman tho chest lo,o-tI,.,;sa