Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1890-11-29
DOCTORS INH: RlTANCEl1s

v.
c:iattin, as CID friends will who have
met after IL loag separation. The hour
was late. naar:y midnight, but no sign
OF WEAKNESS w;.s on either face. The
RON WAS a library. with well filed book
eases on all sizes. large. business like
table IL tie center and deeply cushioned
chairs scattered about. One bookcase
Contained only medical works in sub
stantial hiadings, and with marks OF
service plainly visible
Dr.. Thornton. host and owner of the
han,lso:ac house in which the roo:n was
situated, was !. man past 40. with iron
gray hair. strongly marked features. a
tail. erect i.gr-e and IN expression at
once kindly and resola.e. You read
prompt cec.sion in his dark blue. eyes
and sympathy in the pleasant smile
that often crossed his lips
His companion, heavily bearded and
l,ronze,l by travel, WIS far handsomer
lnan, but with Il weaker fice.
AT last. lie said. stretching himself
lazily i'll his deep arm chair. Il find You
alone and GisengaSel. Give me per
mission to stuff Il towel into that OBJ
1rnsivc office bell OF yours. SO that no
whiring woman or sqnallins brat can
Summon you away and make lie I'M
happy.
Cant he done. TEN. Make the n:cst
of me now. for the claims of thewhin-
ing women and the sqralling br,ts can
Mot he denied.
Yen know what want to hear. !
left yen twelve years ago poor man
with !: struggling. almost wholly Gl':-
iuitocs practice. IL swoi7a bachelor, and
almost Il hermit outside OF your profess
SIGNAL duties find you wealthy, with
!, chari..ius wife aatl a popular member
of society. ana yet your practice is. as
before. ai,nost e:.tirely among those who
could net fcc you if they would. From
what relative unknown 10 NE. your own
cousin. did ecu inherit your fortuae:
Did it ever occur 10 you. Tom. that
there are rnluances in real life all about
us. quite rs Improbable rs those found
,,pon the Shelves of the circulating IL
brary? My experience will convince
you that speak with authority. Twelve
Years ayo-we are getting old. Tom
was, us YOU SLY, a poor inan. studying
hard. LIVING in Il stuiIy house in 4 poor
neighborhood. hoping for better times.
more profitable practice and il fuller
purse. was bachelor because could
offer ou!y poverty to il wife; hermit
because NJ stu(.ies We're cngrossing. In
my small house kept one old woman
servant. who cooked for ME and kept
things tidy. Having no carriage !
needed no boy for Martha could write,
and had Il iauch larger Office practice
than that urtsi;.e.
1T Was to. one bit:er night in Janu-
airy, when WAS roused by the Office bell
and the sound of excited voices under
NY window fastening down | found
several men carrying upon IL shutter the
unconscious patient was 10 aid. If pos
sible
IAN old man. sir. knocked down by
runaway horses and run ever. said one
of the party. as they gently deposited
their burden upon /. sofa. Badly hurled
I'm thinking, doctor. but not dead"
Badly hurt. indeed, found him, and
nv examination convinced me that any
further motion would result fatally.
Keep him must. or risk his life by re-
lnov;.i to IL hospital With the assistance
of two OF the men undrcssed him and
but him into my own bed, noticing then
that he wore no coat.
Somebody took it off, they told me-
" -a,1 =
never appeared again. In the trousers
pockets were only some triGins articles
bunch of keys and Il handkerchief, bnt
nothing to give any clew to the identity
of my patient and unlimited guest.
ii Will not enter into the details of the
injuries that excited my interest as
physician and surgeon rs much us they
called for my sympathy as aman. There
were complications in the case that
called upon I'LL my skill and knowledge,
and the patient endurance of great suf-
fering made me respect my unfortunate
guest from the first
1T was nearly Il fortnight before he
recovered from the brain injury suf-
iiciently to speak distinctly. When the
sufferer could speak he told me that his
name was Fanshawe, but said nothing
more Of himself, and supposed him I'M
willing to confess to poverty and the in
ability to pay me for my services.
Il do not take much credit to myself
for my hospitality Or devotion, because
] was so deeply interested in the case,
professionally considered, that / would
have lived on bread and water rather
than have it taken ont of my hands.
las he became stronger my patient
became my friend, and interested me
deeply by the variety and depth of his
information, his experience OF travel and
charm of conversation.
mot until he was convalescent and
had been an inmate of my house for four
months did know that he was q man Of
wealth. living in the house now &C.
cupy.
ITO cure him w-.s beyond human
Skill, but through two years ! attended
him, alternating great suffering and
often accepting his invitations to spend
HI hour OF two with a lonely old man.
when he died he left me his entire
fortune, which supposed to. be mine
only because he had no direct heirs or
near relatives. lie had never spoken but
once of his family, and then said briefly
that he was widower and had lost bis
only child.
II had enjoyed my inheritance for
more than nine years when I-fell in love.
1, who had never cared for female So
ciety before. became deeply attached to
the mother of one of my patients. !. lady
nearly my own age, the widow of an
artist, who died in Rome some four or
five years before met her. She had
sent for me to see her boy, IN only child,
slowly dying with an incurable disease
of +ba cnina