The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-03-01
LOVEAEDA SCRAP BOOK
Fysteria, Love, Law and NIystifioation
Ending A. Last in Marriage.
LaW and MYstificatior
-ast in Ma rage.
BY DAVID a. CURTIS.

+ a. IL TX i
| her surprise, Tor his eyes did not wander
TO her face, he said simply, II am q
physician"
Then, though he was too busy to know
it, sex asserted itself, and il he had look
| ed at her face instead of her foot he
would have seen a pretty picture, most
interesting to philosopher, though per-
haps not to one of his school, he being
] profoundly inaterialistic.
Margaret Latimer was incapable OF
| the petty triviaiities Of protest that a
/ weak woman would have made. 1t did
not occur to her to make an cutlery and
affect squeamishness, but her eyes fash
| ed fire. Fanning, had he seen her face,
must have hunsDled himself in abject
! apology, brusque and harsh as he was,
but fortunately he was entirely ignorant
| Of her indignation, and took the swollen
ankle in his hand without the slightest
hesitation.
To her it was as if the ground had
| opened under her. To be touched and
gazed at in this fashion was simply in
comprehensive. Her face, that was
marble moment before, became sud-
| denly like damask rose. Her eye told
| her that Tanning was gentleman, and
| his touch proved that he was truthful in
claiming to be physician, but
The ready penknife was cutting away
the substantial boot. When that was
| off it passed steadily and swiftly around
above the ankle, and with one downward
1.a 81
came again the most excruciating pains
as his skillful fingers pressed gently here
and there.
Physicians say there is an order of high
intelligence which belongs to portion
of the human race and which makes
most difficult patients. Even sickness
and pain fail to subdue it, and one gifted
with it is as recalcitrant under treat
ment as a lawyers client who has
smattering of legal knowledge. He will
oppose theories, question methods and
even refuse indictments that do not APP
prove themselves to his mind, and double
the doctors task by forcing him to over
come mental obstinacy together with
physical aillnent. The surgeon meets
with less of this passive resistance than
the physician, since his work is not COM
monty complicated with mental process
es, but there are cases in which he must
first reduce his patient to submission be-
fore he can proceed with treatment. Such
case, to his great surprise, DR. Tanning
found this to be.
Anazement kept this young woman
silent for few moments. The unprece-
dented situation-at least it seemed so
to her-bewildered her, and strong as
she was it was little time before she
could decide whether to submit to this
benevolent stranger or not. At length
she decided.
"Stop moment. doctor" she said
quietly.
Tanning looked up. He turned his
face merely. The hand which still held
! her ankle was as rigidly immovable as
if it were graven out Of steel. 81 know
that the pain is intense" he said kindly,
"but it is inevitable that you must suf-
fer it. There is bone broken, and it
must be set"
st is not the pain that I am thinking
Of" said Miss Latiner; .'that is bad
enough, but the situation is worse. /
am more than thankful for your kind
ness, but we will suspend operations for
the present. My house is only half a
mile away. and prefer to wait until l
can be taken home before am treated
Tanning looked at her closely and
thought he understood her. The flush
had not left her face, and it lent unusual
beauty to a countenance that showed the
highest breeding as well as marked in
telligence. As If she had spoken ali her
thoughts, he knew that even in her pain
full plight she was Iaindful of the pro-
prieties, and that the ministrations which
she would have accepted as matter of
course if her mother had been present
were simply insupportable under the cir
cumstances. To her it seemed that virgin
pride was asserting itself. To him it
seemed that she was the slave of fool
ish conventionality. Heidi not hesitate
an instant.
'.Boshr' he exclaimed roughly. 81
shall not allow you to be moved until
the bone is properly set and your ankle
is bandaged.n And without more ado
he turned his attention to his business,
which, as heconceived it, was to see that
no further injury should come to her
foot.
1t was perhaps well for him that he did
not look at her face again for time.
For her the world seemed to have come
to an end. Here was a male of her spe-
cies who not only set her expressed wish
at defiance, but who was actually hand
ling her person as if she were the tools of
his trade instead of rebellious princess
Of society. Evidently 'sthe divinity that
doth hedge about" maiden had no ter
rors for him. He was to her first man,
and secondly physician. She was to
him first patient, and secondly-noth-
ing whatever
Pride would not allow her to make
further protest in words One movement
as if to arise, and, confronting, to sl.s,
him with her eyes, gave her such pang
that she recognized her powerlessness
again. Then, like destroying flash of
lightning, came single tarob Of agony
when the bone slipped if-o place and
all became a blank. But even as she
swooned away into Inconsistencies Me
was raging like an insulted empress at
the single word s.steady," which he haG