The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-08

however, and to all appearance healthy.
and the last person should have expected
TO need my professional services.
Still, strange as it may seem
IN the case OF those who
have so many genuine troubles. it is not
more unusual for the very poor to imagine
themselves i'll when there is little the mat
ter with them than for fine lady. Ii they
cut their finger they think they are like to
die And the woman had rung the surgery
bell, which-though scarcely IN the city
sense-meant business.
We'll. Rebecca, nothing gone wrong, |
hope" said cheerfully. lyon look all
right.
appearances are deceitful, sir, heaven
knows" she answered, with what seemed
so tritc proverb most unnecessary sig
nificance. Its weakness SO that one can
not lift ones hand to ones head. and thirst
so that one wants bucketful, and cough
that seems to tear one inside out, and be-
sides that there's fever"
$50 bad as that, is it,"
/ made the usual examination. Her pulse
was all right, her tongue quite pleasure
TO look at, as compared with most of those
organs submitted TO my inspection tespe-
cially that most common variety, the
drunken tongue); she had not coughed at
all throughout the ordeal and there was
not a trace of fever.
you're nervous about yourself, my
good woman said, (which in your case
surprises me; you re too hard a worker TO
have such fancies."
s'StilI, them are the symptoms" she
answered. doggedly, land ! want pre-
scription." And she held out her hand,
with eighteen pence in it. Such is not
the fee in Wimpole street, but in the East
End we are less exacting, and we have the
same excuse for taking less as the barrister
gave for taking half crown instead of a
guinea; it is often ali our clients have In
the world.
~ don't want your money. Rebecca, any
more than you want my prescription" l
said.
"For mercy's sake give it me-" she cried,
imploringly. Its not for me, sir; it's for
s'For your sister? did not know you
had sister. How is it possible for me TO
prescribe for patient have never seen p
''She is ill, sir. deadly ill.," she pleaded.
"The more reason l should see her."
"But she will not see you, sir; she made
me promise that would not bring you.
She has seen no one but me for years.
She's an invalid"
"Well, of course, and has an invalid's
fancies, no doubt. Come, take me to her. !"
And / took up my hat.
Then, to my amazement, the big, strong
woman burst into tears. ''Oh, sir, you
don't understand she sobbed "She is
not accustomed to be seen like this. You
will break her heart"
pooh, pooh!'' said. "0n the contrary,
1t is my business to mend it.
Not that had the least belief in what
she said, for, indeed, began to think that
her sister might be Iis,ss nature, of which
l had seen more than one in my East End
practice-poor creatures that were not good
enough, or bad enough, for show; two
headed nightingales who had just missed
their chance, as it were, by half a head;
elephant men, with imperfectly developed
with Disagreement it cannot close doors
and windows or hide in secluded
grounds but still it will shrink from OBJ
servation all it can, like some shy creature
on the seashore whose shell is too small
for it.
Seeing it was useless to argue with me,
Rebecca led the way to Star court. Dry,
dusty, airless and without sunshine, be-
cause the tall black houses are huddled
too close together, it was indeed a cheer
less spot for the sound, far more for the
sick, to dwell in. A few ragged children
were dancing in the center of 1T around a
barrel organ, to the superficial eye an ex-
ample of how happiness is found in every
spot, but we'll knew that in more than
one of these abodes lay women and chill
dren down with fever, to each of whom
every note of the instrument was torture,
but there was no liveried footman there to
warn the unwelcome musician or police
men TO bid him "Move on" The police in
that neighborhood had their hands full of
more serious matters. Up three nights of
stairs We went. steep enough to suggest
the aid of the banisters, had they been less
grimy and shiny, and then into an attic
with sloping roof.
At the first glance thought a sunbeam
had found its way there, but it was only a
head of golden hair upon a coarse pillow
The face was turned to the wall, and Re-
becca held her finger up, stained with toll
and rough with work, TO warn me that the
invalid was sleeping. Why 1 noted the
finger was because of the contrast it ex-
hibited to the thin, white, delicate hand
that lay outside the blanket, for counter
pane there was none. There was a mar
riage ring on the hand, and it was the only
article in the room which could have
fetched a shilling at the pawnbroker's.
There was chair, but il had no back, and
deal table, one leg of which, much short
er than the others, was supplemented by a
brick. Upon it stood a mug with wall
flowers on it, the only decoration the apart
ment could boast. Yet all was scrupu-
lously clean, down to the bare boards un-
relieved by a shred OF carpet. | had seen
hundreds of homes before shorn of every
comfort, but never one so cared for in its
last extremity by hand and eye. Even the
brick on which the table stood was washed
and resembled one from child's toy box
That is good sign, her sleeping, is it
not, sirP" whispered Rebecca eagerly. We
had entered very softly, and doubtless the
ear of the invalid had only caught the
footstep she expected; but when her sister
spoke she answered in faint, reproachful
tones:
Il am not asleep and you have broken
your word, Rebecca."
ut was not my fault, my darling Indeed
II wasn't; OH did | not tell yap,T doctor
how it would be?" and ths~creat. gannt
woman wrung her hands distressfully.
1T was not yoyF-sfster's fault that am
mere, hterposed gently. "She would
nave had me believe that she came to con-
suit me on her own account, but | saw
through her. 1t was my duty to come.
and 1t will be pleasure to me if I can do
you any good.
|. l had caught sight for moment of the
face OF an angel, or rather, as it seemed to
me, OF one that was about to ioin the
heavenly choir; but even while | was
speaking she had put up both her hands
before 1t. 1t was poor protection, for
they were SO thin and fragile that one
could see through them, but the gesture
was eloquent enough
You need not be afraid of the doctor
my dear; he IS not like any one else" said
Rebecca, soothingly-a compliment evil
IDENTIFY addressed to my profession and not
TO myself. she'll come round after bit.
SIR, she whispered, encouragingly, "but
she hos not seen stranger-not to speak
to-tor years, and your coming is terrible
| trial TO her"
nodded indiferently, as though such
shyness was common trait, for il is a
point OF honor with us doctors never to be
surprised, but 10 say."'Just So" and in
cline the head at the angle of assent when
Z q sa1- 49,