The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-03-25

1t was dull waiting, especially as Eos
dick continual y fretted to be up and do
ing, and so they decided to meet afar of
DIR. Harry, who was expected to return
from an all nights visit to a distant pa
tent.
They did not meet him coming, ant
when they found him it was in a despeT
ate plight indeed-lying insensible ant
bleeding inthe grass-fringed prairie road
They understood the situation at once
his horse, frightened at something, haC
unseated his master and dragged hin
cruelty, and perhaps kicked him, before
his foot, which had remained in the stir
rup, had been released.
They bore him tenderly to the settle
ment, up the one short street, anC
raped at the door beside which was dis
played the offensive sign.
"Looks as if the new doctor painted
it himself" growled Ike FOsdick.
The young woman-now that they saw
her better the prominent citizens knew
that she was very young, but just out Of
her teens-opened the door.
Bring him right in" she said brisk,
ly.
They did so, and placed poor Harry
on the bed that the young girl indicated.
She began to examine his wounded head
in prompt business-llke way.
"We want the new DOCTOR" said Ike
Fosdick, hastily.
81 am the new DOCTOR" answered the
girl, without turning her head. Mother,
bring me basin of water, please.
shOnld like to have one of you gentle
men remain and assist me. The rest
will please 90. Your presence now
would hinder rather than aid me-"
Colonel Pride renamed and the others
shufled out, so dumbfounded that, for
the moment, they hardly knew whether
they were on foot or horseback, as Ike
Fosdick afterward expressed it.
''The new doctorv uttered Fosdick,
after they had drifted some distance
down the street, impelled by the force
which started them. "Wall, I'm
hangedr
"Me. too!'' said Fanshaw.
at shore beats my time!" confessed
Banning And Benson agreed that his
time also was beaten.
"a girl doctor!" snorted Fosdick,
presently. "Girls, as girls, is all right;
but as doctOrs-wuh! Pm a-feared
Harry is in mighty poor hands!"
The others were of the same opinion,
but it seemed as if they had done the
best they could. They unused detected
ly over the matter till Colonel Pride
Joined them an hour later, with the in
formation that Harry's right arm was
shattered, his head confused, and that
in addition to sundry abrasions there
was possibility that he had sustained
internal injuries.
"Then he'll shore die!" growled Ike
FOsdick, impetously, "It's good bye,
Harry, poor fellern'
81 do not know that" said Colonel
Pride. 'The young lady seems to know
her business"
When the conference was ended the
Others went their several ways wagging
their heads.
But as the days passed by, during
each of which deputation of the prom
inent citizens lowered about the modest
cottage the most of the time, and made
themselves little short of nuisances in
their efforts to be helpful, their convic-
lions underwent radical change, and, as
Harry improved slowly but surely under
the gentle but skillful ministrations of
the lady doctor, they vowed reluctantly
and then enthusiastically that he was in
good hands.
For a week Harry's life hung in the
udldhCCg anu blldO OluO gin
lowered over him it seemed almost con-
stantly, and our friends voted unani-
mously that it was to her constant and
untiring ministrations more than to his
own constitution that young Harry
owed his life.
Gentlemen" said Colonel Pride to
the other prominent citizens, one day
after the crisis was over, II have always
.Yfo fhoE ch4,,1I
outside of her proper sphere in life; but
-er- Well, there were tears in her blue
eyes when she set the shattered bones in
Harry's arm.
This was not all to the point, perhaps,
count.
yesterday" said Benson, slowly-he
never was much of a talker-"when l
sorto sa'ntered over to see if 1 couldn't
be NV some use, l heered suthin' that
kinder set me thinkin'. | was tip-toin'
around the house as sortly as l could,
an as passed the open winder l heered
the girl praying her dear Lord for
Harry's life. 1 dunno as it's what you
call customary for doctor to pray for
patient, but SEE to myself, If doctor
mixes prayer with medicine 1 reckon
the combination is hard to beat"
can l say" added Ike Fosdick, "that
if a girl wants to be doctor she's got
jest as good a right to as anybody"
81 reckon she has," agreed Hank Fan
shaw,
"An'," continued Benson, in his slow
way, ''she kept on a-prayin' kinder as if
she was tellin' her dear Lord all about
it. Harry must live, not only for all it
meant to him, but the much it meant to
hel, too. s'pose she was that tired
and worn with watchin' that her courage
had kinder given ont, and she felt as if
she must tell it all to someone, an it
seemed, too, as if her dear Lord was
about her only friend. L judged times
had gone pretty hard with her, an that
if she failed to make Twin start here,
it was all up with her, so to speak. An
she prayed on an on, jest as if she was
telling all her troubles to pityin' friend,
an then her head dropped forward on
her hauds as she knelt by chair, an
an then come away"
"Aurm!" hawked Ike Fosdick, gruffly.
Colonel Pride, never of retiring dis
position, had, during the days that fol-
lowed the accident, made himself as fa-
miliar as possible with the antecedents
of the girl doctor. Her mother, slen-
der, unworldly woman, had been glad to
pour the story into the sympathetic ears
of the colonel.
She was very proud, in a meek way of
Jean, and full of quiet faith in the girls
future. The past had been full of stern
self-denial and brave struggling against