The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-25

great rapldlty. he had been In the war
of 1912, or some such war, and had done a
good deal toward bringing peace about, for
both friend and foe decided that he was
worse than arson, treason, rapine and
death, SO the war closed.
Twas handed over to him just as chill
dren used to be ted To the crocodiles of the
Asiatic countries. We wanted his good
will, even If it cost q lobe of the liver of
the oldest child or an eye or an ear to
make him feel pleasant.
The reader has doubtless known in his
or her life a country doctor of this class;
one who settles all great questions with
grunt, likes to be regarded as taciturn, and
has . way of losing his temper in time to
prevent the discovery of his ignorance.
This man was one of that kind.
He had called in a convention of other
doctors to see the operations-doctoYs from
Trimbelle. Eau Galley, Little Bethel
neighborhood. Harriman's Landing and
Beldenville, also from Erin Prairie and
East Unionforever.
Cocaine was unknown then, and so the
doctor had brother physician from Prim-
that smelled like pair of saddle bags. l
can smell them yet. The operating sur
geon, the sphynx who never was known
to smile, went into little dark closet and
smiled by himself, coming back with his
| coat off and the odor of cognac about his
whiskers.
He bad ground up pair of curved toe
nail scissors and had them lying on the
oilcloth of the table. He now picked up .
| button hook which he had used during the
Mexican war; and asked me to look in
! tentiy at the collar button on the back of
my neck while he ''made an examination"
| This he did by rolling up the lid and fasten-
| ing it in ''the forward" as he called it.
! Then he hooked the button hook under
| the internal rectus muscle, as he stated, to
| hold the eve steady and give him chance
| at it with his toenail scissors. He now
| took off his cuffs and gave them to the
| doctor from Pleasant Valley to hold,
| wiped his glasses and took some more
| mince pie material, which he breathed on
| me while operating, and thus cheered me
| up, vicariously, 50 that felt ike another
| man.
| He cut the rectus muscle entirely off.
| 1t took him some time, but he did 1t. A
| very able physician did the same trick for
! Robert Tod Lincoln, now Minister 10
| England. The blood ran down my face
quite plenty. while the surgeon called the
| doctors from Erin Prairie and Hartmann
| Landing to come and see what beautiful
| operation it was. They said it was by far
| the most attractive operation they had
| ever seen outside of a post-mortem.
| I then returned to my studies with q
| green patch over this eye, but l caught a
| slight cold in the eye one evening while
/ being hazed, and so had to leave college
| for the time, and suffered great deal
| with nv eve. Years afterward the eye
began to drift off to the left, and people
who came to call on me got TO calling in
| pairs. so that one could look me In the
| eve from front while the other would take
| me on the flank and occupy my attention
from that direction. Strangers reported
| that had glass eye, and some said that
| must have a very poor record. indeed, as
| never seemed able TO look one In the eye.
This was true. But very few of my years
| could look two in the eye any better Than
| could.
Years afterwards l saw, even with NV
| odd and copious vision, that l had sui
| fered from the grossest malpractice. Inc
large tin god OF the countrywide became to
me what John L. Sullivan became TO his
audience on the night OF the sth inst.
| only so much osseous, muscular and adj
nose tissue dethroned, busted and knocked
| out.
Yet tae people generally had not discov'
| cred il. Nv eyes, however. had been
opened. One of them had been SO skill
fully opened that / could hardly close II
while sleeping. The lack OF muscular at
fachmert on the inner corner had permit
ted the eve 10 protrude ana give me
| choked appearance, as one might nave II
| his neighbors had taken the law into theii
own hands
| 1t was at this time that Dr. black
| Smith, the man who had operated on my
| eve. brought suit against the town fol
| damages, and although | had Just at
| tanned my majority, together Win an IN
| divided one-fourth interest Ia mortgage
| on the farm, which was now failing que
| was tina. year drawn as member OF th'
petit jury. and was one Of the highly orna
| rpen,ed wooden panel called upon TO Try
| the case of DIR. I. b. Black -Smith vefsui
| the City.
We listened to the testimony Tor TWO O
| three days. Now and then / would looi
J 1t the doctor with my game eye sterniy