Arizona republican., 1892-01-07
A COUNTRY DOCTOR.

significance to Q sick man. Perhaps even to man in perfect health it is not of striking importance But to the ob- servant mind it is interesting to note that the country doctor differs greatly from his professional brother in the city. Twas struck by this fact a few days ago during a sojourn in the hill country of Connecticut, While there I passed q day with leading physician of the township He leads queer life.
 "A city doctor knows nothing of the difficulties we encounter" remarked my friend as we drove toward the well titled fields lying beyond the village. It was early morning, and the air was as fresh as young man just out of college, The doctor had been up for two hours placing the affairs of his office on solid basis You see" he continued, "it is not so bad in summer, but when the snow comes lead terrible life. freeze my nose and ears, am overthrown by drifts, at night l suffer from cold, and at mid day the sunlight on the sn ow hurts my eyes. Nevertheless, am happy"
 He whistled a merry tune, touched his mare with the whip, and in few min utes drew up at farmhouse, whose white walls and green blinds were pain fully inartistic.
 He was gone about fifteen minutes-a doleful quarter of an hour for me. A COW munched grass in the front yard and an old oaken bucket was the only "citifed' thing in sight. By that strange law of action and reaction it took me back to that awful night when I SAW 1.-The Old Homestead" at New York ,heater
 When the doctor had replaced his drug store underneath the seat and had gathered up the lines asked;
 What kind of case did you strike there:'
 Nothing serious" he answered. "A young woman of seventy is suffering from facial neuralgia. She has youth and energy in her favor, however, and will be all right in a day or two"
 looked at him in surprise. Had his lonely life aTec!c. his brain?
 "One trouble have." he went on, "lies in the fact that cannot obtain any assistance in critical cases. When one of your New York physicians desires advice from a colleague all he has to do is to send q message down the block somewhere. There are times when would give half my income for another doctors aid, but can't get it. 1 have to follow the bird that hOcked by itself and do my own consulting. must stop here moment. I'll be out again in five minutes"
 don't believe a rural physician has any idea of time. 1t may be that he has the ability to count a pulse, but his in- depreciation of what is comprised in the expression, five minutes" is peculiar. Iheld that mare for fully half an hour. The flies bothered her and she grew rest less. There was no relief for me but to gaze at tho undulating landscape and indulge in day dreams "A pleasing land of drowsiness it was, of dreams that wave before the half shut eye, and of gay castles in the clouds that pass, forever flushing round a summer sky"
 On verdUre crowned hill some miles to the northward arose gigantic tree that seemed to rejoice in it's enormous size. Perhaps beneath it's branches the treacherous redskin had closed his heavy eyes. Perhaps it will look down upon the valley when Chicago has grown modest and Patagonia has been admitted to the Union.
 Such feverish fancies filled my mind until the doctors return.
 Whats the matter inside?" 1 asked.
 "Oh, nothing to worry about. The sick man is about ninety-eight years old, and overworked himself yesterday in the hayfeld. He'll come out all right. I've prescribed days rest and calomel pill. Why, do you know, that man, in spite of his aegean do more on farm in week than you or could do in a month. This is healthy country, my friend"
 began to think he was right. Dur ing the morning he made ten calls. Not one of his patients was under seventy years of age. At dinner, however, his telephone rang-for they have few modern appliances mp there, including tank drama-aud he was urged to hasten to the bedside of sick baby. l went with him and held the mare There's naught so much the spirit soothes as rum and true religion" re- marked Byron, poet once in vogue. lt IS evident that he had never waited for country doctor as he tended crying child. Such an experience is not only soothing to the spirit; it is narcotic to the senses. When the doctor returned was fast asleep, while the mare was in state of senicollapse.
 What did you do for the baby?" l asked.
 Told them to kill the cow" he an swered grossly, and did not pursue the subject.
 Later in the afternoon he was called to a patient living eight miles away. Our road led through dense forest, and the air was stihing. Before we had emerged from the woods storm came on, and the lightning flashed around us Tn realistic way worthy of well staged rendticI of Uncle Toms Cabin"
 We were wet to the skin, and my com panion seemed to realize that the expe- nence was not pleasant to me, for he off, Tered me cigar. Amid the war of the