Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-01-14

dick continually fretted to be up an
doing, and so they decided to meet afa
off DR.. Harry, who was expected to b
returning from an all nights visit to
distant patient.
They did not meet him coming, an
when they found him it was in despei
ate plight indeed-lying insensible an
bleeding in the grass-fringed prairi
road. They understood the situation O
q glance-his horse, frightened perhap
at a blowing tumble-weed or the sudde
bursting of jack-rabbit from clum
of iron weeds, had unseated his maste
and dragged him cruelty, and perhap
kicked him, before his foot, which ha
remained fastened in the stirrup, ha
been released.
They bore him tenderly to the settle
ment, up the one short street ,and knocked
at the door beside which was displayed
the offensive sign.
"Looks as if the new doctor painted il
himself" growled Ike Fosdick.
The young woman-now that they saw
her betterthe prominent citizens, knew
that she was very young, but just out of
her teens-opcned the door.
Bring him right in," she said, ,briskly.
They did so, and placed poor Harry on
the bed that the yonng girl indicated.
She began to examine his wounded head
in prompt, business-like way.
awe want the new DOCTOR" said Ike
Fosdick, hastily.
81 am the new DOCTOR" answered the
girl, without turning her head. Mother,
bring me a basin of water, please. |
should like to have one of you gentlemen
remain and assist me. The rest will
please 60. Your presence now would
hinder rather than aid me"
Colonel Pride remained and the others
shufled out so dumbfounded that, for the
moment, they hardly knew whether they
were on foot or horseback, as Ike Fos-
dick aftcrward expressed it.
"a girl DOCTOR" snorted Fosdick, pres
emily "Girls, as girls, is all right; but
as doctors I'm 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 dejectedly
over the matter till Colonel Pride Joined
them an hour later, with the information
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, impetuously. "It's goodbye,
Harry, poor feller!''
81 do not know that" said Colonel
Pride. "The young lady seems to un-
derstand her business"
When the conference was ended the
others went their several ways wagging
their heads.
For week Harry's life hung in the
balance, and during that time the girl
hovered 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, 81 have always
maintained that woman should not go
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 at all to the point, per-
haps, but his hearers did not call him to
account.
yesterday" said Benson, sIowly-he
was never much of talker-"w
sorto 50 ntered over to see if / couldn't
be Nv of some use, heered suthin' that
kinder set me to thinkin'. | was tip
toin' around the house as softly as
could, an as | passed the open winder
heered the girl prayin' for Harry-.iest u
homely, earnest prayer to her dear Lord
for Harry's life. l dunno as it's what
you might call customary for doctor to
pray for patient, but, sez l to myself,
IF a doctor mixes prayer with medicine
reckon the combination is hard to beat p"
"An' | say, added Ike Fosdick, "that
if girl wants to be doctor she's got
just as good a right to as anybodyw
81 reckon she has" agreed Hank Fan
shaw.
AM" 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 that il
meant to him, but the much that il
meant to her, too. spose she was that
tired and worn with watchin' that heI
courage had kinder given out, an she
felt as if she must tell it all to some one
an it seemed, too, as if her dear Lord
was about her only friend | Judged
times had gone pretty hard with her, an
hnt ba fni1 nI e.,
here, it was oil up with her, so to speak
An she prayed on an on Jest as il she
was tellin all her troubles to pityin
friend, an then her head dropped for
ward ON her hands as she knelt by
chair, an-an' then come away"
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 meek way, OF
Jean, and full of quiet faith in the girls
future The past had been full of sterr
selt-denial and brave struggling against
privatiOn, but she felt sure that Jean
triumph was not far off The little
widow and the fatherless girl had hoard
ed their savings long and we'll before
Jean could begin her course at the
medical college, and though mother and
daughter practised self-denial to pitt
full extent, their little savings were we'll
nigh exhausted ere the completion of the
studies.
And she worked, oh, so hard!" the
little mother said, with moistened ewes.
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