Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-02-14
THE SURGEONS VISIT.
BY JAN MACLARES.

procession from the sick bed TO the
dining-room, and give his opinion from
the hearthrug with an air of wisdom
bordering on the supernatural, because
neither the Drumtochty houses nor hi.
manner were on that large scale. Ht
was accustomed to deliver himself IL
the yard, and to conclude his directions
with one foot in the stirrup; but wher
he left the room where the life of Annie
Mitchell was ebbing slowly away, oul
doctor said not one word, and at the
sight of his face her husbands heart
was troubled.
He was a dull man, Tammas, who
could not read the meaning of sign
and labored under perpetual disabil
ity of speech; but love was eyes to him
that day, and mouth.
rs t as bad as yir lookin', doctori
Tell the truth; wull Annie no come
through" and Tammas looked Mac
Lure straight in the face, who never
flinched his duty or said smooth things
"a wud gle onything tae say Annie
hes chance, but a. daurna; a doot yir
gaein' to lose her, Tammasw
MacLure was in the saddle, and as
he gave his judgment he laid his hand
on Tammas' shoulder with one Of the
rare caresses that pass between men.
Its sair business, but ye i'll play
the man and no vex Annie; she I'LL dae
her best, all warrant"
AN all dae mine;" and Tammea
gave MacLure's hand grip that would
have crushed the bones of weakling.
Drumtochty felt in such moments the
brotherlinesso of this srough-looking man,
and loved him.
1ammas hid his face in Jess name,
who looked round with sorrow In her
beautiful eyes, for she had seen many
tragedies, and in this silent sympathy
the stricken man drank his cup, drop
by drop.
The winter night was falling fast,
the snow lay deep upon the ground,
and the merciless north wind moaned
through the close as Tammas wrestled
with his sorrow dry-eyed, for the tears
were denied Drumtochty men. Neither
the doctor nor Jess moved hand or foot,
but their hearts were with their fellow
creature, and at length the doctor made
a sign to Marget Howe, who had
come out in search of Tammas, and now
stood at his side.
"Dinna mourn tae the brakin' o yir
heart, Tammas," she said, ''as IL Annie
an you had never loved. Neither death
nor time can part them that lovei
there's neathin' in a. the warld sac
strong as love. If Annie gaes frae the
sicht o. yir cen she'll come the nearer
tae yir hert. She wants tae see We,
and tae hear ye say that ye i'll never
forget her nicht nor day till We meet in
the land where there's nae pairtin'.
Oh, a. ken what am sayin', for it's five
years moo sin George gied ava, an he's
mair with me moo than when he ives in
Edinboro' and ives in Drumtochty."
THANK We kindly, Marget; thae are
guide words and true, an ye hev the
RIGHT tae say them; but a Gamma dae
without seein Annie comm tae meet
me in the gloamin', an gaein' in an
oot the hoose, an hearin' her ca me by
ma name, an all no can tell her that a
luve her when there's nae Annie in the
hoose.
Can naethin' be dune, doctor? Ye
savit Flora Cammil and young Burn
brae, an yon shepherds wife, Dun
leithwy, an we were a sac prood O. ye,
an pleased tae think that ye he'd kept
deith frae uither hame. Can We no
think o. somethin' tae help Annie,
and gle her back tae her man and bair-
nies?" and Tammas searched the doc
tors face In the cold, weird light.
ssYe medina niead wi me Tammas,
pfnra
her: a. brocht her intae the warld, and
a saw her through the fever when she
was a bit lassikie; a closed her mltn-
er's cen, and it ives me he'd to tell her
she ives an orphan, an nae man ives
better pleased when she got guide
husband, and a helpit her wi her tower
BARNS. Ave naither wife nor BARNS
o. ma own, an a coont a the faux o
the glen ma family. Div We think a
wudna save Annie if l cud? If there
ives man in Muirtown at cud dae
mair for her, a'd have him this verra
NIGHT. but a the doctors in Perthshire
are helpless for this tribble.
"Tammas, ma puir fallow, If it could
avail, a. tell we a. wud lay down this
auld worn-oot ruckle o body o mine
iuist tae see ye bath sittin' at the tire
side. an the BARNS round ye, couthy
an canty again; but it's nae tae be,
Tammas, it's nae tae be.
Its Gods wull an maun be borne,
but it's a sair wull for me, an am no
ungratefu' tae you, doctor, for a we've
duen and what We said the NIGHT, and
Tammas went back to sit with Annie
for the last time.
Jess picked her way through the deep
snow to the main road, with skill
that came with long experience, and
the doctor held converse with her.
"Eh, Jess wumman, yon ives the
hardest wark a hae tae face, and a
wud rather hae ta'en ma chance o
anither row in Glen Urtach drift than
tell Tammas Mitchell his wife ives
deein'.
"a said she cudnR be cured, and 1t
ives true, for there's juist ae man in
the land fit fort, and they micht as
weel try tae get the mune oot o heaven.
Sac a. said naethin' tae vex Tammas,
for it's eneuch withoot regrets.
But it's hard, Jess, that money wull
buy life after a., an If Annie ives a
duchess her man wudna lose her; bct
bein' only a puir cottar's wife, she
maun dee afore the weeks oot.
.'Gin we he'd him the morn there's
little doot she wud be saved, for he
hasna lost mair than five per cent. o
his cases, and they Ill be puir toon's
craturs, no strappin' women like An
ME.
"It's oot o. the question, Jess, sac
hurry up, lass, for we've he'd heavy
day. But it wud be the grandest thing
that ives ever dune In the glen in oor
time if it could te managed by hook OF
crook.
"we ill gang and see Drumsheugh,
Jess; he's anither man SIN Geordie
zoos deith, and he ives aye kinder
than fouk kent;" and the doctor passed
at gallop through the village, whose
lights shons across the white frost.
bound road.
"Come in by, doctor, a heard ye on
the road; We I'll hae been at Tammas
Mitchelrs; hoo's the gudewife? a doot
she's sober"
"Annie's deein', Drumsheugh, an
Tammas is like tae brak his heart"
That's no lichtsome, doctor, no
lichtsome ava, for a dinna ken ony
man in Drumtochty sac bund up in his
wife as Tammas, and there's no bon
nier wumman O. her age crosses oor
Il Il j. 4 n oil a