The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1895-07-19

once at some medical club meeting,
to which on rare occasions DR.. Best or
his little group OF intimate friends be-
guiied the busy and self-sacrifcing
country doctOr-many a city man owed
to him the best of inspiration or en-
lightenment from some chance word,
or some new way of looking at old
things. "Ashurst has more genius for
his profession than any of u.s." old DR..
Best used to say.
1t had been long, sad year since the
good man died-indeed they needed a
doctor up at Alton" as he had said at
the beginning of his brave career.
There was many q poor soul that felt
unbefriended now. and uncompaniOned,
with no one to look to for help, spirit
nal or material. And as for DR.. Ash
urst's own household, the sorrow Of
poverty was added to sorrow itself. The
mother and her two children were left
really poor. John Ashurst always
hoped to leave his family q good sum
Of money, to buy a comfortable life in
surance before he should be taken
away, but the necessities OF the mo-
mcnt always hid the fear of the future.
He had lost what money he had by the
failure of bank, and he had never
been providcnt. 1t was the rainy day
Of the moment and not of the future
with which he concerned himself. Now
that the small bills that could be col
lected were all paid, many accounts
having never been kept at all and still
more forgiycn--it was but a poor de-
pendence, and the girls we:e wondering
what they could possibly do. One had in
herited her fathers gift of teaching, and
had gathered little school, but it was
more thing of love than Of business,
and Of late she had taken the district
school near at hand, and her poor pay
was the mainstay that was left. They
had always felt so rich all their lives
that they did not know how to feel
poor, exactly. In the late years when
DR.. Ashurst had been sent Tor far and
wide, and now and then u large fee
came in his way, they had begun to
feel like people of fortune. And only
the last Thanksgiving day, the fort
night before his three days illness be-
gun, what JOY they had in making hap
piness for many poor households! The
old chaisO had gone its rounds with a
high-heapCd mound of benefactions
under the buffalo robe, and this old
woman must have this thing to make
her happy, and the other something
else, for Thanksgiving was still kept in
all its glory of noighborlincss and good
cheer in Alton, and Christmas itself
seemed to be the happier fer young
people, because their elders and bcttcrs
made the most of the earlier festival.
The doctors study, where a light
was apt to burn 50 late on winter
nights, was a plain room full Of books,
with q great desk and some thrcc-cor-
neTcd chairs which had been old DR..
Ashurst's before they belonged to our
friend, whom the elder people still call
the young doctor. There was Il curious
dry Odor of drugs and Russia leather
bindings. There was huge wasp's
nest on one bookcase, and bust OF
Dante on the other, and a beautiful old
engraving of Sylcnham hanging on
the wall. One could not help finding
It a charming, scholarly sort of place.
there was still 4 delightful air of sym,
pathy and friendliness. rs of a place
where people were sure to come to tell
their troubles, and sure to go away
comfortcd
1t was the day before Thanksgiving
aud ono of the doctor'a daughters, who
had oftcnest been his companion. was
sitting there alone. She had been look
ing ut the books and making list OF
some. Of them, about which one of her
fathers friends had written her. IIC
had made a good offer, ont Of frcndI
ness, but both DR.. Ashursts had known
what good books were, and had left be
hind them some volumes of very great
value. Of course they must sell them
and il was a good chance. but Nelly
AshurSt loved these particular books,
and treasured them all the more be.
cause her father and grandfather had
treasured them too. She took down
the old copy Of the Religio Slcdici. and
acid it for n moment-then she kissed
i and put it back again. and went over
80 the old desk to lay her head on her
folded arms and cry. The night before
3 proposal had come from her mothers
sister IN one Of the seabeard towns,
that they tno should ec.no 70
BEG 2 apegd sls winters leay-