The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-02-02


tice to his state of mind. He stood re-
garding the brightly polished, clearly
lettered announcement for fully ten
minutes Then he rang the bell and an
answering peal came from just the
other side of the panel But no one
arrived 10 open. for it was the middle
of the day and Billfam was at his
classes. DR.. MacFarlane could learn lit
tie from the seamstress or her sister,
beyond the general suspicion that their
neighbor upon the other side OF the
landing was maybe no vera RIGHT in
his nlindt.'
1t was not the seamstress but the
seamstress' sister who volunteered this
information.
But he sent us in these" added the
seamstIesg who was a pale and exceed
ingiy pretty girl, pointing to some
nobly plumed purple grapes which lay
on plate ON the little cracked table
by the bedside.
He'll be kind o young doctor
seekin' a job, nae doubt!' said the
seamstress' sister, sinking back upon
/ her pillows. For gratitude was not her
strong point
The suggestion excited the doctor.
For he was a man who had worked hard
at his most uncertain and unremunera-
tive practice. Besides which he had a
Z
If. therefore he was 10 have a young
| interloper settling in the center of his
sphere Of influence. it was as well to
! know with whom he had TO contend.
So he called upon Billiam.
1t was O'Clock in the evening when
| DR. Macfarlane came stumbling up Bill
] liam's stairs. The door stood slightly
aiar. and there came from the other
/ side a confused murmur of voices a
/ VAlninc nf r1ritb h.
! sounds which even the Doctor trained
ear could not distinguish. But, above
all there rose f1tfully the shrill cry of
an infant. Upon hearing this last the
| doctor pushed the door with the brass
! plate open and entered unceremonious-
| ly. He found himself in a large IN
! furnished room. which. when he
! stepped within. seemed at first nearly
/ full of people. 1t was brightly enough
/ lighted. for the broad fame of a No. 6
I gas burner Kissed with excess of pres
/ sure above the bare mantle-piece. A
! nre burned in the CRATE. which shone
| cheerfully enough, being heaped high
with small humps of coal
Most of the people were ranged along
/ the walls of the room. sitting with their
! ba cks AGAINST the wall paper, upon
/ which their shoulders had made a
! glossy brown stripe all round-young
]
/ girls holding cats in baskets, m ddle-
aged women nursing birds in ca ges.
! They talked to each other in subdued
/ tones. or to their pets in reproving
whispers. Sometimes a dog would be-
/ come excited by the voice of a cat COM
| planning Of bonds and imprisonments
near him. but he would be promptly
/ cuffed into submission by his master;
or canary would suddenly futter
/ . or inc
| the proximity of 50 many enemies.
/ Mostly. however. there was a re-
! spectful silence. The doctor stood
! awhile rooted in anna cement, and did
! not even take any notice when several
/ Of his former patients nodded affably
/ across To him.
Presently from an inner room there
came forth a hard-fea tured man. carry
! ing a large book under his arm. Bill
liam followed him his shock Of hair
/ tossed and rumpled. He was STOPPING
forward, and eagerly explaining some
/ thing to the man. So intent was he
upon the ma'tter in hand that he passed
the doctor without so much as noticing
him.
And I'll look in and see how the
pa'~ Of you have got on tomorrow
Billiam said, shaking the hard-featured
man warmly by the hand at the
door
Biliam turned and for the first time
looked the doctor fair in the face.
NV name is DR. MacfarBane I have
a practice in this neighborhood" said
] the physician. land I should like the
favor of few words with you"
Certainly: by all means-with pleas
ure,'' replied Billiam. Come this
wav''
And they went together into the sec
+ H.
/ II was nearly as bare of furniture as
the first. There was no more than
/ table, some bottles. an instrument
case. while round the room. arranged
so as to make the most Of themselves,
/ stood Billiam's three chairs.
'Take one" said the student. polite
/ ~. but DR. Macfarlane preferred to
stand till he knew exactly where he
was
'I have the honor of addressing"
/ he said. and paused.
"William Reginald Setoun Ormith-
waite" said Billiam. quietly.
You are a doctor?" Queried his Wis
Atnr
BY no means. I am only stu
dent" said Billiam, quickly; but I
give these people a hand with any
thing they bring along.
DO you possess any qualifications"
persisted DR.. Macfarlane.
"Oualihcationr said Billtam. little
perplexed. "Well. I've been patching
up dogs legs and things all my life"
But. sir" cried the doctor, indig-
nantlv. "this is no better than an
euuivoca ton. heard you with my
own ears prescribing for the man who
went out lust now-an old patient of
my own. if I mistake not-and I saw
you with these eyes taking a fee from
him as he passed through the door.