The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-02-13

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y" on that day had
not been. Sickness was very preva-
lent in Colbourne, and the ills of
1000 inhabitants were in the hands of
two doctors. Besides. there had been
an outbreak of smallpox among the
navvies engaged in cutting new rail-
way to join the Colbourne terminus,
and of late we had had our hands
full.
''Did the person send in her name?"
! enquired.
mo. sir she said was to look sharp
and ask you to come at once-she re-
peated at once, sir; and, oh, there
was an awful look in her eyes,.
Irose and went to the surgery, and
there found a young woman. She did
not reply to my greeting, but at once
plunged into the object of her mission.
Her husband, Bill Grassland, had met
with an accident on a cutting of the
new railway, and had been brought
home on stretcher in a chad way. "
II will be with your husband in q
few minutes" I replied, seeing that
the natdre of the case demanded my
instant attention. &
The woman left me, and procuring
what l thought necessary, hurried
tothe squalid yard in which Bill Cross
land lived. Colbourne, like many
other small towns, had slums almost
as bad as some of those which We are
told exist in the East End of Lon
don, where fevers and other pesti-
lences thrive like weeds in an i'll kept
garden. The houses in this yard
were rickety, and some of them filthy
and abominable.
I found the injured man lying on a
sofa, which had been improvised into
a bed. An old woman was attending
to his wants, and by tho fireplace an
elderly mana navy, stood. As I
approached the bed, he left the house.
My patient was strong, lusty.looking
fellow, with an almost blacb complex
ion, crisp black hair and mustachc.
Ispeedlly examined hisinjuries, and
found them of serious nature. His
ribs had been severely crushed, and o
portion Of one had penetrated lung.
But be bore up with wonderful cour.
age, and scarcely emitted groan
when I handled him. Having done
everything possible for his comfort.
I prepared to leave the house, at the
same time reckoning to his wife to
follow me, with the idea of warning
her OF the danger her husband was in.
The injured man noticed the motion,
and called me.
Doctor" he said family, "thera's
one thing I want to know. Now tell
mean done for?".:
The question was so pointedly put
that it quiet upset my equilibrium,
l began to hesitate in my evasive an.
swer to him, but he quickly stopped
NE.
"Look here, DOCTOR" he said, in q
most determined tone, "I'm a-going to
hear the truth from you afore you 80.
I'll have it out o you, or Ill limb 1t
out, I will" and his black eyes
cleaned like burning Goals.
Again demonstrated with him, but
he would NOT heed me. md at Inst his
wife lnterfered.
"You can tell Bill anythin', sir"
she said. ''Let him know If he's got
to pass in his checks, and maybe he'll
prepare for it. It's none too good a
life he's lived" and she jerked her
thumb over her shoulder at the recum-
bent figure.
"Well, then," I replied, II may as
well be frank. The fact is, I enter
tain very Little hope OF your husbands
recovery"
"Yc hear that, Bill? Doctor says
yer to pass in yer checks, so just yer
git reddy and do It'll"
I was amazed at her .blooded
tone.
III know'd it, lass! I know'd It'll"
Bill replied. 'Doctor:" l turned to
the bed. "Sit down. Martha, bring
the doctor a chair" and the old wo.
man placed one close to the bed for me.
When had seated myself flor I
thought 1t best to humor hlm-he
looked round the room and said:
"Now, I'm a.goin' to make con.
fession. Don't any of yer git inter.
ruptin', cause can't speak 50 well. !"
He paused, and then went on:
"Breath seems terrible short!"
Then, turning his head to me, he re-
marked: "Yer remember that 'ere
accident to Jem Barker nigh on a
twelvemonth sin %
I nodded, for ] recollected it per-
fectly. One of the drivers in tho tun.
mel just outside the town had slipped
and fallen on rail in the dark. A
load of earth had passed over his body,
breaking his back, and death had re-
suited almost instantly. He was
found shortly afterward, and the
coroner's jury returned verdict of
accidental DEATH"
swell, the injured man pursued,
!