The Delta independent., 1897-01-20
i l..
ONE WAY TO CURE ENNUI.
coochee.

the length and breadth of it,"
| Thorndyke was in his shirt-sleeyes
but he reached mechanically for his
coat and vest when the physician re-
placed the stethoscope among its kins.
men in the glass ease.
Il said that your condition is very
criticaf'-the concern in DR.. Percvin's
voice was too real to be professional;
that II we don't look out youth slip
away from us Us your Uncle Granville
did"
| Granville Thorndyke had died of
quick consumption when his nephew
was boy of u. and Philip had n very
vivid recollection of the strong mans
| stecple-chaSe down the road to cmccia-
tion and death. 1t seemed incredible
that such thing could happen to him.
He sat down and tried to realize II.
Realizing is usually n mothodical
| process, but when n man believes he
has just heard his death-sentence pro-
nounced il is apt to be different. Thorn
dykes mind akippcd the intermediate
| steps and arrived at the end of things
with a shock that Jared him out of his
usual habit of indifference.
For Gods sake, doctor! Do YOU
know-but of course you don't; 10 man
can really put himself in another's
place when il comes to the pinch"
mot wholly, perhaps; and yet can
tell you it isn't pleasant to be a prophet
of evil. Hadn't you any hint of your
danger?"
Not the least in the world. Why,
| I'm here now only because the mother
and Helen insisted upon my coming.
And 1 can't take it in yet; I'm not sick
I've never had a twinge or a sy ymptom
| worth mentioning"
THAT may be; the trouble frequently
begins so stealthily as TO give but little
| warning. Your uncle reached your age
without suspecting that he had the
disease, and then, as you remember, he
| died within the year"
"Yes, l know all about IT," assrntsa
the young man, noodily, "and now
know why mother was SO anxious"
He got up md walked ncrvously back
and forth in front of the physician.
| with his hands behind him aud his head
down. "If anybody had told me was
suciI coward I shouldn't have be
| lievcd IL, doctor. This thing has come
SO suddenly that I'm all at sea- Wba,
il there TO be done or il there any thing
| to bc done?"
The physician shook his head. "Tak-
| ing it for granted that you want the
| plain fact, I'm afraid the chances are
| against you. Sometimes n complete
| change of scene, climate, and habit will
work the miracle that would seem to be
necessary in n ease like yours, but IL Is
only fair TO warn you that such an cx-
pertinent might only shorten your life"
"a sort of forlorn hope" rcio'ned
| Thorndykc. Nevertheless. I think I'll
| try it, not so much on my own account
MS bccausc-Doctor, where should 60,
| and how long n time can I count on?"
Answering your last question first
| Il don't know: no one can say positive
ly; but unless you get help almost i'm
mediately the disease il likely to de-
velop very rapidly. ! should say that
six months would tell the story. one
| way or the other; though IL might take
longer. And as TO the place, there isn't
much choice, so long as you get an even
temperature and pleasant surround
ings. I have considerable faith in the
| climate of the southern end of the Blue
hiuRes put JOh Hiust hNe ous VI tooio
| II you go there"
"Six months; something less than 200
days. That ought 10 give a man time
enough to make his peace; many poor
| devil gets less than that many minutes
or seconds. And yet there are some
things that can't well be settled in n
short half year"
"You are thinking Of your engage
mcnt TO Helcn2"
"Yes; that. and the property. and
my mothers grief and worry, ard n
hundred other things that were not of
| the least consequence an hour ago"
lie took his hat and paused in the door
| way. doctor. I wish you wouldn't
say anything about this-at least, not
just yet Don't tell the mother or
| Helen. I mean"
Certainly not"
"Tbank you. I'll see you again le-
fore go, that is, IL IL seems worth while
10 make the experiment"
An hour earlier in the day, Philip
Tborndyke had sauntcrod into the vcs-
tibule of the great Office building with
the thought that visit TO DIR. PeTevin
| would answer the double purpose of re-
| Iieving his mothers anxiety. and of
| enabling him 10 wear out half-hour Of
| the afternoon in a chat with the old
| family physician; and he went the more
| willingly since the haIf-hours had Of
| late taken to dragging rather discourag-
| ingly. especially in the afternoons.
| That they dragged was due 20 number
| Of causes, the chief Of which was that
Tborudytc was nm unsuccessful idIer