The evening times., 1897-01-25
The Sick Woman on Eighth Street.
A Slattern CT Mother-The Man
Who Was Not Her Husband-The
BHzzard's ROost RooISery-The
Doctors Peril-A Modern TriIby.

houses. in rather a areary Part Of Eighth
street. We rang the lsell and were greeted
10y a colored woman, with her head tle'l up
in rag. The physician gave her busl-
neSS-!ike goo1 morning, and instituted a
nill fiction by saying to me, Gene in,
Doctor"
Tue colored woman closed the door after
us, anl led the way up a narrow, dark stair.
case. We assembled 10 the Third tioor
making a number OF turns and bending our
heads TO avoid the low roof on the top land
ing. We were shown into the front cham
her. Eerc the roof Slanted almost 20 tie
floor, ana a dorner window pierced the
wall.
The room was warm and fearfully close,
as The doctor at onCe Remarked advising
the lowering fthe window. A young col
ored woman lay oD the bed aud looked
hopefully toward us. The doctor sat down
near her, and began asking questions while
l observed the surroundings.
Tie wall was white washed and thc floor
scrupuiously clean. There was a little
cook stove n tie room and utensils for COOK
ing. Small as the room was, 1t had nunltr-
Gus comforts in it. such as clean towels
Oathng facilities, n rocking chair, took
or two. and some bright, cheap pictlres
fixed TO the wall.
TIE doctor found her to be general ser
want, who had a child, and had lost her
husband She was carefully examined ard
cateci.iZed. and Cii a..uoSed as being Srppy-'
A prescription was written. and size was
told where she could have 1t filled out fee
of charge. The old "aunty'' lowered about
ready TO follow instructions, and with their
hearty and childish thanks we were shown
down tile stairs. as the doctor expressed it,
crawfish fashion, as we had to sidlc 10
save our heads.
That wasn't so had said 10 The
doctor.
No" was his cheerful response; ''no, That
wasn't very bad-poor. but clean aud am
bilious She'll be around earning her wages
in &c W days. It's a comfort To 20 to see
such people Well. we VIII look in on a
different sort OF case. | sometimes tI.ink
that charity ought to be administered scien-
tifiCally, and perhaps you'll think SO, too,
later.
We went further down toward the Ave
nue., and visited another frame building.
1t had a sort OF shop on the ground floor,
and we went upstairs to find oar case The
room we were admitted TO was large
front room. 1t was also Snotherng with
fetid air.
A slattern of a woman approached us
with a babyin her arms. A boy Of about ten
years scuttled behind the cooking stove
and sat on the floor and thrust his legs
underneath the stove, where he proceeded
to pound on the oven with brushes and emit
howls and gruans. a boy of nine sat on
box and kicked his heels; girl, who looked
as though she had been scrubbing the floor
with her nose hung TO her mothers dress
and peekcd around her at the visitors. an
nounCing with Shrieks that she saw 'um
from time to time.
A man. who seemed as though hemightbe
a fairly well-to-do mechanic, loafed in
chair by the window and affected to bc in
tercstcd in the outside world. The doctor
addressed the woman. and no one tried to
quell the uproar, which was rather dis
tracing. The doctor took the woman
over to the window and heard him sayin
his short. quick voice, Doctor, would you
like to look at this case?'
lie was examining the wofnan's face. and
I followed him to the window. She had
Scabby sore on the side of her nose which,
the doctor explained. to be an affection
of the Iachrymal gland Under her eye was
a swelling. where, lre said, the bone was
hollow. The woman spoke with queer
eliSion Of her consoncnts. showing that her
vocal organs were affected.
IF you would do what tell you to and
20 to the Emergency Hospital, you might
be operated on and cured" said the doctor
to her in a slightly impatient tone. Turn
ing to me he added: What do you think
Of this woman She has lived here for
two years and never been out ofthe place"
Well she whined, Il can't get up
strength enough to go out. Perhaps III be
able to soon
''Why don't you try to get her out?'
asked the doctor OF the sheepish man at
the window He grinned in a dcprecatory
manner and shifted in his chair.
HE amt nay husband the woman has
tny explained.
.'Humphl' said the doctor, looking at
the man, who found the street engrossingly
interesting on the moment. The boy be
hind the stoveemitteda groan. The woman
shifted the baby in her arms from one
shoulder 10 the other and looked at us
sanctim oniously.
Queried the doctor.
''No, he amt; but Willie sells papers
Stop that everlasting noise, can't you?''
she said suddenly, addressing tlie young de-
mon, who era wIed Far enough out of his re-
treat to wink at the boy on the box. Allthe
children had the qUeerest expression OF
weazened sharpness and cunning, and they
laughed persistently in the midst of their
uproar.
The doctor ordered some medicine and
again advised the woman to visit the hos
pital Then, as we were about to depart,
the children gathered in body behind
their mother, and rendered finale for our
departure.
What do you say to that?' asked the
doctor, thoughtfully. as we descended the
dirty stairs.
Nothing" 1 replied. 'I don't under
stand it,
Don't you? That's viciousness,' said
he, in his business voice.
"Do you sec this rat holee" he asked pres
emily, stopping at All opening between two
buildings. This is the entrance to an
alley where I have calls occasionally.
Shall we look in here?n
Inc space was scarcely wide enough TO
enter. The ground was damp and reeking
We went back into the alley 1t was col
lection OF tumble-down shanties, with piles
of oyster shells and rubbish strewn around
No one was sick there. for wonder. The
doctor explained that he had frequently
been called there at night. and always took
the precaution TO remove his watch and