The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-04-03

~ UScI buQ ehlIlcb,
\ : a and certainly mine
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?"
I enquired.
''No, sir she said 1 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"
rose and went to the surgery, and
there found 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 cutting of the
new railway, and had been brought
home on a stretcher in ''bad way"
81 will be with your husband in q
few minutes" 1 replied, seeing that
the nature of the case demanded my
instant attention.
The woman left me, and procuring
what thought necessary, hurried
to the squalid } ard 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
sofa, which had been improvised into
q bed. An old woman was attending
to his wants, and by the fireplace on
elderly mana navy, stood. AS I
approached the bed, he left the house.
My patient was a strong, lusty-looking
fellow, with an almost black complex
ion, crisp black hair and mustache.
speedily examined his injuries, and
found them of a serious nature. His
ribs had been severely crushed, and
portion of one had penetrated lung.
But be bore up with wonderful cour-
age, and scarcely emitted a 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 I done for?".
The question was so pointedly put
that it quiet upset my equilibrium,
began to hesitate in my evasive an.
swer to him, but he quickly stopped
me.
"Look here, DOCTOR" he said, in q
most determined tone, 'tI'm a-going to
hear the truth from you afore you go.
I'll have it out O. you, or I'll limb 1t
out, I will" and his black eyes
cleaned like burning Goals.
Again demonstrated with him, but
he would not heed me, and at last his
wife interfered.
"You can tell Bill anythin', sir"
she said. ''Let him know if he's got
to pass in his checks, and maybs 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.
swell, them" / replied. IL may as
we'll be frank. The fact is, enter
tain very little hope of your husbands
: recovery.
eye hear that, Bill? Doctor says
yer to pass in yer checks, so just yer
git reddy and do It'll
was amazed at her cold FLOODED
tone.
81 know'd it, lassl I know'd it'll"
Bill replied. "Doctori" turned to
the bed. "Sit down. Martha, tring
the doctor chair" and the old wo-
man placed one close to the bed for me.
When I had seated myself for 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 l can't speak Sd well. "
He paused, and then went on:
''Breath seems terrible short II
Then, turning his head to me, he re-
marked: "Yer remember that 'ere
accident to Jem Barker nigh on a
twelvemonth sim p
I nodded, for I recollected it per-
fectly. One of the drivers in tho tun-
mel Just outside the town had slipped
and fallen on q 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"
''Well," the injured man pursued,
s'that ere accident wor no accident |
It wor summat else. / had better tell
ye that Jem Barker and wor mates |;
he wor called 'GuzElss,' cause he