Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-08-19
THE DOCTORS STORY
TRAGIC HISTORY oFJoE, HIS MOTHER
AND THE BABY.

stctan's Mind by the Story of . Murder
In q Buwery Saloon.
cts u queer world" said a New
York physician as he laid the morning
paper aside.
"What prompted that original re-
mark" asked a visitor.
"Well, l was just reading m account
of q stabbing affair, and it suddenly oc-
Cured to me that l had known the man
who did the killing" The doctor set
tied back in his chair, aud the visitor
waited for the story. After u few mo
ments it came.
"Whcn first hogan to practice, I did
al immense amount of charity work.
Every fellow does that at the start for
experience, and later lie keeps it up for
humanity's sake. l ! had pretty good sue
cess with children and made quite Il
namo down III the tenement districts
and incidentally spent most of my pocket
money OH my patients. That was before
the day of free sterilized milk for sick
babies and dozens OF institutional for the
relief of the poor.
"One summer IL wolnan began bring
ing IL sick baby to me. \. small boy,
about 3 years old, always came with
them and seemed to be fairly strong and
we'll, but the baby was a pitiful little
thing, with a thin, white face and big
blue eyes with a look of pain i'll them.
The woman seemed an ignorant, honest
soul and generally Wore a thick, dark
veil to hide u black eye or great blue
bruise. It's easy enough to figure out a
thing like that, you know, hut she ncv
spoke of her husband OF complained, so
I didn't ask any questions. She brought
tho baby often, and each time it looked
more waXen and scrawny, but l couldn't
find out that the child had any disease,
and all the symptoms pointed to a lack
of nourishment.
cat last one morning l said to tho
mother that / believed the baby was
starving, and that 1 didn't intend to
allow her to leave the Office until she
had told me the truth about the affair.
She looked stubborn for a moment and
wouldn't answer, but then tho tears be-
gan to roll down her bruised, discolor-
cd cheeks. and she confessed that she
didn't have enough food to give the ba-
by. She worked hard, but her husband
drank and took every cent she made
and beat her every day into the bar
gain. She was fond of the brute in
spite Of all that and told me a long sto-
ry about the heavenly nature the fell
low had before he began to drink.
"Finally 1 told her l would give her
a quart OF milk every day. I wouldn't
give her the money because I didn't
covet the privilege of buying bad whis-
ky for the husband, but l would pay
the nearest milk depot to supply her
with q quart Il day. That would feed
the baby and leave some for little
Joe. who didn't look quite SO we'll as
he did when tho two first began calling
on me. After that I didn't hear any
more about the case for a week or two.
Then my friends turned up again. The
baby looked worse than ever, and the
woman's face was q patchwork in blue
and green, but little Joe was quite rosy.
I didn't understand. The baby was in a
bad condition, and l did what / could
for it. After I left my office I went
down to the milk depot. The man said
my woman had had her quart Of milk
every day.
ST puzzled over the thing that night.
The next morning the trio were at my
Office. The baby's blue eyelids were
closed, and I Thought at first that it
was not breathing, but found q faint
dutter. I couldn't see any reason for
such q state Of things, 30 once more I
led the woman into my private Office
and shut the door. Then I said:
"'Now, look here. There's a mystery
about this. and you've got to tell me
what's the matter. That baby's starv-
ing to death, and I want to know what
you've done with the milk
"The woman looked scared and turn
ed pale between bruises. Then she gave
q sort Of vail and jumped up, still
holding the baby.
"'No, the baby didn't have the
milki' she said in q frantic sort Of way.
Il gave it to little Joe. There wasn't
enough to feed them both. and Joe be-
gan to get sick. and l loved him better
than l did the baby. I amt had q crust
to eat myself. but Icouldn'tlet Joe die.
The baby's only a girl. and if she does
live she'll be unhappy like me. and l
don't love her like ! do Joe. I thought
both Of them were going to die, and I
couldn't live without Joe, SO l gave
him the milk aud just let the baby have
a little. Maybe you think I amt suffer-
cd watching the baby. but l couldn't
spare Joe. 1 couldn't. Some day he'll
be a man, and I'll be proud of him. A
man can do anything. but q girl would
just do what I've done. Joe shan't die.
"She was screaming the words mi
and seemed almost crazy. The thing
was awful. 1t made me feel heartsick.
why. you idiot I said, why
didn't you tell me? I'd have locked out
for Joe too.
"Just then the baby opened its eyes
great. uncanny, weird eyes in the tiny
face. It stared at me in miserable way
that made my heart come into my
throat. Then all the light died out Of