Rocky Ford enterprise., 1898-11-03

ed him by thearm and shrieked out:
mo, doctor, no! anything rather than
that! would sooner die on the toor!
! won't go, | tell you! II you can't
do me any good here, just leave me
alone: but go to infirmary or hospital,
l won't, or have n nurse fussing about
me either. I've fought through as bad
as this before without any help, and I
will again! Co." he fairly yelled in
his excitement; go and leave me to
get through it without your help
"Oho!" muttered the doctor to him
self, so 1t will be the asylum instead
OF the inflrmary. Don't agitate your
self. my friend" he continued to his
patient: "if you prefer misery to COM
fort, and sickness to health, that's your
own affair. I'm not going to force any
kindness on you. You shall stay here;
l can't pass any harsher sentence on
you than that. Now will you be good
enough to strip to the waist and let
me overhaul you thoroughly. You
haven't had malarial fever SO long as
you say without enlarged spleen or
liver, I'll be bound"
and waistcoat. Don't ask me to strip
any further, doctor. It's too cold; and.
to confess the truth, haven't had my
clothes off for weeks. and I'm ashamed
you should see them
"All the more reason for taking
them of now" said the doctor. Man.
how can you endure It? 1t Is enough
to breed a fever In itself! on with
them" and he caught hold of him to
help him to remove them. But the
other wriggled from his grasp. and
planted himself In corner of tho
room, with his hands clutching his
waist as far round as he could reach.
Don't be such bowling fool!" said
the doctor, with as much good nature
as he could command under the cir
cumstances. Listen to me, my friend.
You have contracted liver and enlarged
spleen at this moment. or I'm very
much mistaken. But you have worse
than that. felt something when |
caught hold of you moment ago, and
I'm afraid It's n malignant tumor OF
the most serious kind. AS live" he
went on. stepping close to him. and
passing his hand round the waist. In
spite OF Efforts to prevent him, - can
make out more than one even through
your clothes. Come, come! be n lit
tie more reasonable. Let me get you
to bed and examine You properly.
You're not 1T TO be on your feet at this
moment. Come. my poor fellow. don't
play the fool any longer. II you do.
| shall have to conclude you a mad
nI ,uI
Don't force me to that"
well. doctor. l give In then. Just
step into the other room while / un-
dress, please. and I'll call when you're
to come in"
The doctor raised his eyebrows ut
this modest request. but thought It
best to humor him. and went into the
outer room. closing the door behind
him. AS he did so. he heard the key
turned In the lock on the other side. In
another minute, however. II was turn
ed again. and a few seconds later he
heard the voice OF his patient: Come
In now. DOCTOR Entering, he found
him on n ragged mattress that lay on
the floor. covered with dirty blanket
and the coat and trousers he had been
wearing. Kneeling down beside him.
he proceeded to examine him In rcgu-
lar professional fashion. but to his
amazcment he entirely failed to detect
any sign of the tumors he had been
confident he felt through his patients
clothes. The mans emaciation was
extreme. and had any such abnormal
swelling been present II could not have
escaped his observation. But there
was none. and Falconer was Obliged to
admit to himself that his first dag
nosis was incorrect. He could find no
trace of the hard kno;ty swcllings he
had been so sure he felt beneath the
clothes. There was enough. however.
to warrant n grave view of the case,
and he exerted all his eloQucnce 10 per-
suade the patient to consent to be
taken to the iniirmary. but without
effect.
ITO be Continued.)