The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-02-23

rent and went out to order brass plate.
This cost hin 80 shillings, and lie had
to Pay separately fer the lettering,
which said somewhat vaguely:
Consultation free. Every morning
before 8 and every evening after 6.
This Billiam FURNISHED up daily with
the tail of his dress coat, which he had
torn off for the purpose. 81 don't think
I shall need it any more, I" he said, $50
may as we'll use it.
So he used it. 1t did very well, being
lined with silk.
Then Billiam double boited the plate
to the door, fer he understood the ways
of Montgomery street, and sat down to
study the monograph of Herr DR.. Pun
penstock Of Vienna upon headaches.
Billiam had three chairs to start with
two stiff backed chairs for clients and
an easy chair, which in time of need
could be leaned up against the wall. It
was deck chair and cost 2s. 117ad. at
a cheap sale Of furniture i'll Nicholson
street. Billiam felt that he might go
that length in luxury.
Billiam had once possessed more fur
niture than this. He had wooden bed
which be had bought in the Cowgate
for 4 shillings and carried up the Pleas
ance himself, post by post and plank
by plank. He only slept upon it che
night. The next day he began to cut it
up for frewood. 1t was good bed,
though, he said, but not for sleeping on.
After the first five minutes it began to
bite him all over.
So Billiam burned the 4 shilling
bed, and it turned out all right that
way. It cracked like green wood as it
burned. Presently the fame of Billiam's
brass plate waxed great in the land. DR..
Macfarlane, short winded and tenn
pered man, came upon the announce
ment quite Unexpectedly as he was puff
ing his way up the weary, grimy stone
stairs to visit the sister Of the seam
stress who lived upon the other side OF
the landing from Billiam.
To say simply that Dr.. Macfarlane
was astonished does considerable injus-
tice to his state Of mind. He stood re-
garding the brightly polished, clearly
lettered announcement for fully ten
minutes. Then he rang the bell, and an
answering peal came from just the 9th
er side Of the panel, but no one arrived
to open, for it was the middle Of the
day and Billiam was at his classes DR..
Macfarlane could learn little from the
seamstress or her sister beyond the gen.
eral suspicion that their neighbor upon
the other side of the landing was s'may-
bes no vera RIGHT in his mind.
It was not the seamstress, but the
seamstress' sister, who volunteered this
information.
s'But he sent US in these" added the
seamstress, who was pale and exceed
ingly pretty girl, pointing to some
nobly pumped purple grapes which lay
on a plate on the little cracked table by
the bedside.
"He'n be a kind o. young doctor
seekin job, nae doot, !" said the seam
stress sister, sinking back on her pill
lows for gratitude was not her strong
point.
The suggestion excited the doctor, for
he was man who had worked hard at
his most uncertain and unremunerative
practice. Besides which he had young
family growing mp about him. If, there
fore, he was to have young interloper
settling in the center of his sphere Of
influence, it was as well to know with
whom he had to contend.
So he called upon Biliiam.
It was o'clock in the evening when
DR.. Macfarlane came stumbling up Bill
liam S stairs. The door stood slightly
ajar, and there came from the other
side a confused murmur of voices, a
yelping of dogs, with sundry other
sounds which even the Doctors trained
ear could not distinguish. But, above
all, there rose fitfully the shrill cry Of
an infant. Upon hearing this last the
doctor pushed the door with the brass
plate open, which,~when he stepped
within, seemed at first nearly full cf
people. It was brightly enough lighted,
for the broad flame Of e No. 6 gas burn
er Kissed with excess of pressure above
the bare mantelpiece. A fire burned in
the CRATE, which shone cheerfully
enough, being heaped high with snail
Jumps of coal
Nest of the people were ranged along
the walls of the room, sitting with
their backs against the wall paper, upon
which their shoulders had made q
glossy brown stripe all ,round-young
lads with dogs between their knees
girls holding cats in baskets, middle
aged women nursing birds in cages.
They talked to each other in subdued
tones or to their pets in reproving whis-
pers Sometimes dog would become
excited by the voice of cat complain
ing OF bonds and Imprisonment near
him, but he would be promptly cuffed
into submission by his master, Or a
canary would suddenly futter against
the bars, warned by instinct of the