The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-01-14
THE DOCTORS STORY
TRAGlC'HlSToRY oFJoe, HIS MOTHER
AND THE BABY.

An Early Professional Experience THAI
Was Brought Back to New York Ply
sician's Mind by the Story OF a Murde,
In = Bowery Saloon.
Its a queer world" said a New
York physician as he laid the morning
paper aside.
What prompted that original re-
mark?' asked visitor
well, was just reading an account
OF a stabbing affair, and it suddenly &C.
CURED to me that 1 had known the man
who did the killing" The doctor set.
tied back i'll his chair, and the visitor
waited for the story. After few mo-
ments it came
when first began to practice, | did
an immense amount of charity work.
Every fellow does that at the start for
experience, and later he keeps it up for
humanity's sake. had pretty good sue
cess with children and made quite a
name down in the tenement districts
and incidentally spent most of my pocket
money on my patients. That was before
the day of free sterilized milk for sick
babies and dozens Of institutions for the
relief of the poor
'One summer woman began bring
ing sick baby to me. A small boy,
about years old, always came with
them and seemed to be fairly strong and
WE'LL but the baby was pitiful little
thing, with thin, white face and big
blue eyes with look of pain in them.
The woman seemed an ignorant honest
soul and generally wore thick, dark
veil to hide black eye or great blue
bru1se. It's easy enough to figure out a
thing like that, you know, but she never
spoke of her husband or complained, so
didn' t ask any questions. She brought
the baby often, and each time it looked
more waxen and scrawny, but couldn t
find out that the child had any disease,
and all the symptoms pointed to lack
of nourishment.
'At last one morning | said to the
mother that l believed the baby was
starving, and that | 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 t answer, but then the tears be-
gan to roll down her bruised, discolor-
ed 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 told her would give her
quart of milk every day. wouldn t
give her the money because l didn't
covet the privilege of buying bad whis-
ky for the husband, but / would pay
the nearest milk depot to supply her
with a quart day. That would feed
the baby and leave some for little
Joe, who didn't look quite SO we'll as
he did when the two first began calling
on me- After that [ didn't hear any
more about the case for week or two.
Then my friends turned up again The
baby looked worse than ever, and the
woman's face was patchwork in blue
and green, but little Joe was quite rosy.
l didn't understand. The baby was in
bad condition, and did what could
for it, After 1 left my office 1 went
down to the milk depot. The man said
my woman had had her quart of milk
every day.
81 puzzled over the thing that night.
The next morning the trio were at my
office. The baby's blue eyelids were
closed, and / thought at first that it
was not breathing, but found faint
futter l couldn't see any reason for
such state of things, SO once more l
led the woman into my private office
and shut the door. Then said:
Now, look here There's mystery
about this, and you've got to tell me
what's the matter. That baby's starv-
ing to death, and want to know what
you've done with the milk
1.-THE woman looked scared and turn
ed pale between bruises Then she gave
a sort of wall and jumped up, still
holding the baby.
No, the baby didn't have the
milkp she said III 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 loved him better
than | did the baby. l amt had crust
to eat myself, but couldn let Joe die
The baby's only girl, and if she does
live she'll be unhappy like me, and
don't love her like | do Joe. / thought
both of them were going to die, and |
couldn't live without Joe, so / gave
him the milk and just let the baby have
a little. Maybe you think amt suffer
ed watching tho baby, but 1 couldn't !
spare Joe. / couldn't Some day he'll |
be a maa, and I'll be proud of him. A |
man can do anything but girl would |
just do what I've done. Joe shan't die.
''Sho was screaming the words out |
and seemed almost crazy The thing |
was awful 1t made me feel heartsick. |
Why, you IDIOT said, why |
didn t you tell me? I'd have looked out |
Cor Joe too.
Just then the baby opened its eyes
great, uncanny, weird eyes in the tiny |
face. 1t stared at me in miserable way |
that made my heart come into my |
throat. Then all the light died out of |
the eyes, but they still stared.
There was no use saying anything |
more to the mother. She sat down and |
looked at the baby in a quiet, stunned |
way. Then she reached out and put an
arm around little Joe and held him |
tight. 1 told her / would keep on pay
ing for the milk as long as. she wanted |
it, and she and Joe and the baby went