The Bemidji pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minn.) 1896-1917, 1900-05-10

ed him by thearm and shrieked out.
."No, doctor, no! anything rather than
that, would sooner die on the floor!
/ won't 60, tell you! If you cant
do me any good here, Just leave me
alone; but 60 to infirmary or hospital,
a won't, or have nurse fussing about
me either. I've fought through as bed
as this before without any help, and 1
will again! COT he fairly yelled in
his excitement; go and leave me to
get through 1t without your help. =
5as Ohio. y muttered the doctor to tiiIl-
self so 1t. will be the asylum instead
tof the infirmary 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,
Iscan't pass. any harsher sentence on
you than that. Now viii 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 Z sss
The man sulkily took off his coat
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"
q tsAll the more reason for taking
them off now" said the doctor. III Man,
how can you endure it? It is enough
to breed a fever in itself OF with
themn and he caught hold Of him to
! help him to remove them. But the
other wriggled from his grasp, and
planted himself in a corner OF the
room, with his hands clutching his
waist as far round as he could reach.
Don't be such a bowling fool" said
the doctor, with as much good nature
as he could command under the cir
cumstances. Listen to me, my friend.
Yonshave contracted liver and enlarged
spleen at this moment, or I'm very
much mistaken. But you have worse
than that. 4 felt something when 4
caught hold of you a moment ago. and
I'm afraid it's a malignant tumor OF
the most serious kind. AS I liye.' he
went on, stepping close to him, and
passing his hand round the waist, in
spite of efforts to prevent him, II can
make out more than one even through
your clothes. Come, come! Be lit
tie more reasonable. Let me get you
to bed and examine you properly.
You're not fit 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
man, and take measures accordingly.
Don't force me to that
well, doctor, give in then. Just
step into the other room while II I'M
dress, please. and I'll call when you're
to come in. (
The doctor raised his eyebrows at
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, it was turn
ed again, and few seconds later he
heard the voice Of his patient CONS
lin now, doctor. Entering, he found
| him on asragged 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 regl-
| lar professional fashion, but to his
amazement he entirely failed to detect
l.any sign Of the tumors he had been
confident he felt through his patients
/ clothes. The mans emaciation was
l4extreme, and had any such abnormal
| swelling been present it 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
i trace of the hard knotty swellings he
had been so sure he felt beneath the
]clothes There was enough, however
10 warrant a grave view of the case
and he exerted all his elcquence TO per-
suade the patient. to consent to be
taken to the infirmary. but without
effect. aS
Ito be Continued.)