El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-04-28
Grafton:" she asked a: last, with some

| a patient OF mine.
Not now, but somehow l feel as if
| you must he the man am looking for.
| Is there any way You can find out
| whether you had Il patient named
| Grafton 20 years ago? Oh, it is very
, important that l should know she
Concluded earnestly.
Il will consult my books of that
| time, he said kindly and arose.
AS he walked across to the closet
where he kept these records of his ear
| ly struggles the woman's eyes followed
| him with eager intentness. Suddenly
she got up and ran to his side.
"Ah. l know it is you! The moment
you walked away l knew beyond
doubt. 1t was just as if 1 were back
again in the room where my baby
died and saw you leave me to go for
my husband! Oh, you must remem-
Der me! You tried so hard to save my
dear little boy. L lived in an old
stone house that stood iii a big garden.
l was i'll after my baby died. and you
attended me-so kindly, so we'll! And
then we went away and did not pay
your bill 1t is 20 years ago, and you
are changed, but 1 know you now"'
DR.. Eaton had turned and was look
ing thoughtfully down into her eager
face. At last he said slowly:
Il think l do remember you-yes, 1
know do. Is there anything l can do
to serve you. Mrs. GraftOn?
Yes" she answered. when we
went away from here, we were very
poor. We could not pay you nor pay
for the burial of the baby" Her eyes
dropped. and she clasped and unclasp-
ed her hands nervously. But oh, how
1 wanted to. For a time my husband
I was very fortunate and made a great
deal of money. But the debts 1 speak
Of while the thought of them drove
me almost wild, did not seem to trou
BILE him. When L urged their payment,
he always grew impatient and said
they belonged to a time he could not
bear to think of. He thought l was
heartleSS to remind him of them. You
see," she added hastily, 1.-The loss of
our little boy preyed upon his mind
and made him depressed and morbid.
So at last | ceased altogether to speak
of the matter and made up my mind
that SomehOw-Some time-I would
pay them myself. l never relinquished
my purpose. and in all the years after,
whether we prospered or whether we
~ u
touched the sum 1 had put by as a
nucleus, but added to it, little by lit
tie. And now 1 think 1 have enough.
1t has taken Il long time, and only God
knows what a haunting horror has
been to me the thought that my little
child's funeral expenses, that 1 felt to
be sacred debt, were still unpaid and
lay like a blemish ON his innocent
memory. And now will you tell me
how much l am to pay you and do
what you can to help me find the I'M
dertaker?"
The doctor sat thoughtfully for a mo-
ment, then he glanced up and flashed
q smile at his visitor-a smile of such
surprising sweetness that she felt her.
self smiling, too. half tearfully in SYM
pathy.
Twenty years is long time to re-
member a little bill like mine,' he
said.
at cannot be little bill"
"You came here from
"Grimby," she replied.
"And you have dined"
moo"
"Then you must be my guest, and
afterward 1 will help you find that
1 think l remember who it was. Are
you and Mr.. Grafton living in Grim
by"
MIR. Grafton has been dead some
years." she said. Il am teaching school
there
1t was well on in the afternoon when
the doctor and Mrs. Grafton returned
from their interview with the under
taker.
Il cannot tell you how much 1 thank
you for helping me- she said. "And
now please tell me how much yours
was
Il assure you 1 never gave the mat
ter a thought after the first. Let it
rest" he said earnestly, land some
time
"Oh, no. she interrupted; sit must
be today. Indeed it must. I shall al
ways remember you with the greatest
gratitude. But don't you understand
how l feel about this?"
Every well, as it is a matter of con-
science with you," he replied.
In one of the old ledgers he found the
name Grafton and, making a quick cal
culation, announced that the indebted
ness amounted to S15, which she hand
ed over to him, with a look that show
ed how important she deemed the mat
ter.
"And now" she said, holding out her
little shabbily gloved hand. ''goodby. l
will never be able to thank you"
I'm not your physician said DR..
Eaton. but I'll take the liberty of pre-
scribing a seat in my gig for you. l
have a patient to visit near the town
road"
ha his IiractiopS 6iSnnta6 and /