The Portland daily press., 1900-02-20
TRIED THE CHINESE WAY.
Paid His Doctor when We'll, But the
Plan had Its Drawbacks.
(Erom the New Orleans Times Demo
crat.)

(Trom the New Orleans Times Demo-
orat.
"1he Chinese system Of paying
their ply sioisns while tine patient keeps
well and shutting off the salary when he
gets sick always struck me as being SIN
gularly sensible" said one Of the tenants
Of big ofiioe building yesterday. "You
see, 1t gives doctor every incentive to
make an unavoidable illness rs brief as
possible, while our method Of rsying
while We are disabled offers just ths op-
posite inducement. OF course, j don't
mean to say that any reputable prncti-
tioner would deliberately keep patient
laid up for the sake Of his fee, but the
temptation il certainly mighty strong,
and last New Years, after settling a
whopping big bill for the preceding quar-
ter. l made up my MIND to give the
Chinese method triai-just 81 an inter
esting experiment.
az was afraid to make the proposition
to my regular physician who's verj
stiff -necked old timer, and would proba-
bly, have Drained me with q stethosoope
ing his honor. SO hunted up q very
earnest, able young docter whom knew
to be struggling hard to get foothold,
and laid the scheme b,fore him. 'I'm In
delicate health. said, 'AndJour profss
sion generally gets q good deal OF money
from one years end to anoth~r, besides
penning me up in bed and preventing me
from attending to businss. Now. III give
you $l2 80 . month as long rs you keep
me we'll. II get sick your pay stops
until I'm up again He thought IA
moment and acospted."
"WeIi, how did 1t turn out?" asked one
Of o group Of listeners.
4 "I'm lust coming to that" replied ths
speaker. FOR week or so 10 worked
all right. The doctor droppsd In once or
twios to look me over casu ally, and had
q pleasant feeling that some one WAS
vitality interested In seeing that kept
we'll. Then came the first unpleasant ex-
psrienoe. We had rainy day, and
WIS hurrying up Canal street toward the
cffice when o man suddenly pounced on
me and dragged ne into q hallway. II
was the dctor. Good heavensi' he fairly
yelled, where are your rubbsrsr Il don't
know / STAN nerd stsrtlsd half out OF
my wits. Then give me the money to
buy you pair at onos,'s he said or
lose q whole months wages He was 40
fierce that shellsd out and missed sev-
eral important engagement, while /
waited.
"a few nights afterward was quietly
eating q ram omeiette In restaurant
when who should rush up hut that same
confo undsd doctor. Rum emslstts 4 he
gaspsd, turning pale as death. Why man
aIiyei do you want to take the bread
rigbt out OF my month l. and with that
he grabbed the on elstte and oruered me
some tea and tosss your digestive o.
gan. are very sensitive, he 5aid. and =
ATTIC of gastIitis would mean 50 OF 8 q
out of my pocket. I'm a poor man, sal a
he, and can't afford TO take any suon
chances. 1t wouldn't be Just to mi
family
al ate the tea and toast. which
sbominats, al d beG al. to wond II whether
the Chints, systsm was quite as muel o.
a cinch as IL seemed at long range. Well.
I won I bore yoi with all the dstails, bat
/ give you my word that for the next
two wseks suffered maItyIdom. That
Internal doctor was continually bobbin =
up at unexpected places. detsrmiRed Go
keep me we'll or perish In the attempt
At last he pas ed the limit. l WAS at the
theatre With party of friends. apd by
some horrible fatality he was sitting In
the next row. He kept shifting shou'
unsAsily, and finally, right In tie midsl
of the rerformance, he leaned over and
whispered hoarssly: Say, did you re-
memer TO put on your chess protector!
Kvsryb body near Uttered, and yesrned
for his gore.
"Next day I fired him.SE have gen
b ok to the CID systRm lt's crude, i
init, and open to nb1sss, but thai man
rampant solicitude was undertaking ny