Gilpin observer., 1900-08-16
Deliver Us from Evil.
The operating tneater was packed

lient from the anaesthetic room on the
other side of the passage. the great
surgeon stood washing his hands and
.alking to his dressers.
An enthusiast himself. he always in
spired his subordinates with enthu-
siasm and his daring and success as
an operator made him the envy ana
admiration of all his juniors.
His fine but stern face relaxed into
a smile over the naive remarks of one
If the students, and a little laugh
wen broke from his lips. 1t was un-
usual for Mr.. Menzies to laugh; he
was known as grave. silent man,
and the lines of his face were severe,
though there was a great kindness
in his keen gray eyes, and his rare
smile was particularly charming. The
world in which he moved knew well
enough what it was that had carved
he sternness into what had been so
pleasant and bright a face, knew what
mad caused the look in his eyes which
rever wholly left them.
The world has been loud in it's COM
miseration, year before, when Mr..
Menzies' wife had left him and their
three-year-old daughter for another
man, who had been the great surgeons
friend. Equally loud in it's expressed
sympathy, but the surgeon had made
al such expression an impossibility
To no living soul had he ever spoken
of the blow which had ruined his hap
pinGss, and no living soul had even
ventured to touch upon the subject to
him.
He faced life sternly now, instead of
smiling as before, that was all; and
he flung himself, heart and mind, into
his profession, giving apparently no
thought to anything beyond it, except
to his small daughter.
The child went with him every
where, and was even now sitting in
,he carriage, in the hospital court
yard, gravely and intently scanning
IL people who passed to and fro in
tfc full sunshine.
There was sudden hushing of the
busy talk in the operating theatre. as
the patient was wheeled in and lifted
upon the table, and the surgeon moveo
forward.
Patient quite ready, sir" said the
house surgeon, respectfully.
The surgeon did not even glance at
the face of the man upon the table,
but proceeded to examine the seat of
The injury, asking a few terse ques-
tions as he did SO.
Game in early this morning, you
say?"
Yes, sir, only just conscious enough
to tell us he was run over"
Poor fellow! well it is quite obvi-
Gus what must be done. 1t is a case
of life or death. The only chance Of
saving him is to operate at once"
The clear, decided voice could be
heard all over the theatre, the strong,
steady hands were watched eagerly
from every corner as they began theiI
work with no hesitation, no uneer-
tainty of touch.
For quarter of an hour Mr.. Men
z'es worked on in silence. broken only
by an occasional short word to the
dresser beside him.
AS usual he was absorbed in the
task before him, every other thought
for the moment relegated to the back
of his mind. Outside. in the court
yard. his little daughter sat in the
carriage watching the pigeons strut
ting to and fro in the sunshine, and
the people who passed in and out of
the great doors, watched over herself
by the coachman, who adored every
hair of the curly head, and worship
ped the ground that was walked upon
by her tiny feet There was nothing
the small girl enjoyed more than com
ing TO the hospital ito wait for faith
err" it gave her delightful sensa-
ton of being grown up, added to the
delight of the long drive sitting beside
father, and holding his hand and chat.
ting to him Upon the many and varied
Incidents of the route.
She glanced up at the windows and
wondered where father was Just that
very minute, and whether he would
come soon. Then she turned her eyes
back again to the pigeons in the sun
shine, strutting boldly up and down
underneath the feet of the passers- by
Upstairs, in the theatre. there was
a breathless silence.
The most critical moment of the
operation had been reached. when the
surgeon paused for moment to
glance up the table at the face of the
patient, and to ask question OF the
house surgeon.
But the question was only half ut.
tered, his words broke off suddenly,
and student, more observant than
his fellows, noticed what curious
grayness overspread his face.
Something gone wrong ovei the
anaesthetic." the thought flashed
through the students brain, but even
as the fash of thought came. he saw
Mr.. Menzics pull himself together with
n strange jerky movement, and heard
him saw nuiptly.