Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-14

II % ~~ ~~ -
cheer is taken seriously by romantic girls
who believe that to marry a doctor is to
attain social status and distinction.
Heighoi When 1 think OF all my own
little love episodes, and Of the ingenious
diplomacy to which l have been compelled
to resort in order to avoid tumbling into
pitfalls set by certain designing daughters
of Eve, l cannot but sympathize with every
other medical man who is on the right side
of 40 and sound of wind and limb. There
is not a doctor in all the long list in the
medical register who could not relate
strange stories of his own love episodes,
romances which have sometimes narrowly
escaped developing into tragedies, and plots
concocted by women to ~inveigle and to al
lure. 1t is so easy for a woman to feign
illness and call in the doctor to chat to her
and amuse her. Lots OF women in London
do that regularly. They will play with a
Doctors heart as a sort Of pastime, while
the unfortunate medico often cannot af-
ford to hold aloof for fear of offending.
II he does, then evil gossip will spread
among his patients, and his practice may
suffer considerably; for in no profession
does a man rely so entirely upon his good
name and a reputation for care and integ-
rity as that Of medicine.
1 do not wish 1t for a moment to be
taken that 1 am antagonistic to women, or
that 1 would ever speak i'll of them. l
merely refer to the mean method of some
of the idling class, who deliberately cali
in the doctor for the purpose of filtration
and then boast of 1t to their intimates.
To such, a mans heart or a mans future
are of no consequence. The doctor is
easily visible, and is, therefore, the easiest
prey TO all and sundry.
In my own practice I had a good deal
of experience OF it. And l am not alone.
Every other redical man, II not a gray
headed fossil or a wiEened woman Halter,
has had similar episodes; many strange
some even startling.
Reader, in this narrative Of curious events
and remarkable happenings, 1 am taking
you entirely and completely into my con-
hdence. l seek to conceal nothing, nor to
exaggerate in any particular, but to present
the truth as a plain, matter-of-fact state
ment Of what actually occurred. l was
a unit among a hundred thousand others
engaged in the practice of medicine, not
more skilled than the majority, even though
Sir Demands influence and friendship had
placed me in a position of prominence. But
in this brief life Of ours II is woman who
makes us dance as puppets on our miniature
stage, who leads us to brilliant success or
to black ruin, who exalts us, above our
fellows or hurls us into oblivion. Woman
always woman.
Since that awful suspicion had fallen
upon me that the and that had struck old
Mr.. Courtenay was that soft, delicate one
that had so often carried to my lips, a
blank had opened NJ my life. Consumed
by conflicting thoughts, / recollected how
sweet and true had been our affection
with what an intense passionate love-looh
she had gazed upon me with those wonder
full eyes of hers; with what wild, fierce pas
sion her lips would meet mine in fond
caress.
Alas, It had all ended. She had acted 6
lie to me. That letter told the bitter truth
Hence, we were gradually drifting apart.
One Sunday morning in May, just as l had
finished my breakfast and flung myself into
an armchair to smoke, as was my habit OF
the day of rest, my man entered, saying
that Lady Twickenham had sent to ask 1
I could go round to Park Lane at once
Not at all pleased with this call, just at
moment of l~aziness, / was, nevertheless
obliged TO respond because her ladysmitl
was one of Sir Demands best patients, ant
suffering as she was from a malignant in
ternal complaint, l knew It was necessar!
to respond at once to the call.
On arrival at her bedside l quickly saw
the gravity OF the situation, but, unfor
tunately, l knew very little Of the case, be
cause Sir Bernard himself always made
point OF attending her personally. Al
though elderly, she was a prominent womal
in society, and had recommended man.
patients to my chief in earlier days, be
fore he attained the fame he had nov
achieved. remained with her a couple o
hours, but, finding myself utterly confuse
regarding her symptoms, / resolved to tax
the afternoon train down to Hove and con
suit Sir Bernard. l suggested this eours
to her ladyship, who was at once delighte
:, with the suggestion. Therefore, promisin
to return at 10 o'clock that night, / wen
out, swallowed a hasty luncheon. and too
train down to Brighton.
The house was one Of those handsom
mansions facing the sea at Hove, and as
/, drove up to IT on that bright, sunny after
noon II seemed to me an ideal residenc
for a man faded by the eternal worries Of
physicians life. The sea-breeze stirred tn
/, sunblinds before the windows and the flow
] ers in the well-kept boxes were already ga
5 with bloom. / knew the place we'll, for
= had been down many times before; there
I fore. when the page opened the door h
: showed me at once to the study, a rooI
4 which lay at the back Of the big DRAWN
J room.
'sir Bernard is in, sir" the page said
I'm tell him at once you're here, and h
closed the door, leaving me alone.
walked toward the window. which locke
out upon a small flower garden, and In $
doing, passed the writing table. A sheG