The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-04-04


member once there were half a dozen
patients sitting in his little office when
ne came in from a trip to the country.
ON top of his desk stood big bottle
half filled with curious looking LIQUID.
The old doctor picked up the bottle,
looked at it, shook it up, and, remov-
] ing the cork, smelled Of it. Then he
| touched 1T to his lips shook his head.
and set the bottle up on the shelf above
| his desk.
There, he said, st don't know ex-
actly what there is in that bottle. I'll
set 1t up on that shelf and when a
fellow comes in that don't know ex-
actly what's the matter with I'll give
him few doses of it,"
Again behind my screen I may say
tnat was an extremely skillful young
doctor and the people in and around
Brutusvllle were quick to find it out
When l pulled the four children of old
King Anders, the richest farmer in
the country, through the typhoid fever
my reputation was made. That fall T
remember was driving a little flea
bitten indian pony, and I almost wore
out the brute, tough as it was, driving
around the country.
Then father died and was left alone
TO take care of mother. By that time I
had good paying practice and 1t was
NOT nara work to provide everything
she needed. Several months before the
old folks had moved in from the coun
try and We were living in little house
IN Main street, which I had paid for
from my earnings. Shortly after faith
ers death my eldest sister, who had
married and moved to the far west, lost
her husband. He had been a school
1eacner, and he left her with less than
$4,000 and four children to support.
Naturally enough they came to
Brutusville and went to live with us, It
was peasant to have the children
about the house, and even if it had
been unpleasant it was 'up to me" to
see that they lacked for nothing.
Not long after they arrived CANA
the great temptation Of my life.
Ole Oh my young friends in Brutus-
vile, a graduate of school of tech
nology, had invented new kind of
health corset. He had started a little
factory in our town and had made
such success that it seemed wise to
move to the neighborhood of some big
city In the east where he could do a
larger business more easily
He came to me and said he wanted to
have reputable physician connected
with his business and that if would
put $4,000 into his business he would
make me full partner. I could see
business, and I told him 1 was sure
1t would make him an extremely rich
man, but that I could not, under the
circumstances, think of leaving Bru-
tusville. Besides, had two families
dependent on me for support and had
no right to risk the little money I had
laid up. He urged that + could con-
tinue my scientific and professionaI
studies while I was doing my share in
the extension of his business, and that
he was almost certain to succeed
financially. so that I need have no
doubts about that part of it.
A partnership In corset factory may
not sound alluring, but the fact is that
my old friend Is now a multi-million-
afre In Massachusetts. He has endowed
a school Of original research in medi-
cine, of which might as well as not
have been the head.
At any rate, staid behind I've been
here long enough now to have the
biggest practice in this end Of the
state. I don't go down to my office
without meeting several people who
say, Good morning, doctor,' in a
way that shows they are really glad to
see me and are grateful to me for
something I have done. That helps a
good deal. It keeps me from feeling
at all sorry because didn't stay in
New York when I had a chance to.
I've got four families on my hands
ncw-but none Of my really own-and
I'm contented old fellow. I've had
happy life.
The doctor died the other day. AL
most everybody in Brutusville and in
the country round about went to his
funeral. They crowded round the cof-
fin and looked at his wrinkled, kindly
old face with Its grizzled beard
Among the mourners was an old
Irish washerwoman. She had her
little barefooted, red-headed boy with
her. He was frightened and wanted to
go home. But she dragged him sternly
up to the side of the coffin.
Look at him, lynn there" she COM
manded, land don't forgit him. He
was the Dist mon that ever lived.'