The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-22

derives its light. The front room is used
for everything in general and nothing I'm
particular, barren of furniture. save a chair
or two and a photograph enlarged life
sized in a silvered frame Of the doctors
father, whose very black whiskers, hair
and eyes, and formal collar, necktie and
coat, give him the appearance Of being
all ready to be laid out. There's a book
case on one side containing the American
Encyclopedia in split leather binding,
Dicks works, the acts of the last legis-
lature, Bryant's collection of poetry and
song, a history of the country In which the
Doctors portrait and brief biography appear.
a lot Of state geological reports and, final
", two huge vOlumes-apparently a dc luxe
binding. entitled The Man Who Laughed
by Wilkie Collins. If you attempt TO pull
out one of these volumes the two will
come together, open out and a lot of chess
men and checkers will fall over the floor.
This is the doctors choice library that he
keeps down TO the office away from his
destructive children. over the bookcase
is his diploma from a medical school some
where in Ohio. 1t contains a great many
signatures, which are impossible to read,
the letters indicating the degrees NJ. D.,
Phi. d. only being legible.
MYSTERIOUS APPARATUS.
The doctors rear room is his consulta-
ton and operating room. 1t contains a
profusion of apparatus, bottles and hooks.
Over near the window is a katherine up
holstered operating chair on one side OF
which are a couple of affairs resembling
fire extinguishers with steam gauges to
them. On a table is a series of oddly
shaped bottles with syphons and connected
to each other with yards of rubber tubing.
Also in the room are several machines with
cranks. levers, betting and wheels. The
doctor was never known to use any of this
apparatus, but. they all serve a purpose as
they stand there dormant and monuments
of mystery, as every one supposes he
knows ali about them.
Occasionally, the doctor will get a
shackIey old man in his temple of mystery
and after spraying his throat with some
nostrum will let him out a private door,
through the hall and down the stairway.
Heaving, coughing and gasping the patient
will go over in the courthouse yard, lie
down in the grass and pant till he re-
covers. The floor of the doctors suite is
covered with shredded ingram carpet, worn
away III Spots 50 lldl Oit tdn ICtu lnC
newspapers underneath of a date of 1881.
Every time you put your foot down a cloud
of dust is raised. and the whole place has
a mixed smell of dust. burned natural gas
and iodoform. The doctor is a large man
with a bald head, the ends of his mus
tache curl upon his cheek and he is in
variably in shiny black clothes, much
stained in front. He speaks correctly,
sounding the 'ings' and never unbends ex-
cept in the secIusion of his own home. His
only dissipation is singing bass in the
church choir.
Zone time a man was driving a load of
hay through the town when he went to
sleep and rolled off. He was carried home
and this doctor was sent for. The latter
had the reputation for having the profess
sional maxim, Never to be without a
patient If the last one was about to get
well it was easy TO give him a dose of
ipecac night and morning and keep him
till the next one appeared. The doctor be-
fore leaving his patient left q half-pound of
salts. a box of pills. a paper of powders
and a vial containing some drops. He told
him to take a pill each day. a powder every
other day In the morning. a drop every
night and a spoonful of salts at dinner
once n week until he had taken all. The
doctor. before leaving. told him he would
call each day until the medicine was gone.
The hay WACO driver was of a mathemat-
zeal turn of mind ana after the doctor left
he made his calculations and found it
would take three whole years 10 follow the
prescription and at % cents a visit it would
take s547.5O. to say nothing of his loss of
time. So the hay wagon driver called his
wife 10 bring him some molasses in a bowl.
He put in the salts, pills, powders and
the drops. got up on the edge OF the bed
and swallowed the mixture without taking
q breath. He was up and at work in three