The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-10-28
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VIII F. AlI
1ccY~I

brOlQeT Jill, uOCtOfeu tutiL OOuico.
( Father Tom lived in the little par
sonage next the church, with the old
est woman inhabitant of the place-a
dame past seventy, but who knew how
to darn stockings-as his housekeeper.
Dr. Jim lived at the other end of the
Village street and looked after his own
housework. ""Even brothers who are
80 fond OF each other as Tom and l
ought to live apart" said Dr.. Jim.
''It strengthens the affections"
= The brothers passed every evening
of their lives together, one night at
the parsonage and the next at the
"doctory," and they passed every one
over their pipes, for the parson wasn't
prig, and the doctor was wont to say
that tobacco was the only known spe-
cific for all human ills.
'Tom," said his brother one evening.
s'I zee that old Bill Lamson has died
over at Leeds"
Eyes, Jim," said Father Tom. "and
was at his deathbed.'
'I always suspected, Tom. that you
knew all about Bill Lamson's part in
the Johnson killing years ago. if he
had q part in it, which I am inclined
ito believe, by the way, and that you
kept the whole thing to yourself"
''Well. suppose did know about it.
Jim. If Lamson told me anything
which I won't grant even now-he
told 1t to me because I was a clergy
man, and it's not in the clerical PROV
tnce to tell on q man who Is repentant,
no matter what his crime"
. fright you are, Tom. and 1 tell you
that a physician ought to hold secrets
just as tight if they come from pa
Hept.- I wouldn't give up wounded
murderer If he had come to me for
treatment and had thrown himself on
my mercy and on my professional
care. I'd consider myself sort Of a
Sather confessor to his bodily ills, as
you might to the sins Of his SOUL"
you're all wrong, Jim. You can't
class the physician with the priest.
Ehe soul and the body are things
apart, and the touch Of the sacred
doesn't enter into your profession as it
does into mine. You have no right to
claim the clergyman's exemption from
giving evidence against an evildoer
who has trusted you. In concealment
you do the state an injury"
'.Likely I would if such a condition
ever confronted me, Tom, but I
wouldn't give the fellow up if he had
once trusted me and I had cared for
him. I might be an enemy Of the state
in so doing, but I'd sleep better after
it."
Tie brothers separated for tile night.
DIR. Jim went back into the little labor
atory back Of the sitting room. musing
over the talk with his brother. "It
would be a curious situation to be
placed in," he thought, ito have a
wounded criminal on your hands and
ito feel that the state might look to you
as an accomplice because you had
failed to turn him over to justice after
you had patched him up"
DR.. Jim sat up late studying. He
heard q noise outside the door at an
hour after midnight, and. throwing it
open, man fell into the room and on
to the floor. "I seen your sign, doctor,
with the light behind 1t. l guess I'm
done for, but mebby you can fix me
up"
, The man gasped and tainted. Sturdy
DR.. Jim picked him up and carried
him to the laboratory, where he laid
his burden on the lounge and made
hasty examination. The man had a
bullet hole through the thigh, and was
weak from the loss Of blood. Beyond
that his injury wasn't serious. Dr.
Tim stanched the flow and gave the
man restorativcs.
Where did you get this wounds" he
asked his midnight visitor when he
had regained consciousness.
Don't tell on me, Doc I trusted
you. cracked 4 place with pal. He
getaway all right and has the swag.
but I got shot when the old feller in
the house walked up. Maybe I done
for him. I don't know, though. but he
didn't shoot again after he hit me, and
let drive back"
"You can't stay here" said DR.. Jim.
"Patients and other people will be here
tomorrow, and you can't travel for q
week. I'll put you on a cot in room
over the summer kitchen at the back
of the yard, and I'll look after you,
though it goes against the grain" And
the doctor smiled bit grimly as he
thought Of his conversation with Faith
er Tom few hours before.
An hour later the wounded burglar
was bandaged, fed and secreted in the
upper chamber Of the unused summer
kitchen. There was q fierce pounding
at DR.. Jins front door. He opened it.
The village constable and dozen ex-
cited citizens were there Father Tom
has been shot" they fairly howled at
the physician.
DR.. Jim felt his knees tremble under
him. The constable, who had some
sense. fastened to say: "Oh, he amt
hurt bad, but come along"
The doctor found his brother suffer.
ing from slight scalp wound and Ia.
menting the loss Of $500. nearly all the
money he had in the world.
DR.. Jim treated his brother, and then
strobe away toward his home. Senti
ment was all right. but when mans
brother was shot. why, that was differ
ent. "You shot and robbed my broth
er," he said savagely to the patient