The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-20
Mee11H2E Gasna1EaSS

would rGCdil llOSe sweet HdicyOH lOuIs.
until felt a pang. of regret that my trust
in her had been shaken by that letter
found among the dead mans effects and |
that tiny piece of chenille. But steeled
my heart, because I felt assured that the
truth must out some day.
of our blissful love. And sometimes she |
Mine was a strange position for any |
man. I loved the woman, remember;
loved her with all my heart and with all
my soul. Yet that letter penned by her
had shown me that she had once angled
for larger spoils and was not the sweet
unsophisticated woman had always sup
posed her to be. It showed me, too, that
in her heart had ranked a fierce, undying
hatred.
Because Of this did not seek her So
iety frequently, but occupied myself dill
gently with my notwithstanding solace IN
my work. as many another professional
man does where love or domestic happiness
is concerned There are few men in my
profession who have not had their affairs
of the heart, many Of them serious ones.
The world never knows how difficult IT. is
for a doctor to remain heart-whole. Some
times his lady patients deliberately set
themselves to capture him, and will speak
ill-naturedly of him If he refuses to fall
into their net. At others, sympathy with
a. sufferer leads into Irritation during
convalescence, and often word spoken
in Jest in order to cheer is taken seriously
by romantic girls who believe that to
marry a doctor is to attain social status
and distinction.
Heigho! When 1 think of all my own lit
tie love episodes, and of the ingenious
diplomacy to which I have been compelled
to resort in order to avoid tumbling into
pitfalls set by certain designing Daught-
tiers of Eve, cannot but sympathize with
every other medical man who is on the
right side of forty 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, ronlances which have sometimes
narrowly escaped developing into TRACE
dies, and plots concocted by women to in
veigle and to allure. 1t is so easy for a
woman to feign illness and call in the doc
tor 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 afford to hold aloof
| for fear of offending. If 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 reputa-
ton for care and integrity as that of
! medicine. n
| do not wish it for a moment to be
takenZthat am antagonistic to women, or
| that I would ever speak i'll of them.
imerely refer to the mean method OF some
of the idling class. who deliberately call in
/ the doctor for the purpose Of Irritation and
then boast of it 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. n.
4 In my own practice I had a good deal
| of experience of it. And I am not alone.
Every other medical man, if not a grey
Il hea6a6 fossil q yyiZened wv 7 q e,.
has had similar episodes; many strange
some even startling.
| Reader in this narrative of curious
events, and remarkable happenings I am
taking you entirely and completely into
my confidence. I seek to conceal nothing,
nor to exaggerate in any particular, but to
present the truth plain. matter-of-
fact statement of what actually occurred
was a unit among a hundred thousand
others engaged in the practice of medi-
cine, not more skilled than the majority
even though Sir Bernard's influence anG
friendship had placed me in a position Of
| prominence But in this brief life of ours
it is woman who makes us dance as pup.
pets on our miniature stage, who leads
us to brilliant success or8to black ruin
who eXalts us above our fellows OF hurls
US into oblivion. Womall-always,W woman
Since that awful suspicion had falle1
upon me that the hand that had strt1cl
one that / had SO often carried to m.
| lips, a blank had opened in my life. Con
sumed by conflicting thoughts, I recol
lected how sweet and true had been ou
affection; with what an intense passionate
, love-loolS she had gazed upon me will
those wonderful eyes of hers; with wha
I wild fierce passion her lips would NEE
mine in fond caress
Alas! It had all ended She had acte'
s a lie to me. That letter told the bite
: truth. Hence, we were gradually drifting
y apart.
= One Sunday morning in May, just as
y had finished my breakfast and flung my
=, self into an armchair to smoke, as wa
my habit on the day Of rest. IVY ma
entered, saying that Lady TwickerhaI
. had sent to ask if l could go round t
Park Lane at once. Not at all please
with this call, just at a moment of laz
q Hess, was nevertheless, obliged to re
spond because her ladyship was one
# Sir Demands best patients; and sufferin
:: I as she was from malignant intern
"A complaint 1 knew it was necessary ito re
spond at once to the call
g. i On arrival at her bedside quickly sa
@ i the gravity OF the stua ton; but. unfo
tunately, 1 knew very little of the cas-
because Sir Bernard himself always mac
y point of attending her personally. A
though elderly. she was a prominel
VI woman IN society, ana llQ recommends
le many patients to my chief in earlier day
before he attained the fame he had no
achieved. I remained with her coup
er of hours; but finding myself utterly COZ
q fused regarding her symptoms. I resolve
TO take the afternoon train down to Eo
le and consult Sir bernard. I suggested tn
course to her ladyship, who was at on
delighted with the suggestion. Therefor
:, promising to return at 10 o'clock tn
! night. | went ont. SWal 1OWod a has
Of luncheon. and took train down to Brig
ne ton.
ne The house was one of those handsor
lit mansions facing the sea at Hove. al
st. as I drove up to it on that bright sun
re afternoon. it seemed to me an ideal re-
g. dence for q man jaded by the eternal We
y. ries of q physicians life. The. sea bree
so i stirred the sunblinds before the windov
es and the flowers in the well-kept looS
er We're already gay with bloom. knew t
ISIS place well. for I had been down ma
as | times before: therefore. when the pa
Nv opened the door he showed me at once
,,o the study. a room which lay at the. ba
~ of the big drawing room.
= 'Sir Bernard is in. sir" the page ga
~ IN tell him at once you're here a
- ~ he closed the door. leaving me alone.
II L walked towards the window. VIII
va looked out upon a small flower garden, a
in SO doing. passed the writing table.
a sheet of foolscap lay upon it. and curios
rs prompted me to glance at it.
al What I saw puzzled me considerab
,l... for beside the DnDel was letter If