The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-10-05
The Hour and
The Woman
BY THOMAS j. PARTRIDGE.

BY THOMAS j. PAHTHlDGE' Ii
E57515157515151515
There was little doubt but that Don
aid McPhee was sick unto death He
was as strong as an OK and as healthy
as a trout, and, despite his youth, had
come unscathed through many bit
ing winter gale en- Georges, but when
he stepped from an overheated par
lor into snow-bank, and shoveled
snow for two or three hours in light
clothing, it brought On chill Two
days afterward Donald went down
with pneumonia as if struck with a
blow.
A fishing port! OF all the places in
the world for a woman to practise
medicine! Yet there her sign swung:
vINNEY M. sTETCHELL, NJ. D.
1t was uphill work with the doctor,
but she builded well when she snatch
ed "Big Mary" McKinnon's child from
the black jaws of diphtheria, binding
the mother to her with hoops Of steel.
Besides, Big Mary was power in the
Scotch colony of Prince Edward Isl
and people. 1t was pure faith, then,
welded to gratitude, that prompted
Big Mary, in the face Of the strenu-
GUS protests of all the other relatives,
with their favorite doctors and their
individual leaning toward this and
that mode of treatment, to call Doctor
Stetchell in the present instance. The
sick boy was six hundred miles from
his parents, and if anything should
happen! 1t was clear that Big Mary
had taken upon herself tremendous
responsibility
Nightly the relatives foregathered
in the big kitchen to discuss the case
in all it's lights and shades the vir-
tues of this application, the dangers
of that. Some were for one thing,
some fer another. Thomas Johns
Maggie insisted on Doctor Mckenzie
being called Mckenzie was from
home" and there was some clannish-
ness in the advice; besides, Maggie
felt a desire to do something, indi-
rectly, at least, toward the old bill,
on which her husband had looked with
Indifference for two years.
Mrs. ellis, an aunt, maintained that
poultices were weakening; Mrs. Rory
McEachern swore that it would be
murder to remove them. Sarah Nc
Dougall held that there was no hope
before the boy was stricken down.
There were no details, but she had
had a dreami
But the woman doctor" was the
bone of contention And as the case
went on from bad to worse. it was
give and take, the relatives crying
down the rights of women, and Big
Mary standing bravely by the faith
that was in her.
They've not the sympathy of a
man." whispered Mrs. Plus Mcdonald.
They're too chicken-hearted to be
doctors!" declared old Mrs. McPhail.
"She can't have much practice to
come six times day." sneered Mrs.
Archie Cameron, winding up TIT
with Big Mary.
1t was a cruel way to account for
the faithful attendance, and the dart,
tipped with truth, went over the low
cred transom and dropped into the
breast of Doctor Vinney, bending over
the invalid.
"Call Doctor McKenzie!" cried
Thomas Johns Maggie, for the hun
dredth time. with an eye single to the
I'LL.
"You and your MCKENZIE" retorted
Big Mary, out of patience at last. "A
pretty mess he made of it with the
minister's baby, spcnging a child over
with cold water to bring out the
measles!" she appealed to the whole
kitchen. who ever heard OF the
likes!"
peace, women!" cried old Ronald
McPail. "The lad is in her hands, and
she's in the hands of God!"
The doctor entered the kitchen. She
was a trim little figure of woman,
without trace of mannishness about
her to relieve the oppressive femIn-
unity. Old Ronald removed his pipe
from his mouth, pulled his spectacIes
down on his nose, and stared over
them as if viewing new breed of
cattle brought into the district. Ten
year-old Flora, wide-eyed, stood root
ed to the floor. looking as if she had