The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-08-17
A Doctors Story

mixture OF light and shade, though
I admit that the shade greatly pre-
! dominates. He will announce to n
family that one of its loved members
Is doomed, jump into his buggy and
drive to his next patient to find hap
py household getting couvalescent
out of bed
The greatest relief l have felt in nv
professional duties has been in bring
ing child safely into the world. The
strain over, the mother smiling. the ia
Their taking a 'bracer," the nurse put
ting on the baby's first clothes-all
these are as delightful to the physician
who has borne the responsibility as
to any member of the family. l had
J gone home one night from such q
scene as this and, tired out, had
thrown myself on lounge. l was
falling asleep when the clock struck
IL, and at the same moment my night
bell rang violently. Rousing myself, 1
went to the door. There stood a man
white as a Sheet, and l noticed blood
on his coat sleeve
J you surgeOnT'
Eyes; physician and surgeon"
Come with me, quick. My wife will
die before you can get there"
My man had not finished unhar-
Messing my horse, and l directed him
! to put him back in the buggy. Then
l asked the stranger to get in and got
in myself. AS we drove off l asked,
rs it far?''
about six miles,"
''Six miles! Did you walk it?'
"Yes-nO. Whip up your horse. We
shall be too late"
There was something uncanny about
this person and l began to feel an in
stinctive dread Of him. Though he was
sitting beside me 1 could neither hear
him breathe nor see any rising or fall
ing of his chest. But l attributed this
to my own disturbed feelings, for do
not know that could have heard the
one or seen the other. My horse
seemed as uneasy as l and SHE'D at
every object beside the road. Con-
stantly urged to drive faster, l was not
| long in making the distance, and on
arrival at a massive dwelling standing
| alone in large grounds l was ushered
| into a parlOr There on a lounge lay a
/ young woman. Beside her knelt man
about her own age, and another wom-
an who looked younger than the invalid
~c
| Removing an afghan with which the
| invalid was covered l saw blood on the
| clothing and soon discovered a large
knife wound in the side. 1t was my
| duty to tell those present that the wo-
mans life was ebbing out and that she
! could live but a few moments. All
made way for the man who had
| brought me, and quirering in every
nerve he leaned over her. | heard her
say, 81 forgive you, darling" There
was a fainting, rattle in the throat
and the woman was dead.
A., l have no recollection of anything
further till in the gray of the morning
1 found myself sitting in my buggy,
my horse tied to post before the gate
of the house l had been in. How L
came there l could not conjecture. The
house was closed and not light was
to be seen within. Then l noticed that
every shutter was closed and the house
had a dilapidated appearance. 1t was
hard for me to believe l had been in an
inhabited dwelling in which l had
passed through a death scene. My
nerves, or, rather, my brain, seemed top
ping. To pull myself together l en-
deavOred to Danish that which was
now a confused picture by calling up
it's predecessor, in which the central
figure was a newborn child. Again L
laid the infant beside it's mother and
saw the heavenly smile with which she
greeted it, while the father bent over
and gave both a kiss. This gave me
time to recover, and l turned my at
tention again to the house before me.
AS wind blew over it, rustling the
leaves on the trees beside it, there was
q want of response which told me ZOE
the first time that no one was within.
Where had that death group gone!
l got out of he'buggy and unhitched
nv horse with view to putting dls-
lance between me and the grewsome
place as quickly as possible when L
heard the sound of wheels, and pres
emily a milkman drove by. l halleu
him. and he pulled in his horse.
as that house occupied?' l asked.
"No. and it hasn't Seen in ten years.
singular" l said musingly.
1--WE was talkin' about it last nlght.
1t was list ten years at midnight that
the Morrison murder took place there.
Mrs. Morrison was confdante in love
affair of her sister that was forbid
den by the girls parents. Her nus
band didn't know nothin' about 1t, but
he got on to it and suspected the giris
lover was his wifes lover. The lovers
were married secretly, and Mrs. MOT
risOn was harborin' 'em unknown W
Morrison. He came home student one
night and found the new HUSBAND
alone with his wife, He made a lunSe
at the man. Mrs. Morrison jumper
between 'em and got the stab, shoutlh
&c che rnooivo6 II sIIo'c DOllV'S nus