Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-19

her today, and yesterday it looked like
pneumonia, then there is that child with
diphtheria at the Atwaters' l ought to
go there myself, but If he is worse you will
have to go, and to few others, and l
must stay with him.
Gordon drove furiously. Heads appeared
at windows; people on the street turned
faces of wonder and alarm after him. 1t
was soon noised about Alton that there
had been a terrible accident. that someh dy
was at the point of death. but OF that
Gordon and James knew nothing.
When they arrived at the hotel Gordon,
after he had tied his horse, took his
medicine case, and, followed by James, en-
tered, and went directly upstairs to large
room at the back of the hotel. This room
was somewhat isolated in position, having
another, it being corner apartment with
two outer walls. Gordon opened the door
softly and entered with James behind him.
The bed stood between the two west Win
dows. 1t was a northwest room. The after
noon sun had not yet reached it.. 1t was
furnished after the usual fashion of country
hotel bed rooms. 1t was clean and SPARSE
and the furniture had the air of having
past, of having witnessed almost every
thing which occurs to humanity. 1t seemed
battered and stained, though not with wear,
but with humanity The old-fashioned
black walnut 'bedstead in which the sick
man lay seemed to have thousand voices
of experiences A great piece was broken
off one corner of the footboard. The wound
in the wood looked sinister. Directly OPP
posite the bed stood the black walnut
bureau. with its swung glass. The glass
was cracked diagonally,, and reflected the
bed and its occupant with an air of expert
ence. Gordon went directly to his patient.
Beside him sat George X. He looked at
the two doctors and shook his head gravely.
His great blond face was unshaven and
paled with watching. Nobody spoke a
word. All three looked at the man in the
bed, who lay either asleep or feigning
oil in ctr fp1
pulse softly, with keen eyes upon his face.
This face was unspeakably CHASTITY. The
throat was swathed in bandages. There
was one tiny spot of red on the wn.te of the
linen. The mans eyes were rolled up
ward. Around an abrasion on the cheek,
which glistened oily with some unguent
which had been applied to 1t, was circle
of painful red clearly defined from the
pallOr of the rest of the cheek
Gordon spoke How do you feel?" he
asked of the man, who evidently heard and
understood, but did not reply. He simply
made a little motion of facial muscles. of
shoulders of his whole body under the bed
clothes, which indicated rage and impa-
thence. -
Does that place on your cheek burn?"
asked Gordon.
Again there was no answer, this time not
even any motion.
Have you any pain?" asked Gordon.
The man lay motionless. lis there any
one In the parlor?" Gordon asked abruptly
of George K.
NO. Doc. You can go right in there"
Gordon beckoned to James, and the two
went downstairs and entered the room Of
the wax flowers and the stuffed canary.
1T looks like erysipelas," Gordon said
with no preface.
James nodded.
"All 1 have done so far, in the absence
Of any positive proof Of the truth Of that
diagnosis, Is to apply what you will think
an old woman's remedy, but 1 have known
1t to- give good results in light cases. and
did not like to resort to the more strenu-
Gus methods until was sure Of my ground,
for fear of complications. / applied little
mutton tallow. and that was all, but the
Inflammation has increased since I saw
him. 1t now looks to me like clearly de-
fined case Of erysipelas."
at does to me-" said James.
$50 far-the-wound in the throat seems
to be doing WELL" said Gordon gloomily.
Then he looked at the younger physician
with an odd. helpless expression. Ills life
must be saved" safA he. (which do you
prefer of the two methods of treating the
disease-that is, of the two primary ones?
OF course, there are methods tnnumerable.
may have grown rusty in my country
practice. Do you prefer the leeches. the
nitrate of silver. the low diet, or the re-
verse?'
IT think prefer the reverse"
"Well you may be right" said Gordon,
land yet you have to consider that this is