Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-07-09

A Doctors Ruse.
GOriginal]
My telephone bell rang, and took
IN my receiver
tOrigirial.]

Mrs. Partridge"
l had no patients In Twelfth street,
which was not II locality | cared to
practice In. had never heard of Mrs.
Partridge and wondered why she had
called mo. Nevertheless | responded
| l found II woman more than sixty
years of age, whose appearance and
home were by no means prcpossessing.
She told me That she was very much
run down and wished tonic. wrote
Il prescription, and she asked me what
was giving her. told her the spirits
OF gcntnn. She said she had taken
great deal of II and II had done her no
good. She had once taken arsenic. and
1t had built her up. | wrote new pre-
scrlpiion for arsenic. gave 1t to her
and hurried away To very important
case awaiting me.
Tho next dny received hurry call
TO Mrs. Partridge. whom found
groaning rs II In great pain She told
me that ! must have made n mistake
In the quantity of the dose ! had prc-
scrlbed, for she had taken only half
dose and was In great agony. asked
TO see the bottle containing the medi-
cine. She showed It to me. and the
dose marked on II WINS quite enough 10
Kill. suspected something wrong.
Her suffcrlngs appeared to he feigncd.
THE prescription Is with the drug
gist, suppose" ! said
mo. always have him return my
prescriptions. | prefer to keep them"
Let me see it,"
she had stopped grooming ana seem
ed TO be thinking. Then she opened "A
pockctboox that she took from under
the pillow and held II up for me TO look
nj. rcnchcd for 1t. but she drew II
AWAY. The amount OF arsenic In each
tablet was nifty times what l had or
dcred. ! saw through the game nj
| once. The amount had been raised.
| mad fallen into n blackmail tran. The
charge, even though false. would great
y lnjurc mo.
How much do you expect for your
suffcrings and the prescriptions" |
! asked.
Tho womans expression changed at
once. There was dcvillsh cunning
in It,
"A hundred dollars" she said
| felt that 1t might he wise To nav
tho money, but have natural dis
like to being fccccd. sat looking at
The woman, thinking OF some way TO
thwart her
IL suppose said presently, 81
ought to indemnify you for my mis-
tnkc, especially ms have caused you
To suffer. But If don't 1t will require
II long time for YOU TO collect by law"
"Bnt your reputation"
THE damage to that 1 may outllvc,
! but YOU VIII not live long enough 10
get the damages"
What do YOU mcani" anxiously
"Yon are suffering from disease
that will soon kill YOU"
I al suffering from disease, What
| diseasef" she asked turning white rs
Il sheet.
Something That few practitioners
would recognize. 1t is my speciality"
For heavens sake, what 1t ISL"
"a necrosis of the perlcardium."
oh doctorw
1T won'tkill You Immediately"
"lIow do you know Eve got it?"
by the color of the cuticle. That's
where the disease first shows itself.
Only practiced eye can see It, You
VIII soon feel phthisls In the ccrebcl-
lum. them
but can't you stop itf'
Il could stop 1t, but the world Is bet
ter without such people as you. Then
you VIII experience hernia. aneurism
|
anu other troubles In tho
Never mind those things. doctor; !
don't understand them. DO give me
something TO help me.
! she was now suilicientiy frightened
| Tor me TO deal with her concerning the