Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-12-10

I began in surprise. "a doctor. Of
course"
DR.. Leavltt shook the ashes out OF
his pipe and broke in: "Of curse, I
knew your record at the medical
school"
(Which I wish now had been better,
sir" I put in v%irtuously, but the doc
tor smiled quizzically as he returned:
We'll, my young friend, 1t was just
because you weren't honor man that
I got you here. Wilson, do you know
there is such a thing as being too sci
enti1c?"
l modestly replied that was an as
pect Of the subject I had not yet seen.
The old doctor did not answer right
away. but a CLEAN OF merriment shone
from his eyes. We smoked for a few
minutes in silence.
It was that time between the dark
and the daylight when people who can
afford 1t take their breathing spell.
his custom to smoke a pipe Just after
dinner and l might bear him com
pany.
As I sat on the porch I had my first
opportunity Of looking at my new sur
roundings, which were most attrac-
tive. A large white house with a
porch faced ours across the street. As
! looked a fat blonde woman OF about
thirty o from her porch-chair, came
out through her gate and walked up
and down one or twice on her side
Of the street. She eyed the doctor
stonily, but I felt that she was trying
to get a view Of me without seeming
to do so.
Presently she went in and DR.. Leav-
lit looked very communicative.
THAT" he said, sis Miss Margaret
Scott. She hasn't spoken to me for
twelve years. She just had to
come out this evening to survey the
land. Mr.. Wilson, that women caused
the biggest split-up in the annals of
Rye County. It's because of her that
the Prices and Shows aren't on bow
Ing terms, and the Lords and the San
borns are at outs 1t was your pre-
decessor, Mr.. Wilson, who brought
about this state of affairs. I haven't
A0O OIL dSSlSLdlI lOI lWOltc years uOW.
All l ask of you, Mr.. Wilson, is don't
be too scientific The doctors eyes
were smiling.
Is" don't believe I could be accused
Of that, DOCTOR" I modestly asserted.
Would you like to hear about it?
1t was this way. In the fall of SO 1
wanted an assistant and I sent notice
to the Baltimore College, as l did in
your case. They recommended a
James Stillman. who had dom excel
lent work in college, won the Euro
pean fellowship. and was willing to
come to this little one-horse town to
make a start"
Your research work IN tuberculo-
sis" I interrupted.
Had nothing to do with It," retort-
ed DR.. Leavitt, irritably. Anyway,
to make a long story short, Jim Still
man came and had the goods to show.
He was quick. bright, genial, and had
. medical grounding that was surpris-
ing. My wife took to him from the
arst and he continued to improve.
The girls were all crazy over him, for
you may imagine that a young col
lege man, good looking and smart,
who had lived In Paris, London, and
Vienna, was quite some in this town.
he didn't care a rap about the girls.
He'd refuse invitation after invitation
to card parties. dinners and dances to
stay home and smoke with me and
talk we some Of the late discoveries
In the medical journals. He had some
very original ideas. too. He came to
live at our house, and II my wife
wanted to go to some party or other
he'd take her and call for her, but she
used to tell me she scolded him both
ways for not paying more attention to
the girls. The Price girls, the Kenne-
~ girl. and the Lords were, all on
his trail, and Bessie Price was the
prsttiest girl In town unless 1t was
Susan Lord. But Jim was all for
business, and he and I got to be better
friends every day. Even when I was
called down to Boston for = few days.
my wife said he a and talked with
her q while every evening after din
ner and then went up to his room and
studied.
when Jim had been living with me
for about six months. and doing splen-
did work, Margaret Scott came home
from school. She had always been
fairly healthy and we were shocked
when her mother brought her home
before the end Of the term Ill. Her
nother called me in and asked me-
what I thought was the trouble with
her. I never raw . girl go on 70.
Bhe was pale and languid and had lost
IN weight. I tried the tuberculosis
tsst, but nothing there. I suggested
every ailmsnt in the almanac, but
Asrs was > brand new disease- I
called regularly for . month and Mar
GArst va NO better. One day Ut
eAurch-ls always make It . point to
||4nke my assistants to church. Mr. VIII
opn-I ~ Margaret Scott whose
AetAsr made her . % church n she
w. 0b1e - walk. and the poor girl
oDokel . Il shs could hardly hold
~ AeAA ~; koodleaA weAk. ehaky,