The San Francisco call., 1910-02-27
DOC TOR

The third day the doctor took the
plaster of my face and cautioned me
TO be careful what 1 ate and not to
talk much. still on account Of those
all important stitches He was very
much pleased with my condition-no
Inflammation had set in and 1 was
doing we'll
The chief danger, it seemed. and the
thing to be avoided was Inflammation.
1t was so easy. he said. for little clot
of blood to form on one of the stitches.
and then suppuration would set in and
delay the healing am thankful to
say that 1 did avoid it,
The light was very strong in the
operating room bringing out whatever
good orr bad points ones complexion
had. and l used 70 sit in the chair while
the doctor would be working. over me
and admire his sSin-it was so fine
grained, clear and clean looking Fin
ally one day curiosity got the better
of me and 1 asked him:
What do you do TO your face. doc
tor. 10 keep your skin in such fine con-
dition27
then said, rather forcibly; Il shave it
What do you suppose a man would
do 10 his face?" he asked after we had
our laugh out. Did 1 suppose he would
go through all the stunts that women
do TO gain a complexion?
I hadn't known. At any rate. that
fine skin of his is a valuable asset in
his business and 1 told him so.
But I'll tell you how to take care
OF your face" said he. In the first
place don't massage It's the worst
thing YOU can dO-lOOsenS the skin.
~r,fr urfv
you'll have TO have more work done
by me. And never use hot water-it
relaxes the skin. Wash your face with
cream. cold cream"
What kind2' said l.
"Oh any old kind. Take your finger
tips and go all over your face with
rotary motion. gently, working the
cream in, and then wipe 1t or and
you'll be surprised at the dirt that
comes with It,"
''Oh. I've heard that before" said I,
skeptically.
well. try it, Then when you have
done that bathe it with cold water. the
colder the better. and lots Of it-use Ice
packs if you can stand them. Cold water
tightens the pores and tones up the
muscles. But under no consideration
must you ever use hot water.
One day toward the last OF my treat
ment when the stitches had been taken
out and / was about WE'LL I happened
I'm later than usual AS I entered the
reception room the doctor pushed open
the door of the operating room and
when he saw me beckoned for me 10
come on in. He met me at the door and
said in an undertOne:
Il am just finishing a nose operation.
Do you want 70 see?
OF course I did. So I tiptoed around
to the side OF the chair where I could
take a peep at the patient, young
lady
The doctor was sponging her face.
Her nose seemed to have a pretty good
shape. I thought straight and all right.
though swollen to about three times its
ordinary size just then from the CO.
caine and the stitches
1 took a good look at her and then
stepped back into the reception room.
I felt. somehow. that I was intruding-
The doctor was talking to her. assuring
her that she was all right and asking
her how she felt. He seemed quite well
acquainted with her; he called her Hat
tie. Presently she stepped composedly
out of the chair came out and COM
menced putting her things on The doc
tor asked her what time she had 10 go
on duty. She was a telephone girl. il
seemed. a night operator, and went on
at o'clock
asked her in surprise. il she ex-
pected TO work that night.
She looked at me and said in a mat
ter of fact way:
why. yes; of course"
"Oh. Hattie's all right" said the doc
tor. with that little laugh of his.
aren't you. Hattie?''
Yes. she was all right. she said.
After telling her not to try TO run
down any streetcars or trucks with
that nose of hers and to be sure 70
come in the next day. he let her go.
The doctor was little bit fiustered
and excited and he was tired. too:
could see that. He went back into the
operating room and sat down in the
chair He seemed like a person who
had been under a great strain. and
now that the strain was over, he re-
laxed-
I said something about the matter
of fact way she had seemed 70 take
the whole thing. and he began TO
laugh Why, 1 couldn't understand.
His brother. who had been helping
him. was standing close by. and he
commenced smiling. too.
Why" said the doctor that girl
is not happy unless she has an opera
tion about every so often. How many
times do you suppose I have operated
on her nOse%'
'eHow many times?" I echoed. aghast.
Five times he answered. and COM
menced laughing again. it was IN
IPCJlOuS- E1t SOL LlC SttA tCd, Dut
asked as well as I could:
whats the matter with her nose2"
Nothing said he. as he wiped his
eyes. "She had fairly good. straight
nose when she started in, but she
wants a retrousse-she wants it TO
turn I'D at the end" And with that he
commenced again and / never have
seen any one laugh as he did. And OF
course we were both laughing with
him I think il was partly the effect
OF the strain he had been under dur
ing the operation. the pendulum was
swinging the other way nova sort
of letting down. letting go.
And has she paid you every timer
1 asked.
Yes" he said
"Oh. but that isn't right-you ought
not to let that poor girI-yOu ought
not to operate on her that way.
He looked a bit conscience stricken.
'If / don't do IL she'll go to some
body else. some faker. and I'm afraid
she'll spoil her blamed old nose. told
you this was crazy business he con-
tinued. They get like that. Once they
start in having operations they keep
it up: they're never satisfied"
From talking about Hattie We drift