Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1911-05-19
T HE WRONG
BOOK
B, ESTHER vANDEvEER
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911

~ was Ill lue Olucu Llue, "uSu LEdV.
llers westward from the Missouri rive'
went by wagon train system. I was
young man then and had some money
which had invested in the stock of
4 mining company on Clear Greek,
about twenty miles west of Denver.
News came that those operating the
mine had struck a rich vein of ore and
I concluded to go out and look after
my interests.
So Joined wagon train at Kansas
City consisting Of two wagons. The
owner, John Scarsdale, was taking his
family out to Denver to settle there.
They consisted Of his wife. his son,
Henry, twenty years old, and his
daughter, Amelia. Henry had taken q
course of medicine at an eastern uni
versity and was going to put out his
shingle in Denver
There is nothing like being thrown
with girl constantly and not seeing
other girls to make man fall in love.
And suppose it's the same with girl
h reference to the man. At any rate,
we had been on the road but q few
days when l began to consider Amelia
attractive.
DR.. Henry Scarsdale had a whole
library of medical books with him
and studied whenever we were In
camp. He was an enthusiast in his
procession. He became a celebrated
physician afterward. but at that time
he was simply at the beginning Of his
career and always yearning for some
one to fall Ill that be might apply his
knowledge.
Unfortunately was destined to
need his attention. My heart would
get to beating rapidly at the slightest
provocation. The young doctor on
hearing Of my trouble unpacked a box
Of books that he had intended not to
open till be reached Denver. got out
volume on heart disease, ran his eye
over the index till he came to "palpt-
tadon" and famtliarized himself with
my case. Then he improvfsed steth-
oscope, placed it against my chest over
my heart, listened and looked serious.
I knew by that look that was
doomed: He told me that I must not
consider my case hopeless, which
understood to mean that it was hope
less, especially since he told me that
might live quite awhile. But the next
morning, feeling more hopeful, I told
the doctor that thought he might
have been mistaken, whereupon he
said very decidedly that would ind
out. If / lived to reach Denver it
would be more than he expected.
This broke me all up again, and I
continued to decline during the rest of
the Journey. couldn't make the
slightest motion without my heart
beating like a trip hammer. l lost
flesh and was SO near run down that BY
the time we were approaching Denver
a reclining place was made for me in
one Of the wagons.
conceived great respect for the
medical diagnosing power of the
young doctor. He had told me that If
reached Denver alive I would do
well, and the nearer we got to the
town the more rapidly my heart beat
It occurred to ME that he didn't really
At any rate I made up my mind
would not
When within ten miles Of Denver in
camp one evening sent for Amelia
Scarsdale and told her that, being at
the point OF death, I would have no
further use for worldly wealth and
handed her my mining shares that l
had transferred to her. I refrained
from telling her that loved her,
thinking that, being doomed, 1t would
be better for her that 1 should keep
my secret. Amelia was certainly very
grateful, tried to comfort me and de-
clared that If I lived she would re-
transfer the shares to me- To this
replied that I had given up all hope;
that when her brother told me it was
not likely would live to enter Denver
had doubted his power Of diagnosis,
but ] had been getting worse ever
since, and I knew now that he was
right
While we We're talking DR.. Scars
dale came to the wagon and said to
me:
II fear I have made a mistake In
your case, got hold of book on dis
eases Of the heart have today been
reading one on indigestion, and
shouldn't be surprised If your heart
trouble is due to that cause"
''You say you fear you have made a
mistake" remarked
EYES,"
"Well. I fear you haven't" !,
''Diet for few days, and have
some peptonfc pills I'll give you"
I took the doctors pills, and the fact
that he had got hold Of the wrong book
concerning my case convinced me that
he was not infallible. My mind drifted
In another channel, my heart stopped
beating SO rapidly, and was a new
man.
Amelia insisted on returning the
mining shares, which made me feel
very cheap. l went up in the noun
}yAe IN