Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-04-09
Shedding I With II
Nan
BY BRYANT c. ROGERS

Clay in the suburban village there is
q steep hill descending for three
blocks and then crossing double rail-
road tracks further. 1t is good place
to slide down hill when the snow is
packed. For couple Of years the rail-
road company maintained gates and
Waterman at the foot Of the hill, and
then they found 1t cheaper to fight
the death claims for the boys who
were killed by the passing trains. 1t
was always contributory negligence on
the part of the killed and crippled, and
the courts were lenient with the cor
poration.
It was said that two or three doc
tors had settled in the town because
of the many accidents at the Castle
Hill crossing, but 1t is only fair to say
Of young DR.. Rush that he was fg-
norant OF localities when he hung out
his sign. He had secured his diploma
az an M. D., and he had to settle down
somewhere to establish practice. He
selected Greenleaf in June and there
he was when the snow came, and he
hadn't earned his salt. He was for
tunate enough to have rich mother,
however, and he wasn't worrying
great deal.
Three blocks from Castle Hill lived
the Warrens, and the Warrens were
known through little Nan, their only
child, as much as from any other
source. AS girl of IL she was called
handsome, cute, cunning, and lots OF
other things. She was young lady
when she wished to be, and q romp
and tomboy on other occasions. she
knew of the hill; she knew OF the
trains; she knew of the danger. AND
yet she had been found one winters
night when she was II years old lead
ing the procession Of 80 sleds down
the hill and over the tracks.
When Doctor Rush had been IN
Greenleaf three months he was called
to the Warren house to bind up cut
finger for Miss Nan. She had been
practicing throwing the tomahawk IN
the back yard. AS doctor attending
his first patient, the young man should
have looked and acted very dignihed
and demanded that Miss Nan stand IN
awe Of him. But the contrary was
the case. II was case OF mutual
like. and when he left the house and
the cut finger behind the girl said to
her mother:
Aunt Irene il coming to visit us
this winter, and I'm going to have her
marry DR.. Rush.
What"
"She ought to have married that
rich fellow In Fall River. and ] heard
you tell pa So"
TT don't think you ever heard
anything OF the kind. Even II you
did It's not for you to talk about such
things.
But Aunt Irene has got to marry
somebody, hasn't she?"
mo. She may marry, but she hasn't
got to-"
But it will be nice II have man
picked out for her. It will save time.
and then he's doctor besides. Hell
doctor us all and not charge a cent.
There are lots Of things going to al!
me, and / don't want pa to have to pay
big doctors gill"
Aunt Irene wasn't an old maid, as
the title would seem to imply. On
the contrary, she wasn't 20 years
old yet. She could have been aunt
and not been ten. She arrived on her
visit at Thanksgiving time, and II was
to find Miss Nan looking very impor-
tant and mysterious. There had been
no further conversation between the
child and mother on the subject OF
marriage, but one party had cultivated
DR.. Rush for the last two months. One
dressing was sufficient to insure
cure for the cut finger. but Miss Nan
had hunted up the doctors office to
have the wound looked after three or
four times Then she had dropped In
to see If there was bug In her left
ear, and to see If her heart was all
right. and to ask II riding down hill
on sled at q gee-whiz gait thinned
out the blood and brought on con-
sumption. DR.. Rush understood her
fairly well up to certain point, and
they became good friends.
The point he overlooked in Miss
Nan was her Interior motive. Young
as she was. she had set out to make
love-match, and she wanted things
ready against the arrival Of her aunt.
She studied the doctor as deeply AZ
he did her. and the conclusion arrived
at was:
Aunt Irene may get scalded TAX
ing the tea-kettle of the stove-she
may fall from a tree - she may go
humping down the cellar stairs. and 1t
will be handy to have doctor in the
family. The money she'd have to pay
out will buy her set Of mink furs
every winter And then he sings, and
is good talker, and he has gold
watch and likes TO go to the moving
picture shows. oh. yes-I shall
strongly advise aunty to marry him"
For two days after the arrival OF