The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-12-04
Married Life
the Second Year
BY MABER HERBERT URNER.

BY MABER HERBERT URNEH.
DR. II. NJ. Fireman, Surgeon den
list" read the lettering on the ground
glass. AS Helen opened the door, a
bell rang shrilly until she entered and
closed it after her.
For a moment she stood uncertainty
In the little reception room. Then the
doctor, whitecOated and with an in
strument in his hand, appeared at the
office door.
"Oh, good afternoon, Mrs, Curtis, I'll
see YOU just in few minutes. I'm not
quite through yet"
Helen took d chair by the table and
turned over the several months old
magazines. There were a number of
among them. Evidently people who
were waiting for the dentist did not
care for any heavier literature than
that offered by a comic paper.
The peculiar odor Of mingled drugs
and antiseptics that is always part of
the atmosphere of dentists office
filled the room. In vain Helen tried to
force down that fluttering tremulous
feeling that this OdOr and the near
ness to the dental chair always
brought
She dreaded it so, Her teCth were
peculiarly sensitive The least work on
them hurt her cruelly--and she shrank
from pain with all the horror of a
child And today there were to be two
filings and one tooth drawn.
She was to take gas for the eXtrac-
ton, and Warren had promised to
come up at 4:30 TO be with her then.
IT was a quarter to four now. and the
work was to be done on the filings
until Warren came.
From the other room now came d
moan and Il wOmaH's voice "Oh, doc
tor ~-don't--Oh, oh''
Then the Doctors voice, Hold still
nOW--juSt Il second longer. There
now this won't hurt"
The moan had not helped to soothe
Helen's own quivering nerves. She
tried TO keep her mind on the comic
piper, but she read one of the jokes
three times without realizing what it
said. 1t was midsummer number.
How strange the jokes OF a midsum-
mer magazine seem in midWinter!
There were the usual squibs about the
ice man the Scanty bathing suit and
the summer WidOWer.
Nov, that's all today" came from
the Doctors room. 'If that cotton fill
ing hurts yOu-yOu can take it out.
But it's better left in
Then Tuesday at ten | think you
said?" asked the woman.
iIelen's heart beat faster. She knew
now he would be ready for her. The
woman came through, put on her
wraps which were lying on Il chair be-
side Helen. and hurried out.
Now, Mrs. Curtis" and the doctor
appeared once more at the door Hell
en- went in, laid aside her wraps and
got up into chair. Just the sight of
the shining instruments made her sick
with fear. She could hear him washing
his hands behind the screen.
"Well. we're getting real touch of
winter today" he remarked cheerful
ly.
II is n prevailing belief among den
fists and physicians that some COM
mOnplaCc remark tends to distract the
patients thought, when as rule 1t lr-
ritates them by the very obViousness
OF its intention.
Helen leaned hack and closed her
eyes while with brisk Indifference he
made ready his Instruments.
Now lust a moment please" as he
quickly adjusted Il rubber shield in
there"
For half an hour he worked on the
filing. Except for an occasional moan,
Helen made no cutlery. But her hands
were clinched tight on the arms of
her chair and her feet braced rigidly
against the fOotrest.
DIR. Fireman was most conscientious
and panstaking in his work, and while
he made every effort to minimize the
pain, yet his manner was not very
sympathetic. And now as the instru-
ment touched q nerve, with stifled
cry Helen put up her hand.
Don't do that" he warned her
coldly. Don't catch my hand you'll
make the instrument slip.
And again Helen clinChed the arms
of the chair every nerve taut under in
tense pain. Desperately shetried to
think of something to help her. Then
she recalled what she had once been
told was the greatest of all helps in a
dental chair-to try to realize how lit
tie was really being done That is
only because the work is on the teeth
that ii hurts so. Could the same thing
be done anywhere else--it would
hardly hurt at all Now would there
be any pain in the tooth if the nerve
was dead? 1t was tiny nerve that
caused all the pain-just the touching
and the Earring of this nerve. She
tried to think of it in this way, and
somehow it made the pain little less
Suddenly the reception room door
was opened and the bell rang shrilly
until it closed again. 1t was Warren
The doctor left her for second and
went to the door.
"WeI'n be through in just a few
moments, Mr., Curtis; I'm polishing off
the last filing
Helen was painfully conscious of
how ridiculous she looked with her
head back and her mouth wide open
and with the glaring light from the
window falling full upon her. She
hoped Warren would stay in the re-
ception room for few moments, so
he would not see her like this. But