The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-02-12
KEEPING A
RESOLUTION
BY MARGARET c. DEVEREAUX

Lie udy WIS Siauualeu iioin Ihe
medical school-the only woman in my
class-dear old DR.. Phillips, who hand
ed me my diploma. said to me. with a
smile:
There it is, my dear. But it will do
you no good"
why do you say that. doctor" ]
| asked. much Disconnected.
Some young fellow will induce you
to marry him. and you will have no
time to practice a profession which. If
practiced properly. will require all
your time"
was young and headstrong. More
over. had spent years preparing my
self for my vocation. grasped the
doctors hand and, raising my other
dramatically said:
81 promise you, DR.. Phillips. that
will devote my life to the sick. make
this pledge that it shall be impossible
for me to go back on my profession
shall never forget the kindly smile
or the twinkle of the eye with which
the good doctor received this vow.
strutted out of the room and as closed
the door behind me shut off part of
what he said:
I'll bet you don't practice three
l tried to get position that would
give me hospital work, but. failing in
this, hung up my single as general
practitioner: had been practicing but
n1I
came to my office and said that she
would like me to treat her son. From
her description of his disease | thought
that 1t was probably melancholia. The
young man was up and about and at.
tending to business. ! therefore sug'
gested that he call at my office during
my consultation hours. But his mother
said that it was she who desired the
services of a physician for her son
and she could only succeed in submit.
ting him to treatment and insisted on
my going to the house. Besides, she
wished him to see woman physician.
whereas if he went to an Office he
would probably go to n man.
This argument prevailed, and 1t was
agreed that was to call the next day
after in the afternoon. when the
young man-Dick his mother called
him-had returned from business. ]
made the call. was received by the
lady and introduced to the patient.
There was that about him which re-
minded me of some one else, but
la, Of
was He did not appear TO be i'll. but
appearances are often deceptive
piled him with questions. which
he seemed disinclined to answer, and
| succeeded in getting very little out
of him. All | could do was to rec
ommend that he take out of door exer
else and have what society he relished
His mother was present during the in
terview, and when ] arose 10 depart
she put her arms about me and said:
Help us out by giving us your com.
pany occasionally as well as your pro
fessional services, won't you? Dick
won't go out, and know no young per
sons to invite to the house"
could give no definite reply to this
of course. and simply bowed assent.
"Oblige me by staying to dinner with
U.s." continued the old lady, and she
began quietly to remove my hat and
coat. ! made but faint resistance.
and we were soon enjoying ourselves
at table For my life could see no
sign of illness in Dick. who was very
entertaining and charmed me with his
conversation.
am not going to give the history
of my professional treatment of my pa
tient, Richard Ashley, for mingled with
it is n love story of which he is the
hero and | the heroine. He was never
i'll. though he led me to suppose that
there was nervous weakness about
him that did not appear on the surface
studied his case for months. trying
different remedies. which ! had my
doubts he ever took. Finally | found
myself so deeply in love that was
ready to sacrifice my profession for
him. Indeed. the great problem of my
life became. not how to cure him, or
any one else, for that matter, but to
appropriate him to myself. 1t was
rather than he who suffered from a
peculiar disease. If any attractive
young woman came near him | was
seized with terrible anxiety lest some
other woman should take him away
from me.
However, time proved that these
fears were groundless, for one evening
after one of my visits to him and |
had been invited to dinner his mother
left us alone together In the library.
and what | so desired was clinched by
a proposal.
AS soon as our engagement was
made known to the members of our re-
spective families congratulations be-
gan to come in His sisters and his
cousins and his aunts" called on me,
and they were all not only very gra-
cious to me. but regarded me with an
amused curiosity. One day who should
come to see me but my old preceptor
DR.. Phillips, to whom ! had made the
pledge not TO marry. | could not es.
cape him. so | faced him. He was
trimming over with amusement T.
L lar