The Press., 1916-09-07
A DOCTORS
 STORY
By WILLARD BRAKEMAN


 physician I was told by the older prac- | tftioners to look out for traps set for
 me by lawbreakers, for 1t is the mex perienced doctor who is called upon to
 aid them, they knowing very well that an old bird is not to be caught with | chaff
 had not been practicing long before
 was asked one day to call at cer- tain address. l found a stately man. sion standing by itself. I was admit | ted by an elderly gentleman, whose dress and appearance was in keeping with the premises. He led me into a | reception room and said to me: | Doctor. you have come some dis | tance and at the call of one unknown | to you. Under the circumstances do not think it fair to you to ask you | to treat a patient without handing you your fee in advance. and that fee
 should be liberal"
 Stepping to little mahogany desk. | he wrote check and handed 1t to me. | It was for $50.
 By this time it began to dawn upon
 me that I had struck one of those cases against which l had been warn ed. But l took the check and put 1t in my pocket. It might get me into trou- | ble, but it might be valuable as evi- dence. The gentleman led me upstairs | to a room where man was holding a young woman down on lounge. She was struggling to free herself from him and was hystericaL
 AS soon as she saw me she became l more so than ever. My conductor took | me aside and in low voice told me | that she was insane and he was in l tending to take her to retreat for such patients. She had been so vio-
 herself and desired that I give her some soothing remedy.
 I took small vial from my medi-
 cine case, dropped some of its con- tents in glass of water and, ap- preaching the young lady, told her to | drink it. She looked up at me with | frightened glance and almost shriek- ed: Don't poison me! I'll do any thing if you won't poison me!'
  dications, and I consider myself an adept at interpreting them. If l see two persons together whom 1 don't know and have never seen before can tell if they are of the same blood. l can also tell by persons eye whether he or she is insane. I looked into the young lady's eye and saw no evidence of insanity whatever. Another matter influenced me-the handsome fee I had received in advance.
 Don't fear me-" said to her in a
 reassuring voice. "I am a physician. l and this is simple soothing draft to quiet your nerves"
 She looked at me searchingly and
 anxiously, evidently having felt conf | dent that I had been brought in to poison her.
 ''I don't need anything to soothe me-
 she said, If they'll only let me go. | They took me from my home and
 brought me here in carriage. They
 are going to shut me up for lunatic.' | Drink it. l said, holding the glass to her lips. Tt won't hurt you and
 will do you good.'
 II | spoken with my voice, and she took | the dose. It was really help to her in restoring her equanimity and
 lessening the advantage her enemies | if they were such-had over her. Leav. ing her, I went to a window and, talk ing out prescription slip, wrote some
 thing on it. Then, casting my eyes up at the ceiling as if in thought, crum- pied the paper in my fist and taking another slip wrote the prescription for bread pills, which I handed to the gentleman who had me in charge and
 who never took his eyes off me for a
 moment. Then I went again to the young lady and felt her pulse
 Good day" said, taking her hand in mine. Don't fear to take the medi- cine I have prescribed for you" In the palm of my hand was the pre- scriptiOn slip I had crumpled, and l left it in her palm, she closing her hand on it. What I had written was
 'I understand the situation. Leave all to me. Do what they compel you to do without struggling"
 From her I turned to my conductor
 to whom I said that he need not give
 her the medicine prescribed unless she became violent and if she became very violent before he could remove her to send for me. He seemed satisfied with this and confident that I had either been deceived or the fifty dollar | check had stified any suspicious | might have.
 I left the house and, going to store near by. telephoned my chum, Charlie | KnOwlton. who had gone into law when went into medicine. to come to me at once. For half an hour l watch | ed the house I had been ill till Charlie came then told him the story. and in | half an hour more he had detectives on | the watch. Charlie rushed off to take legal means to free the young lady and succeeded. though never quite under
 stood how he managed it. He told me, | using lot of Latin words-''de luna tico inquirendo." "habeas corpus" and | all that-but I knew nothing of what Il he meant.
 | The case was one of those which happen now and then wherein claim ants to an estate attempt to get rid of
 a legal heir by claiming him or her to Il be of unsound mind and unable to
 manage property.
 Charlie made a fortune by the opera tion for he married the heiress, while | I. poor devil. even returned the check l
 hed received for my fee.
 | Why Not Be Friendly II A.