The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-04-25

little resentment at the frank crit
icism of what to him seemed to be a
masterpiece. Then when he read the
letter again he realized the business of
it 1t set him thinking, and for a days
rounds in his practice he followed the
advice and kept track of all appealing
incidents
One night a month later he shut
himself in his study and wrote, wrote
till after his methodical bedtime, and
when dawn came it found him at his
desk. going over for the second time
the manuscript which he had worked
on thru the night The next night
he struggled thru a revision and the
next night he sent it to j. T. Barton.
week later came the reply-and the
manuscript was not with it. Your
story is bound to make a name for
you,' said the editor. Il do not under
stand how it ever emanated from the
mind of an immature undergraduate
medical student" and again in the
same letter: 1T has that simplicity
and directness that surpasses in the
realm OF real literature all the subtle
ties of mere cleverness We are send
ing you check for thousand dollars.
our price for story like this"
Perhaps the keenness of Doctor
Briton's joy would have been even
more intense than it was but for the
fact that this great incident in his
life conceded with another quite as
in his 35 years of life seen the woman
who. on second meeting. he wished to
make his wife. She was a slip of a
young woman who came t. his office
one day with a @prained wrist I'm
never i'll, so L have no DOCTOR" she told
him. AS it was, L came to the first
sign 1 saw. My desk-top fell on my
wrist and 1 didn't know how much
damage it had done till 1 neared
home"
Doctor Briton asked the interesting
patient to come the next day and,
altho there was nothing to do to the
wrist he insisted on a daily call for
every day that week. He actually
looked forward to the next days call
more than he did to the receipt of the
check for a thousand dollars.
1T is very unprofessional." he told
her that day, Ito seek to know ones
patients socially. But the truth is l
do want to know you. Miss Barton.
For some reason L feel that we are
kindred spirits. l feel as if l knew
you. And the funny thing is that your
name is familiar.
The girl colored little. "And SO is
yours she said. only the Britain !
; know is a student, a medical student"
And the Barton / know is an edi-
tor-a mlddie-e god man, 1 imagine
1t dawned OH t. n simultaneously,
and Doctor Britons confession came
quickly. Il wrote that first letter be-
cause L thought it would bring just
what it did. pity and help, and it was
the best help a. man ever received. But
can you really be"
Yes, and l have a confession. 1
knew when I got that last story that
you were not a student. The yarn
was too mature, but 1 knew that 1t
was written by a doctor No one else
could have got the atmosphere that
you did. So 1 searched the telephone
book for a doctor named S. T. Briton-
L found you and L trumped up that
you paid me back for my falsehood
by making me come every day for
treatment" Miss Barton was laugh
ing.
81 fooled myself into thinking it
needed treatment because 1 wanted to
know you
And 1 haven't been at all sorry, for
wanted to know you, too. 1 am re-
ceiving congratulations on all sides at
other magazine EDITORS in discovering
you. The story has made a wonder
full hit. You will be famous when it
is published. Were you surprised
when you knew it would bring a thou
sand dollars?"
Just a little he answered laugh
| ing. II appeased myself for that fib
by vowing to put as much as received
toward helping some student thru
medical college. And now 1 have Just
had to make out a check for a cool
yours tomorrow to go to helping poor
medical students. That was a cool
way to rob a man of slice of his
boarding. .''-(Copyright. 1917, by the
Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.)