The Tupelo journal., 1917-02-23
An American
Surgeon
He Was Needed Because
He Would Not Tell
By HORACE BRADFORD
By HORACE BRADFORD

~ - 0oA AANh
l studied at a college of physicians and
surgeons in my native country, Amer
lea, but, possessing a taste for art, con
cluded to change my profession. Com
ting here to Florence, / studied art for
awhile. but soon saw that l did not
possess the talent necessary to make
an artist. Having fallen in love with
this delightful city, l remained, hang
ing out my single as a surgeon.
One night l attended a ball at the
Pitt palace. 1t was my first appear
ance among the ~aristocracy of Flor
ence, and / was much interested in
watching the people there, few of
whom l had ever seen. A young girl
with a. gentleman attendant on each
side of her walked by me. The APP
pearance of the three told a story.
The man on her left was young, hand
some, in every way attractive. He on
her right was past middle age and dis
agreeable looking as the other was ell
gaging. AS they passed me he gave
the younger man a malignant look.
The girl appeared to be much trou-
bled. 1t was plain that her heart was
with the man on her left, that she
was constrained to choose the man on
her right and that the two men hated
each other on her account.
Everywhere" l remarked to my
self, 1.-THE stream of life is troubled.
To be rich, to be prominent. does not
render one immune from that which
Is disagreeable. Happy love has evil
IDENTIFY come to this young girl, to be
tnterfered with by M who, judging
from her expression, has some claim
upon her. How l should like to know
the story
As l thought the last words l little
dreamed that within a few hours a
climax would come In the drama be-
ing enacted by these three persons
and hat l would come upon the stage
for a minor part. When 1 left the
palace l went directly to my rooms
and to bed. An hour later / was
awakened from a sound sleep by a
violent knocking. 1 arose, slipped on
a 6o0A anu OpCHCu liz uOol. IMO
gentlemen in evening dress stepped
into the
"You are the American surgeon, l
believer" said one.
"At your service" l replied.
"You are wanted to attend a man
dangerously wounded" said the other.
"You are chosen partly on account of
your standing in, your profession, but
principally because you are not one of
u circle. We do not like III affairs
to be known. | must ask you to per-
NIT me to blindfold you"
/ objected to this, but one of the
men put his hand to his hip pocket and
drew forth a small pistol with mother
of-pearl mountings, while the other
produced a stiletto. / picked up my
bag of instruments and suffered them
to tie a handkerchief about my eyes.
They led me out to the sidewalk, told
me to raise my foot, and l stepped into
a carriage.
"Drive a roundabout way" l heard
n of the gentlemen say.
NO." interpossd the other. HE may
bleed to death. We must go as quick
Iy as possible"
There was no need to make turns,
for / had no idea where they were
taking me. In what i supposed to be
ten minutes the carriage stopped. l
was helped out and 500 by the in
creased warmth of the air felt myself
to be in a building. Then l mounted
steps, and at last the bandage was
taken off my eyes. I was standing
beside a bed on which lay-mirabile
dictu-the young man ] had seer walk
ing on the left of the girl at the Pitt.
l knew too well the danger of show
ing any sign of recognition.
7 "Signor Dottore," he said with a fee
BILE voice, Il have been stabbed on
the left side-here," %uncovering. 1T is
near the heart"
1t was near the heart, but had for
tunately just escaped that organ. Aft
'er an examination I assured the pa
tient that If he kept perfectly quiet
till the wound should heal he would
ecove But / thought that, consid-
ering its close proximity to a vital or
gan, a surgeon should remain with
him until a healing should be estab-
1ished.
4Then," said one of the men who had
brought me, you must remain. We do
not care that two surgeons should be
introduced here just now
\ ABut my practice-my patients"
SAil damages to your practice shall
be literally paid for"
/ made a virtue of necessity and as
scented.
Meanwhile I had bandaged the cut
and when / had finished turned and
looked about me. l was in n of those
cid palaces, as they are called in Flor
ence, belonging to some influential fam
lily. The furniture, at least some OF It.
must have been several hundred years
old. The bed on which the wound
ed man lay was canopied. On the
walls were paintings, some of which