Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1917-09-06
WAS NO EXCEPTION
BY c. 3. LEWIS.

When a medical student has received
his diploma and has been pronounced
fit to go out into the world and doctor
ailing humanity. or take off leg or
an arm his struggles have just com
menced. He has little or no money.
| He must have an office, and he must
have patients.
Godfrey Randolf had his diploma
| aud had his office, but he lacked the
| patients. Hls Office was the front
room of the boarding house. 1t didn't
have any oriental rugs, nor marble
fireplaces, but it had 70 do The main
thing was the sign beside the front
door. II announced that Godfrey Ran
dolf was physician and surgeon, and
that his office hours We're 80 and so.
When that sign was in place the grnd-
| uate had done all he could do.
A sudden wave of health seemed 10
spread over the city, and day after
day and week after week, Doctor Ran
| dolf AT in his office biting his finger
nails or walked the streets. He was
| out walking one day almost in hopes
| that q street car might run over some
body and give him a job at surgical
| work, when an auto drove up to the
curbstone near which 1t had halted
for a moment. A handsome young
lady began rather hurriedly to lie
scend Her skirts seemed to catch in
the door in such way that she would
have fallen face downward on the
sidewalk but for the doctor. If he
had let her fall there would have been
patient for him, but he didn't let
that thought hold him back. He
sprang forward and caught her In his
arms, saved her from "A bad fall, and
received the incest kind OF smile and
few grateful words as his reward or
course, these wouldn't pay his board
bill and his Office rent, but st!ll he felt
a warm glow in his ha~rt as he moved
on.
Such Incidents happen every day In
the city, and Doctor Randolf soon nj
most forgot 1t. Perhaps Ii was so with
May Rogers, the young lady In ques-
ton, but II cannot be vouched for.
During the next two weeks the doctor
had one patient. She was an old WON
an who was deaf In one ear She had
been so for twenty-seven years, but, g
Il new doctor had come into the neigh
borhood she thought he might effect a
cure The ear was examined and no
help could be extended, and there was
no money to pay. After the patient
had gone the doctor went out for one
of his usual walks. His feet carried
him into the park, and he hadn't gone
far before he remarked two particu-
lar things. There was nice young
lady seated on bench feeding the
squirrels, and there was pair or
runaway horses coming along the
drive at furious pace. There was
chance and pretty even one that
they would cross from the drive to
the path, aud that the young lady
would be In danger. The doctor for
got the old woman with the deaf ear
ran forward and seized the young
lady by the arm and dragged her thir-
ty feet away. She cried out In alarm,
but ne did not heed her The run
away horses left the drive, and cut
across the green, and the way they
made splntcrs of the bench and ran
the squirrels up the trees was Il sight
to see
May Rogers saw it--for II was May
and realized the danger she had so
closely escaped. With her breath com
ing In gaspsr she murmurcd her
thanks, and, when she had more fully
recovered herself the doctor had dis
appeared.
Doctor Randolf passed another de-
spairng two or three weeks. There
was but one ray Of sunshine for him In
that time, A child attempted TO swal-
low a spool OF thread, and he was
called to extract the spool rs 1t stuck
in the throat. lie got II out, all right,
| and the grateful mother handed over
| the two dollars with hope that he
might have forty cases before a week
! had passed. Ii was the next day, as
he wandered around to make believe
he was visiting patients, that an auto
mobile collided With a brick wagon
| just across the street from him. The
| doctor was over beside the vehicles in
n few seconds, and he helped u half
faintng girl 10 n place of safety on the
sidewalk II was the same May Rog-
crs. She was tn bad nervous state,
and he escorted her 10 n nearby drug
store, and gave her something to
steady her nerves II might have
seemed IKE taking an undue adyan-
| tage to orcr his card, or ask her name,
and the doctor forhore. she had
scarcely swallowed the powder the
| druggist gave her when Doctor Ram
| dolf walked out Then came q drcary
/ day. The doctor had sat In his office
! from eight o'clock In the morning until
four In the afternoon. Nobody wanted
anything Then. all OF q sudden,
there arose commotiou in the hail.
| and the doctor opened his door to look
ont. There was May Rogers again.
She had fallen and broken her arm
! She said:
"Why it's you. is Il? You never
| told ne that you were a doctor As
! | have come "a your office, you cannot