The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-01-16
An American
Surgeon
-.
He Was Needed Because :
He Would Not Tell
By HORACE BRADFORD

+ By HORACE BRADFORD i
+ : !
I am a surgeon, and my home is in
Florence, Italy. When a young man
l studied at college Of physicians and
surgeons In my native country, Amer
lea, but, possessing a taste for art, con-
Guided to change my profession. Com
ing here to Florence, studied art for
awhile, but soon saw that 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 surgeon.
One night 1 attended a ball at the
Pitt palace. 1t was my first appear
ance among the aristOcracy Of Flor
ence, and l 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 en-
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, "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
interfered with by one who, Judging
from her expression, has some claim
upon her. How / should like to know
the story!'
As l thought the last words 1 little
dreamed that within a few hours a
climax would come in the drama be-
ing enacted by these three persons
and that would come upon the stage
for minor part. When left the
palace l went directly to my rooms
and to bed. An hour later 1 was
awakened from sound sleep by a
violent knocking. l arose, slipped on
gown and opened the door. Two
gentlemen in evening dress stepped
into the room.
"You are the American surgeon,
believes" said one.
"At your service" I 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
our circle. We do not like our affairs
to be known. must ask you to per
NIT me to bIindfold 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. l picked up my
bag of instruments and suffered them
to tie 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" heard |
one of the gentlemen say
NO" interpossd the other HE may
bleed to death. We must go as quick |
ly as possible"
There was no need to make turns, |
for I had no idea where they were
taking me. In what supposed to be
ten minutes the carriage stopped. l |
was helped out and soon by the in
creased warmth of the air felt myself |
to be In a building. Then 1 mounted |
steps, and at last the bandage was |
taken off my eyes. / was standing |
beside a bed on which lay-mirabile |
dictu-the young man l had seen walk |
ing on the left of the girl at the Pitt.
/ knew too well the danger of show |
ing any sign of recognition.
"Signor Dottore," he said with fee |
BILE voice, 81 have been stabbed on |
the left side-here," uncovering. at Is |
near the heart"
1t was near the heart, but had for |
tunately just escaped that organ. Aft
er an examination l assured the pa
tent that If he kept perfectly quiet
till the wound should heal he would |
recover. But l thought that, consid- |
ering its close proximity to a vital Or
gan, a surgeon should remain with |
him until a healing should be estab- |
lished.
Then" 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
"But my practice-my patientsT'
"All damages to your practice shall |
be literally paid for"
made virtue of necessity and as
sented
Meanwhile / had bandaged the cut |
and when l had finished turned and |
looked about me. l was in one of those |
old 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 seanopied. On the
walls were paintings, some of which |
I recognized as masterpieces of the ff- |
teenth and sixteenth centuries. There |
was no one In the room except the two |
men who brought me and the patient |
1 directed that a large lounge of an |
tique pattern should be made COM
Portable for me to sleep on, as it would |
be best for me to be very near the pa
tient. Then the men who had brought |
me left. one of them first saying to me
"Signor Dottore, We are very. glad to |
hear you say that the patient has so
good a chance for his life. When you
leave here be discreet and all will be |
well with you, but If you talk-well, |
all l have to say is you will not talk !
very long"
remained a week at the palace, the |
name of which L did not know. In
deed, was not permitted to leave the [
room of the patient, my meals all
being served there. My mail was
brought me, and it was amusing for
the first day or two to read the mes
sages of my patients with reference to
my sudden disappearance. Then l ask
ed those who had kidnapped me to
leave word at my apartments that
had been called to Sienna on a very
important case. This had the effect of
quieting those who sought me.
My patient turned out to be as en-
gaging a man as | had deemed him to
be when he passed me in the Pitt
palace.
Your effort" said to him one day,
ito keep your drama-it came very
near being a tragedy-from me would
possibly have been successful had 1t
not been that was at the bali at the
Pitt palace the night you were stab