Middletown transcript., 1917-03-24
CHAPTER XxV.-Continued.

ritably. "The secret is out. Everybody
a boy who wouldn't have lived any
how"
"That's not it," X. put in hastily. Il
know all that. I guess / could do it
and get away with it as we'll as the
average. All that deters me-Tve never
told you, have l, why l gave up be-
fOrer
Wilson was propped up in his bed.
x. was walking restlessly about the
room, as was his habit when troubled.
"Tve heard the gossip; that's all"
"You know what 1 always felt about
the profession, Max. We went into
that more than once in Berlin. Either
ones best or nothing. / had done
pretty WELL When 1 left Lorch and
built my own hospital, hadn't doubt
of myself. And because 1 was getting
results l got lot Of advertising. Men
began coming to the clinics. l found
was making enough out of the patients
who could pay to add few free wards.
1 want to tell you now, Wilson, that
the opening Of those free wards was
the greatest self-indulgence ever per-
mitted myself. I'd seen so much care
less attention given the pOOr-well,
never mind that. 1t was almost three
years ago that things began to go
wrong. lost big case"
Il know. All this doesn't influence
me, Edwardes."
"Wait moment. We had system
in the operating room as perfect as l
could devise it. l never finished an
operation without having my first as
sistant verify the clip and sponge
count. But that first case died because
Il sponge had been left in the operating
field. You know how those things go !;
you can't always see them, and one
goes by the count, after reasonable
caution. Then 1 almost lost another
case in the same way-a free case.
"As we'll as could tell, the precau-
tions had not been relaxed. l was do
ing from four to six cases day. After
the second one almost went crazy.
made up my mind, if there was ever
another, I'd give up and go away"
"There was another?"
"Not for several months. When the
last case died, free case again, per-
formed my own autopsy. l allowed
only my first assistant in the room. He
was almost as frenzied as 1 was. 1t
was the same thing again. When l
told him l was going away, he offered
to take the blame himself, to say he
had closed the incision. He tried to
make me think he was responsible. !
knew-better."
"It's incredible"
Exactly; but it's true. The last pa
tient was q labOrer. He left a family.
I've sent them money from time to
time. l used to sit and think about
the children he left, and what would
become of them. The ironic part of it
was that. for all that had happened, !
was buster all the time. Men were
sending me cases from all over the
country. 1t was either stay and keep
on working, with that chance, or-quit.
I quit"
"But if you had stayed, and taken
extra precautions"
"We'd taken every precaution we
knew"
Neither of the men spoke for time.
X. stood, his tall figure outlined against
the window.
"That's the worst, is it?" Max Will
son demanded at last.
"That's enough"
"It's extremely significant. You had
an enemy sOmewhere-on your staff,
probably. This profession of ours is a
big one, but you know its jealousies.
Let man get his shoulders above the
crowd, and the pack is after him." He
laughed q little. Mixed figure, but
you know what l mean"
K. shook his head. He had had that
gift of the big man everywhere, in
every profession, of securing the loyal
ty of his followers. He would have
trusted every one Of them with his life
You're going to do it, of course"
''Take up your work."
eyes,
He stirred restlessly. To stay on, to
be near Sidney, perhaps to stand by
as Wilson's best man when she was
married-it turned him cold. But he
did not give decided negative. The
sick man was flushed and growing fret
full; it would not do to irritate him.
"Give me another day on it," he sale
at last. And so the matter stood.
Max's injury had been productive o
good, in one way. 1t had brought tn,
two brothers closer together. In tn,
mornings Max was restless until Doc
tor Ed arrived. When he came, h,
brought books in the shabby bag-hi
beloved Burns, although he needed n,
book for that, the "Pickwick Papers,
Remains Lives Of the Disciples" Yer,
often Max would doze off; but at tn
cessation of Doctor Eds sonorou
voice the sick man would stir fretfull,
and demand more. 1t pleased the olde
man vastly. 1t reminded him of Max
boyhood, when he had read to Max a
night. For once in the last dOzel
years, he needed him.
go on, Ed. What in blazes make
you stop every five minutes?" Max pro
tested, one day.
Doctor Ed, who had only stopped t.
bite off the end of stogie to hold Ii
his cheek, picked up his book in
hurry, and eyed the invalid over it.
"Stop bullying. I'll read when Tn
ready. Have you any idea what In
readingT"
"Of course"
"Well, haven't. For ten minutes Pv