The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-12-10
Prescribing
for Paul
@<N
BY JANE OSBORN
Copyright. 1918, by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)

DSuioih iOhSSu W JUN IHe COlOIS anu
lamented the youthful bookishness
that had made him too astigmatic as
to eyesight to be of military use to
his country. This secondary feeling
of discomfort in multi was frankly due
to the fact that he felt completely
snubbed in the Once-doting circle of
his own family, snubbed by the young
women of the community by whom his
mother had once assured him he was
regarded as quite a catch. For the
little community of Marden was with
in short range of an encampment and
Marden was doing its best to create
desirable home atmosphere" for the
boys in khaki. Meantime men who
still wore gray cheviot, or blue serge,
or pepper-and-salt business suits were
negligible.
You don't mind not having any sugar
on your baked apple" Paul was as
sured sweetly by his mother at break
fast. 1--WE are making apple pies for
the canteen this morning, and those
apples were so tart that we had to
use all the sugar we had on hand"
And when Paul, his mouth in a pucker,
put his hand out for the sugar bowl
for his coffee his mother passed him
nice little jug of sirup assuring him
that he was going to enjoy using that
in place of sugar because they had
used practically their entire quota of
cut sugar and they would henceforth
have it only when they had soldier
boys for dinner.
''The boys just love cake" his sister
assured him, land 1t does seem a pity
to use any substitute in It," Then
with moisture in her eyes-"Theyll be
in France so soon the least we can
do is to let them have our wheat" and
Paul gulped down a soggy bullet of
corn muffin and slipped cautiously the
insipid mixture Of his coffee.
Occasionally, however, Paul was as
sured that he was a perfect dear"
That was after he had signed a check
for his mother for the Red Cross, or
when he had paid the bill for hun
dred pounds of candy for a soldier
spread at the canteen. He was mice
boy" too, sometimes, and was assured
that he was one by some of the girls
who had once rather Wed with each
other to meet him on the tennis court
or golf links. But to earn that title
he had to sit for an hour or more on
someone's front porch holding hanks
of yarn or winding them from the
backs of chairs, while he was actually
deserted for a man in khaki
"If you should happen to get any
thing the matter with you," his sister
told him one morning when he was
feeling especially detected over the
cooks most recent attempt at war
mullins, 81 do wish you'd let Doctor
Pratt have a try at you-not, of
course, that l want you to have any
thing-but if you should"
And on inquiry as to who Doctor
Pratt was he was informed that Doc
tor Pratt was Kate Pratt-that Doctor
Peters, being a skilled surgeon, had
volunteered for the war and that Kate
Pratt, his niece, just from medical col
lege, was going to handle his practice.
'And she has quite a lot of money,
so she is going to give all her fees
to the Red Cross or to the canteen or
something. That is confidential, of
course, but have it on good author
ity. So it would be awfully nice If you
did get something the matter with
you to go to her. She's been quite
successful. She set Priscilla's elbows
leg the other day and the blessed dog
didn't even whimper, and she fixed
one of the soldiers ankles at the SER
vice club dance. He was dancing with
that fat Baldwin girl and she tripped
him and he strained his ankle and
Doctor Pratt fixed him-but of course
she didn't charge for that"
To Paul there was something odious
In the idea of letting a woman doctor
prescribe for him, but he kept his
opinion to himself and merely made
some comment on Priscilla's chow,
and hoped that he was much better.
Meantime he had new worry. He
was wondering how he could get his
socks darned, for his mother and sis
ter knit soldier socks now to the dis
regard of the darning bag. At first
he had bought new socks as he needed
them, but he had now accumulated
three or four dozen pairs and it
didn't seem the best solution. He was
wondering whether he could arrange
with some seamstress to mend them
without letting his mother know-he
didn't want her to feel offended. of
course,
So Paups spirits and his appetite
waned, and before long his mother and
sister noticed tagging note in his
step and stoop to his shoulders that
had not been there before. He neg
lected the unsweetened apples and
the coffee with corn strip and they
decided he had no appetite. "Well,
any way, it will be case for Doctor
Kate" his sister told him, and because
Paul was actually becoming alarmed
over his own detected condition and
because there was no other doctor In
the place, Paul made a special appoint
ment for consultation and went to see
her in old Doctor Peters Office.
Paul had realized before that there
would be difficulties In consulting a
woman physician. but the difficulties
We're different from those he had ex-
pected. For Doctor Kate proved to
be a most radiant and bewitching
young woman, who somehow sent
strange thrills courslng through ones
veins when she felt ones pulse, and
for lack of a stethoscope she had to
lay her goldeA-erowned little head
against. his heart for full three miA-
ates at q time to find out the state
of that organ. But. anyway, there
were advantages in this new embar-
rassment. AT least she was taking
him seriously-even though she re-
ceived a fee for doing so-and that
was more than any woman had done
since the eReampment was established
near Marden. She told him that he
surely did need treatment, but that
she would have to think the matter
over before she could prescribe.
Meantime Paul went home encOur-
aged and Doctor Kate cultivated the
acquaintance of Paul's sister and
mother. She had suspected something
and she found IL to be true. Then she
laid out plan for cure and pro.
ceeded to apply 1t, But the cure did
not come in any ptll boxes or medicine
! bottles, The first dose was an invi.
tation to dinner at her house, on the
pretext of meeting her mother. And
Doctor Kate watched with satisfac.
ton that was not all professional as
he accepted his fifth muffln-they were
made with as much wheat as the Hoo