The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1919-10-10
Jungle Fever
n
By z. RAY BAKER

paper SyPucate.b
An IN. D." was she cause of the
rupture in relations, No, it was not
doctor; 1t was just those two ini-
tials.
Carrie Crothers wanted to put the
letters to her name, and Austin Fred
ericks strongly opposed. OF course,
the right to the initials would involve
course at college; but Carrie was
prepared for that. Austin was not pre-
pared. He wanted Carrie to settle
down with him, and cook and sweep
and do sundry other household duties.
But Carrie was Tilling-after she
wrested a career from the world.
When she had proved to herself and
everybody else that she was capable of
making her own way she would be con-
tent to give it all up and be plain
Mrs. Fredericks subtracting and dis
carding the IN. D."
But that isn't reasonable, Carrie.
ne protested. IF you're so determined
to do something, why don't you be a
teacher? That won't take so long, and
besides-well, anything but woman
doctor for me. 1t isn't their place
not by long shot. Now, women make
them, and think what a fine thing they
are doing in educating the rising gen
GRAFTON. OF course, you know | want
you TO get married right away, but |
know your disposition enough to real
lie that you won't until you learn some
kind of profession. But make little
concession to me and be a teacher.
Give up this doctor idea. Women &C.
tors are no good"
Carrie took umbrage at his atti-
tude. Women doctors were just as
good as the men variety. and lot bet
ter in many cases, she contended,
stamping ler foot and growing red
with anger. Did he mean to intimate
that she could not be good physician
or anything else she chose to be? Very
we'll, if that was all the faith he had
In her, he might as well take his hat
and coat and go. and he needn't come
back unless 1t was on her terms. She'd
show him whether woman could be
successful doctor. Maybe some time
he'd get down on his knees and beg
for the services of a feminine physi-
clan.
Austin was desperate. He realized
Carrie would not yield a point. and
somehow he was bound to admire her
for her ambition.
"By GEORGE" he pondered. 81 be-
lIeve she will do it at that But who
wants q doctor for a wife? People
would pass me on the street and re-
mark: There goes Doctor Freder-
icks' husband That's all / would
count for, because she'd change her
mind about giving up practice. once
she got her degree, l can't do it, that's
ALL I'll wait few days and see if she
won't change her mind, although Tn
almost certain she'll stick to it,"
He was hardly prepared for the
swiftness with which things developed.
His morning paper two days later
made public the fact that Miss Carrie
Crothers, daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. F.
D. Crothers, S53 Jefferson avenue, left
last night for Ann Arbor, where she
will take six years course in the
study of medicine at the University of
Michigan"
Austin was so detected that he ate
only one of the two doughnutS fur
nished him for breakfast at the arm
chair lunch and drank only half the
coffee He went around in daze for
three days, and was constantly afraid
that, in his capacity as assistant teller
at the bank, he might cash a cigar cou-
pom for a hundred-dollar check or COM
nit some equally tragic error.
In desperation he wrote her a spe-
cal delivery letter, which came as
near being of a pleading nature as his
rather proud spirit would permit.
The answer came the next day on a
postcard:
after six years. No sooner. Wait
or not, as you see fit"
The reply and the manner of reply
ing aroused Austins wrath.
"She's going to show me, is she?
Very well, I'll show her, too" he whis-
pered vengefuily to himself, and he
went to the bank and resigned. after
drawing out his savings account.
He was determined to 90 away. He
had no idea what his destination would
be, but it would be somewhere out of
the civilized world, where he would
try to forget and at the same time give
Miss Carrie Crothers a good oppor-
tunity to think things over and come
to her senses. AT the end of year,
he decided, he would come back and
see if things We're different. 1t was
going to be hard for him, but it would
be harder TO stay and take her In
suits" as he put IT in conversation
with his aggrieved self.
BY chance he picked up a newspa-
per which announced that Thomas
Stevenson, the explorer, was prepar-
ing to sail in week for Africa on a
new expedition.
Dn,nd TouJers in the Mast