Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1919-02-07
Prescribing
for Paul
@0
BY JANE OSBORN
Copyright, 1918, by Mcclure Newspaper
sYndicate.)

b 1870 ny hCCluEe 9NS"SPoPSA
syndicate)
Aside from any considerations Of
pRtriotism-and he really was as true
a patriot as any in the county-Paul
Dedham longed to join the colors and
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 ana
Marden was doing its best to create
a 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. I'VE 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
q nice little jug of strip, assuring him
that he was going to enjoy using thai
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 it does seem a pity
to use any substitute in It," Then
with moisture In her eyes-"They'll be
In France so soon the least we can
do is to let them have our wheat" and
Paul gulped down sOggy bullet Of a
corn muffin and slipped cautiously the
insipld mixture of his coffee.
Occasionally, however, Paul was as
sured that he was a perfect dear"
That was after he had signed q check
for his mother for the Red Cross, or
when he had paid the bill for hun
dred pounds of candy for 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 We'd 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 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, Il do wish you'd let Doctor
Pratt have 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 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 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 1t Oh gOou author,
ity. So 1t would be awfully nice If you
did get something the matter with
you to go to her. She's been quite
successful. She set Priscillas elbows
leg the other day and the blessed dog
didn't even whlmper, 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 lie strained his ankle and
Doctor Pratt fixed him-but of course
she didn't charge for that"
To Paul there was something odlous
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
anu nopeu lIldC ne was mucn DeIter
Meantime he had y 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 frs
he had bought new socks as he needed
them, but he had now accumulated
three or four dozen pairs and i
didn't seem the best solution. He wa,
wondering whether he could arrang,
with some seamstress to mend then
without letting his mother knOw-ht
didn't want her to feel offended. O
course.
So Paul's spirits and his appetit,
waned. and before long his mother anC
sister noticed a tagging note In hi!
step and stoOp to his shoulders tina
had not been there before. He neg
lected the unsweetened apples anC
the coffee with corn strip and the!
decided he had no appetite. "Well
any way, it will be case for Docto
Kate" his sister told him, and becaus,
Paul was actually becoming alarmed
over his own detected condition ant
because there was no other doctor ii