Middletown transcript., 1919-10-25
Jungle Fever
hR. RAY BAKER

ByR. RAY BAKER
0seNeesseess~Neeese
(CopyragAt. 1913. b. the Mcclure MswD.
paper Syndioate.)
An M. D." was the cause Of the
rupture in relations. No, 1t was not
a doctor; it. 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
q 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 willing g-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 1t all up and be plain
Mrs. Fredericks, subtracting and dis
carding the m. D."
"But that isn't reasonable, Carrie" !"
he 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 a woman
doctor for me. It isn't their place
not by a long shot. Now, women make
fine teachers, and rather admire
them, and think what a fine thing they
are doing in educating the rising gen.
Grafton. OF course, you know I want
you to get married right away, but I
know your disposition enough to real
ize that you won't until you learn some
kind of profession. But make little
concession to me and be teacher.
Give up this doctor idea. Women doc
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 her 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
well, If that was all the faith he had
in her, he might as well take his hat
and coat and 60, and he needn't come
back unless it was on her terms. She'd
show him whether q woman could be
q successful doctor. Maybe some time
he'd get down on his knees and beg
for the services of 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 Georgel" he pondered. II be-
neve she will do 1t at that. But who
wants a doctor for a wife? People
would pass me on the street and re-
mark: There goes Doctor Freder-
icks' husband That's all I would
count for, because she'd change her
mind about giving up practice, once
she got her degree. can't do 1t, that's
Ill. I'll wait few days and see If she
won't change her mind, although rrn
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. r.
d. Crothers, S53 Jefferson avenue, left
last night for Ann Arbor, where she.
will take a six years. course in the
study Of medicine at the University Of
Michigan"
Austin was 50 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 a 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 hundred-dollar check or COM
NIT some equally tragic error.
In desperation he wrote her a spe-
eial delivery letter, which came as
near being Of pleading nature as his
rather proud spirit would permit.
The answer came the next day on q
postcard:
after six years. No sooner. Wait
or not, as you see it,"
The reply and the manner of reply
ing aroused Austin's wrath.
"She's going to show me, Is she?
Very well, I'll show her, too," he whis-
pered vengefully to himself, and he
went to the bank and resigned, after
drawing out his savings account.
He was determined to go away. He
had no idea what his destination would
be, but 1t would be somewhere out Of
the civilized world, where he would
try to forget and at. the same time give
Miss Carrie Crothers good oppor-
tuhity to think things over and come
to her senses. At the end Of a year,
he decided, he would come back and
see If things were different. It was
going to be hard for him, but 1t 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 q newspa-
per which announced that Thomas
Stevenson, the explorer, was prepar-
ing to sail in q week for Africa on q
new expedition.
Austin's eyes frightened. Here was
his chance. He had accompanied
Stevenson on the latter's first explor-
ing journey into the African wilds, and
he would arrange to 60 with him this
time. Invoking the aid Of the tele-
graph, using as the address the name
Of Stevenson's favorite hotel in New
York, Austin ascertained that he
would be a welcome addition to the
party.
The young man found the explorer