Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1920-08-27
MRS. LAURENCE
TRIES HER
HAND.
By KATE TUCKER.

The bugbear of Doctor laurence
life as general practitioner in the small
town of Crawford was cases that are
generally known as nervous" He
was courageous and versatile, as most
small-town doctors have to be. He
would go his rounds fourteen hours
out of the twenty-four during epidem-
les; would go with steady nerve
through operations that would have
tried more celebrated surgeon he
would listen patiently to the queries
of young mothers over their infants
teething difficulties-all that sort of
thing. But when patient said
NERVES" Doctor Laurence wished to
give up.
Mrs. Laurence, however, had been
reading up on modern methods of
treating nervous disorders in the doc
tors medical journals and in the
popular magazines. Psychopathy was
her latest hobby, and somehow. in spite
of the five little Laurences. Mrs.
Laurence always had time for some
hobby.
Il really feel" she told the doctor
one evening while the mothers help
er, Vera. was patiently putting the
younger two Laurences to bed and the
older two were dancing an Indian war
dance as preliminary to putting them
selves to bed, 81 really think that
would have a positive talent for psy-
chic healing. You know reputable doc
tors are taking it up now. There is a
wonderful future for it. don't see
why you don't go in for that sort Of
thing. All the best doctors are doing
1t. Take Robert Ludwell, for instance.
His case is purely observation-disclosures
fectly absurd for you to look at the
case in any other way. What you
want to do is to get down deep at the
root Of the matter. He doesn't sleep
and he's losing weight, not because he
has overworked on that book of his,
as you tell him, but because of some
fear image that turks in his mind. 1t
is your duty to probe down till you
find 1t, and then, through the force Of
your mentality over his, to dispel that
fear image"
$50 you said" commented Doctor
Laurence, and then-"perfect bOsh,
perfect bosh." He paced back and
forth before the living room open fire.
Il wish l could do something for Rob-
ert, however"
There was suddenly an unusual
note of pleading in Mrs. Laurence's
voice. "Will you let me try?" she
said, and apparently Doctor Laurence
agreed, although if he did agree it
was surely not because he had any
interest in his wife's theory of psy-
chic healing.
The first step in Mrs. Laurence's
campaign to cure Robert Ludwell
took place the next evening when
the doctor asked him to spend the
evening at his house. without of
course, suggesting to him that Mrs.
Laurence was going to administer her
first treatment in psychic healing
There was considerable confusion.
Vera. the mothers helper, had been
away on her very rare afternoon off.
by anyone else and their rebellion
gave the cue to the older child to
fall downstairs, with considerable in
jury to his tired feelings, but no
great bruising. So dinner was late
and the confusion still was discern
ible when Robert arrived.
There were intermittent walls from
the nursery, samming of dishes in
the kitchen and gImpses of the rather
fush-faced, distracted Vera as she pur-
sued the older children through the liv.
ing room in her effort to pack them off
to bed. But Mrs. Laurence was not
Dne to be much ruffled by such mild
domestic confusion, and eventually she
to sit beside Mr. Ludwell
alone before the fireplace and make
he first probing.
She discovered one thing. He had
! horror Of boarding houses. He
iisliked boarding house coffee. He
likewise had a horror of any sort of
confusion. He intimated when Mrs.
laurence asked him point-bank why
he had never married that possibly II
vas because he was recluse by ma.
ure. He had to have quiet for his
writing.
So Mrs. Laurence decided to invite |
'1r. Ludwell to leave his boarding
house and spend month at the Lau-
ence establishment There he would
ave no more boarding house coffee.
here would be no more confusion, she
vas sure.
She was surprised when he ac-
epted her and the doctors invita-
ion. She hadn't expected he would
ONE so willingly. And the doctor
vas even more surprised
HE says he wants to be away from
onfusionE easped the doctor.
Il am sure you don't think there
ever any confusion here" said Mrs.
"and the coffee is certainly
etter than the kind one gets I'm
oarding house" Mrs. Laurence was
tanning now for her system of psy-
hopathic treatment on Mr.. LudwelI.
she succeeded with him, she might
AXE the work up as career-shp
OH