The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-04-07
The
Doctor 8 Bride
BY KATE EDMONDS
10 M. Wealern Newspaper UnIon.

%, 1921 Western Newspaper UnionJ'
Eyes, miss, that's the way to the vii.
Iage. So you're the new principal of
the free school | hope you'l like
the place, miss and stay with US
while; The last principal she found
ed the school-Miss Brown from BOs-
ton, you know-and she bided here
for seven and twenty years until Doc
Bentley sent her home to die
Couldn't do nothing for her, he said,
and that's saying a heap, for we all
thinks a good deal of Doc Bentley
down this way.
doc Bentley, did you askI Yes,
he's been our doctor for nigh upon live
years now. That's his house on the
bill.
give years ago Doc Bentley was
practiclng in Nortonville, hundred
miles across the mountains yonder.
Doc Bentley was considered the best
doctor there, and he used to be thick
with all the society folks in the place.
"But for all his big practice Bentley
wasn't the man to sacrifice the poor to
get bigger fee.
'YOu see, miss, Doc Bentley was en-
gagged to he married to Miss Edith
Somers, the only daughter of old jim
Sumcrs. who built the railroad from
CIahin clear over those mountains.
The day was set for their marriage at
the Presbyterian church. And you'd
have thought that he'd have let up a
lutte on his practlcing, with his we'd
ding day few hours off, But he
didn't.
THE night before his marriage a
nall came over the long distance tele-
phone from Carriers, which lies 10
miles south from NOrtOnville, in the
midst of the mountains. A negro
man had been crushed by a wagon and
ne was the nearest doctor. Would he
come at once?
"Doc Bentley dropped the telephone
receiver and called to his man: Sad
die my horse, Jim he said. I'm go
! ing to ride to Carriers And seeing
that nothing he could say would stop
him, Jim saddled the horse, and Doc
BENTLEY reached Carriers at midnight
and saved a life
at had been dOwnhill to Carter, but
| It was uphill going back, and IS
lmieS upon "a tired horse may mean
| five hours or twenty-four, when the
mountain roads have become rushing
streams and especially when your
horse falls and breaks his leg in two
places. Doe Bentley rose up from the
muddy ground, looked at the animal
and drew his revolver from his pocket
to put it out of It's pain. Then he re-
Elected IT | can cure mans broken
IIcg / reckon | can cure horses he
said to himself. So he pulled the beast
into thlcket and two days later, he
was back there with plaster of paris
and n load of corn-and the end Of 1t
Is that Doc Bentley rides that same
nag today, up and around Changers.
See, there he comes over that rise.
He'll be here in five minutes.
"Where was | at? Oh, yes. Well,
when he was six miles out Of Norton
Vile and walked into town, Miss
Edith Somers was waiting ut the Pres
byterian church. That was at noon,
land you might think Doc Bentley
could have covered the distance on
| foot by then. But the fact is-whlch
/ forgot to tell you--that he had been
stunned by his fall and lay like a log
In the road from two in the morning
iuntil half-past eight. Also, he had a
broken shoulder
Miss Somers waited with the bridal
party from noon until a quarter past
one Then her father took her home
and an hour later they were speeding
IN their car out of NOrtonville She
never went back--I guess she was too
proud OF course you know jim SOmers
lost his fortune in the panic year
doc Bentley had to leave Norton
vile, Of course We learned his story
soon after he got here but | reckon
nobody holds II against him, Anyway,
he's a powerful good doctor. But don't
you believe what other folks say, for,
as told you, they'll get 1t wrong,
| miss.
"Well | must leave you here, for
I'VE got some shopping to do, But
walk strnight ahead to the turn and
you1l see the school on top Of that
rise. Good morning, doctor This is
the new prnclpal Of You know herr
Garry Myers, come herel Come
here! There you're too slow You've
missed H. What did see? Why,
Doc Bentley kissing the new principal
Of The free school in the middle Of the
street as bold as brass and--look
why, they're carrying on as if there
wasn't another human being in the
world but just themselves -