The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1921-05-26
The Doctors
Sacrifice
By MURIEL BLAIR
20. 1921 western Newspaper Union.)

room and sat by his bed. You are
resolved to take the chance of itT' he
asked.
His steel-gray eyes were fixed I'M
waveringly upon those of the cripple
beneath the sheets. The cripple
smiled back at him as frankly.
Perfectly" he murmured. my
chance is, / understand on the whole
favorable. You say l am the fourth
who has risked this"
1.-The fifth" answered the great sur
geon cOmpOsedly.
"And two of them died"
-Oh, dear, no. Well, yes, two died,
but one of these would have died any
way from other causes. In his case
death was a merciful release. l am
firmly convinced that you will get up
as straight as I am"
And he went on learnedly to de-
scribe the details of his famous oper-
alton which was to cure the hunch-
back.
"And suppose" the surgeon ended,
oihAiiiiS hlhuigs thdl lhtlC To- 10 USUAL
woman in the case"
The hunchback's eyes lit up.
"I'il tell you, Doctor Klein" he said,
"for you have been my best friend in
the world. Yes-there is a woman In
the case.
Il haven't burdened you with my
early history, but 1 may as well say
that l am man of good family and
In my youth enjoyed the advantages
Of an excellent education. My early
life was. as you may imagine, a tor
ture Of self-consciousness and suffer-
ing. Once, when / was about twenty
one, / fell in love. One day l dared
to tell her. I shall never forget the
astOnished look In her eyes. She made |
no answer but went out Of the room.
But when l met Esther Garvin
things were different. She made me |
forget my infirmity. Ours was a real
communion of souls; knew then that
had met woman who would marry
me in spite Of all, in spite of every
thing, whose love was to be as eternal
as my own. And because of this / left
her, three years ago, after q mad DEM
onstration Of love which left each of
us panic-stricken and ashamed. L,
because / knew that I had been a cur
to tell her; she, because she knew this
feeling In my heart. I left her and
never saw her again.
"For two years l tried to put her
put of my heart, but In vain. Then
heard of your operation. And when I !
I'm well / shall tell Esther, and she /
Will bless your name a hundredfold."
The surgeon without a word pressed /
he hunchback's fingers and left the .
DOM. =
"Ask Miss Garvin to step into nv 0
'ffice," he said to the orderly, and, b
I've minutes afterward, the anaes- a
hetist entered. ,
Miss Garvin," he said, placing his d
and upon her sleeve, 'are you still
ute sure that You can never love mel s
.es, see that you are. You gave p
ne to understand once that your heart a,
ms pledged. want you to tell me
ne thing, and I do not ask 1t imper- +.
nently. Where is the man you lover b
Il don't know" she answered. =
HE has gone out of your IifeY' b
But / love him STILL" she cried a
efiantly. II love him and always OK
hall. O, Doctor Klein, I've all owe
much to You. None of us but is o. q,
70 conscious Of your many kind Z
esses. your goodness, your charity W
nd self-sacriflce. Don't make 1t hard OF
for me. I don't love you, / can't tn
we you." Suddenly she flung herself st
pom her knees. do you know why pr
was first attracted to your she is
led. "The man 1 love Is a hunch-
ack. His whole life has been poi
med by his infirmity. I came here, 81
be nurse, to give my life to 9TH ri
s. met you, learned of your op- ID
'ation and hoped that some day the ~
me would arrive when he, too, would
ear of you and would come to you
be made a straight man like other
en-, and then" 81
Il loved YOU" said Doctor Klein tn
tht'
you loved me-" she repeated me- L
Miss Garvin," he said slowly, five
inutes ago contemplated the black.
It crime that any doctor could imaR. pc
e or dream of. You have straight On
led out the mental kirk In nv own Pa
ain as shall straighten Mr.. Man.
ngs body tomorrow"
Mr.. Manning!" she cried, and stood -
airing at him In terror. "You know. Gl
en-, He is"
MY dear" the doctor answered. "he
Is told me everything. He loves Won. in,
nd he is under this roof tonight tn
1T you must not 60 to him now. You Oh
all see him tomorrow, and you and j.
will cure him." mi
And Manning saw Esther's face re,
niling on him as he sank to sleep wi
lder the ether; and Esther's was the m,
st that he saw when he awakened rel
his room afterward. But Doctor Of oio
lein was standing at her side. ap
you will be well SOON" said Doc cd 60
Klein. "You win be straight as a sti
an should be and II wish YOU WI WI
But he knew that his life also bo
retched straight before him, ruled p p,;