Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-09-03
The Doctors
Sacrifice
og, 1871. Western Newspaper Union)
By MURIEL BLAIR

On the night before the operation
Doctor Klein entered his patients
room and sat by his bed. You are
resolved to take the chance of itY ne
asked
/ His steel-gray eyes were fixed IN
/ wayeringly 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
I favorable. You say l am the fourth
( who has risked this?'
"The fifth" answered the great sur
/ geon c0mposedly.
And two Of them died?'
"Oh. dear, no. Well, yes, two died,
I but one Of these would have died any
way from other causes. In his case
| death was 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 bunch
back
And I suppose" the surgeon ended.
smiling kindly, that there is. as usual,
woman in the case"
The hunchback's eyes lit up.
I'm tell you, Doctor Klein" he said,
for you have been my best friend in
the world Yes-there is woman In
the case.
81 haven't burdened you with my
early history. but | may as well say
that / am a man of good family and
in my youth enjoyed the advantages
of an excellent education. Ny early
life was. as you may imagine. a tor
fure Of self-consciouSneSs and suffer
ing. Once. when was about twenty
one. l fell in love One day dared
10 tell her. / shall never forget the
astonished look in her eyes She made
no answer but went out of the room.
But when ! met Esther Garvin
things were different. She made me
forget my intirmity. Ours was real
! communion Of souls; knew then that
I had met a woman who would marry
me in spite of all, In spite of every
thing, whose love was 10 be as eternal
as my own. And because of this | left
her, three years ago. after mad dem
onstration Of love which left each of
us panic-stricken and ashamed. I,
/ because knew that | had been a eur
/ to tell her; she. because she knew this
/ feeling In my heart. I left her and
never saw her again
For two years I tried 10 put her
/ out Of my heart, but in vain Then
I heard Of your operation And when
am well ! shall tell Esther, and she
VIII bless your name a hundredfold."
The surgeon without word pressed
I the hunchback's fingers and left the
/ room
ASK Miss Garvin to step into my
Office" he said to the orderly. and.
five minutes afterward the anaes-
/ thetist entered
Miss Garvln," he said, placing his
/ hand upon her sleeve. ARE you still
( quite sure that you can never love me?
! Yes, | see that you are You gave
me TO understand once that your heart
was pledged. l want you to tell me
one thing. and do not ask it imper-
! tlnenty. Where is the man you lover
II don't know" she answered.
HE has gone out of your life?'
But / love him stil," she cried
deiiautly. Il love him and always
shall O, Doctor Klein, I've all owe
so much to you. None Of us but is
TOO conscious of your many kind
nesSeS, your goodness, your charity
and self-sacrfice. Don't make II hard
or for me- l don't love you. can't
love you" Suddenly she flung herself
upon her knees DO you know why
WAS first attracted to your she
cried. THE man l love is hunch-
back His whole life has been poi
Soned by his infirmity. came here,
to be a nurse, to give my life TO 9th
ers. met you. | learned of your op-
GRAFTON and hoped that some day the
time would arrive when he. too would
hear of you and would come to YOU
TO be made straight man like other
men, and then"
II loved YOU, said Doctor Klein
hoursely.
You loved me" she repeated me
chanically.
Miss Garvln." he said slowly. five
minutes ago | contemplated the black.
est crime that any doctor could imag.
inc or dream of. You have straight.
erred out the mental kink in my own
brain as | shall straIghten Mr. Man.
ning'S body tomorrow"
Mr., Manning - she cried. and stood
staring at him In terror. You know
then. He is"
My dear" the doctor answered. "he
has told me everything. He loves YOU
And he Is under this roof tonight
But sou must not 20 to him now. You
shall see him tomorrow. and Won and
l Will cure him"
And Manning saw Esther's face
smiling on him as he sank 10 sleer
under the ether; ana Esther's was the
FIRST that he saw when he awakann4