The Washington herald., 1921-05-15

PANE utteriy Wretched ana despond-
ent heard Of Q. country doctor
who lived In the mountains nearby.
went to see him and told him the
whole story. He was q gray-bearded ed
man with clear. blue, wrinkled eyes,
IN homemade suit of gray Jeans
In order to save time / diagnosed
my case touched my nose with my
right forennger. struck myself
below the knee to make my foot
KICK. sounded my chest. stuck out
my tongue. and asked him the price
OF cemetery lots in Pineville.
He lii his pipe and looked at me
Tor about three minutes. Brother"
ne said, after a while. you are IN
q mighty bad way. There's chance
Tor you to pull through. but it's q
mighty slim one"
what 1t be?' asked eagerly,
i have taken arsenic and gold
PHOSPHORUS, exercise. nux vomica
hydrotherapeutic baths, rest, excite.
ment, codein, and aromatic spirits OF
ammonia Is there anything left In
the pharmacopoeiay
somewhere in these mountains. "
said the doctor. there's a plant
growing-a Towering plant thatll
cure you. and it's about the onl,
thing that viii. It's Of . kind that's
- old a. the world: but Of late its
powerfui scarce and hard to ina
rou and viii have to hunt Il IN
I'm not engaged in active practics
now: I'm getting along In years
put III take your case You'll have
70 come every day In the Afternoon
ana neip me hunt for this plant tn
We nnd It The city doctors may
nnoW lot about now scsentiis
1ings. but they don't know much
eoout the cures that nature carries
around In her saddle-baRx"
se every day the old doctor and
hunted the cure-all plant among
ne mountains and valleys of tn,
Blue Ridge Tother we toiIed uI
steep heights 80 slippery with faIier
autumn leaves that We had to catci
every sapling and branch within oui
reach to save US from falling. w,
waded through gorges and chasms
breast deep with laurel and ferns
we Followed the banks Of mountain
streams for miles; we wound oul
way like Indians through brakei
OF pineroad side, hill side, river side
mountain side We explored in oul
search for the miraculous plant.
AS the old doctor said, IL mus
nave grown scarce and hard to ind
But we followed our quest Day b,
day We plumbed the valleys. scaled
the heights. and tramped the pla'
teaus In search Of the miraculoui
plant. Mountain bred, he never
seemed to tire. often reached hom,
too fatigued to do anything excepr
fal1 into bed and sleep until morn
Ing. This We kept up for a month
One evening after I had returned
doctor. Amaryllis and I took q littl,
walk under the trees near the road
We looked at the mountains drawins
their royal-purple robes arount
them for their nights repose.
Tn glad you're we'll again" sh,
said. when you FIRST came yol
frightened me. ! thought you wer,
really i'll"
well again. I almost shrieked
do you know that I have only on,
chance in a thousand to live?"
Amaryllis looked at me In surprise
why" said she. you are as strons
as one of the p,ough-mules, yol
sleep ten or twelve hours ever,
night. and you are eating as out o.
house and home. What more do yor
want?"
II tell you," said I, that unless ~,
ind the magic-that Is. the plan
we are looking form time. moth
ing can save me-. The doctor tell
mo So.
what doctor?-
Doctor Tatum-the old doctor
who lives halfway up Black oal
Mountain. Do you know him?-
7 have known him since was
able to talk. And is that wher,
you go these long walks and climb,
that have brought back your health
and strength? God bless the olt
doctor"
Just then the old doctor himself
drove slowly down the road in hi,
rickety old buggy. waved m,
hand at him and shouted that
would be on hand the next day a
the usual time. He stopped hi
horse and called to Amaryllis L
como out to him. They talked foi
-ive minutes while 1 waited. Tnel
the old doctor drove on.
When We got to the house
Amaryilis lugged out an encyclo,
paedia and sought a word IN Il
The doctor said" she told me
that you needn't call any more az
. patient. but he'd be glad TO see
yau any time as a friend. And
then he told me to look up my nam.
IN the encyclopaedia and tell you
what It means. 1t seems to be the