The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1925-11-12


AtA anxiously upon that round
6M$ ed button down beside the
34Y front door. DR.. Bertram
NA Darand, as he aroused,
W pictured the finger slip
: - ping of the button and
fumbling for 1t again in the dark and
now. dnding 1t again, once more the
finger rang the bell long and loudly.
pr. Bertram Darand slid out of bed,
wide awake and agreeably excited
The ringing Of that bell at night was
an event to him whose modest brass
plate beside the door-B. Darand,
M.D.-never before had attracted any
such attention as this Someone was
outside now. in the Storm, calling for
his services, and the character of this.
call suggested desperation. The time,
asf:he saw by his cheap watch with
Illuminated dial, was half-past two,
and the thrilling thought came to
young DR.. Bertram Darand, that IL he
had had to wait year for his first
imperative call, now a chance had
come to him which might give him
q tealsstart on his career. Il.
Cropping In the darkness for the
switch, he pressed it, but no light fol-
lowed. There was no light in the
street; all the electric lamps were
out distinguished by some accident Of
the storm, probably. SO Bertram-he
hated his Christian name, Bertram-
crossed to the window and peered out.
and In spite Of the absence Of the
nearby electricity, he saw In that
vague illumination which always how
ers over city, the shadowy figure Of
girl standing on the steps below.
"sYou want doctor" he called
down.
Eyes" came q young voice, tinged
with excitement "Oh, hurry, please
"For yourself? You're hurt y
"sNo; no-it's for someone else. But
I've come for you. Please hurry!"
"Pll he down at once"
Surgical bag, doctor" she called.
All right"
AS he turned hastily from the win
dow and reached for his clothes, B.
Darand, NJ. D., trembleds slightly. The
call seemed to he quite. as imperative
as he had hoped; and he felt the fat
terry Of it more positively because only
two doors away down the street was
another surgeon, Doctor Durkee; much
older and much better known from
long residence in this locality.
He. never thought, while he was
III = Il r - p
fuh6ihg in the dark that 1t was bare
ly sdistinguishable as Doctors sign,
but TINT was all. B. Darand, M. D.,
was just twenty-seven years old, just
q little better than two years out of
medical school and a year beyond the
finish of his interneships at Cook
County hospital. The past twelve
months naturally had been thin ones;
and b. Darand, NJ. D., had felt, indeed,
that he had been even outdeing nature
q bit in the thinness Of personal re-
sources.
Tonight, at this moment, B. Darand,
II. D., owed three weeks board bill to
the slandlady upon whose house his
brass plate stood; his bank balance
was at the brink Of ovefdraft; he
owned that cheap watch, which told
time In the dark, because he had
pawned his good gold -one, from, the
proceeds of which Stransaction re
NAMED precisely one dollar and forty
seven cents in silver and coppers.
Nothing Is more conclusive Of
mans estate than that he counts his
copper pennies Bertram had been
brought up to be served by valet.
Habits from his valeted days chung to
him: he never went to bed without
first laying out his clothes properly
for himself, habit which made for
haste for him now when he had to
dress In the dark When he was down
stairs, and, surgical bag in hand, had
opened the front door, the girl who
had come for him complimented him
"You're quick; DOCTOR"
whats the case?" he asked.
"Tll tell you on the way over.
aWhere do we goT' he asked.
'T'll drive you. My cars on the
corner" -ss
He gazed at her who no longer was
q mere shadow In the night but fair,
eager, excited young girl who had
come purposely for him. Why for
him?
He asked: do / know your
mo. My names Hewitt. Crane
sent me. He tried to phone you but
the storm must'ye knocked out the
phones and the lights So Crane told
me to 20 for you"
sI see," said Bertram. but compre-
hended nothing at all. Crane, he re
peatefl to himself-Grame. Surely he
knew no one by that name who might
have sent for him.
aAccident case" he asked this girl
who called herself Hewitt. .
He could feel that she was surprised
aWhy, sure!" she said. "Whatd you
suppose?" And there was an odd
sharp note In that pleasant voice OF
hers
The rain, which had poured earlier
had ceased but the wind was stronely
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