Year: 1877

The Man Whose Yoke was not Easy.


He was spare man: and, physically,
all ill-conditioned man, but at first glance
scarcely seedy man. The indications of
reduced circumstances in the male of the
better class are, I fancy, first visible in
the boots and shirt, the boots Extensively
exhibiting degree of polish inconsistent
with their delapidated condition, and the
shirt showing an extent of ostentatious
surface that is invariably fatal to the
threadbare waistcoat that it partially
covers. He was pale man, and fam
cied still paler from his black clothes.


He handed me note.


It was from certain physician; man
OF broad culture and broader experience;
a man who had devoted the greater part
of his active life TO the alienation of sor-
row and suffering; man who had lived
up to the noble vows of a noble profess
ion; man who locked in his honorable
breast the secrets of hundred families,
whose face was as kindly, whose touch
was as gentle in the wards of the great
public hospitals as it was beside the laced
curtains Of the dying Narcissa; man
who, through long contact with suffer-
ing, had acquired universal tenderness
and breadth OF kindly philosophy; a man
who, day and night, was at the beck and
call of anguish; man who never asked
the creed, belief, moral or worldly stand
ing of the sufferer, or even his ability to
pay the few coins that enabled him (the
physician) to exist and practice his call
ing; in brief, man that SO nearly lived
up to the example of the Great Master
that it seems strange am writing of him
as a doctor of medicine and not of divini-


The note was in pencil, characteristic
cally brief and ran thus:


'Here is the man spoke of. Heought
to be good material for you.'' -
For moment sat, looking from the
note to the man, and sounding the ''dim
perilous Depths of my memory for the
meaning of this mysterious communica-
ton. The "good MATERIAL" however,
soon relieved my embarrassment, by put
ting his hand on his waistcoat, coming
toward me, and saying, .'Its just here;
you can feel it,


It was not necessary for me to do SO.
In flash l remembered that my medi-
cal friend had told me of certain poor
patient, once soldier, who, among his
other trials and uncertainties, was aff1ict-
ed with an aneurism caused by the buck
le of his knapsack pressing upon the arch
of the aorta. It was liable to burst at any
shock or any moment. The poor fellows
yoke had indeed been to heavy.


In the presence of such a tremendous
possibility l think for an instant felt
anxious only about myself. What should
do; how. dispose of the body; how explain
the circumstances of his taking off; how
evade the ubiquitous reporter and the
coroner's inquest; how suspicion might
arise that had in some way, through
negligence, or for some dark purpose, un-
known to the jury, precipitated the catas-
trophe, all flashed before me. Even the
note-with its darkly suggestive offer of
'sgood material" for me-looked diaboli-
cally significant. What might not an in
telligent lawyer make of it,?


I tore up instantly, and with feverish
courtesy begged him to be seated.


''You don't care to feel it" he asked, a
little anxiously.


HNo.'


s'Nor see it?''


"No."


He sighed, trife sadly, as if had re-
iected the only favor he could bestow. I
saw at once that he had been under fire.
quent exhibition to the doctors, and that
he was, perhaps, trihe vain of this atten-
ton. This perception was corroborated
a moment later by his producing copy
of a medical magazine, with the remark
that on the sixth page. I would find full
statement of his case.


Could serve him in any way? asked.


1t appeared that I could. II l could
help him to any light employment, some
thing that did not require any great phys
ical exertion or mental excitement, he
would be thankful. But he wanted me to
understand that he was not, strictly
speaking, a poor man; that some years
before the discovery of his fatal complaint
he had taken out life insurance policy
for $1,000, and that he had raised and
scraped enough together to payit up, and
that he would not leave his wife and four
children destitute. "You see" he added,
eff could find some sort of light work to
do, and kinder sled along, yon know
until


He stopped, awkwardiv.


I have heard several noted actors thrill
their audience with a single phrase. !
think never was as honestly moved by
any spoken word as that "until' or the
pause that followed it. He was evidently
quite unconscious of it's effect, for as
took a seat beside him on the sofa, and
looked more closely in his waxen face. l
could see that he was evidently embar-
rassed, and would have explained himself
further, if I had not stopped him.


Possibly it was the dramatic idea, O
possibly chance, but few days afterward
meeting a certain kind hearted theatrical
manager, asked him If he had any light
employment who was an invalid. ''Can
he walk?;' Eyes, Stand up for fifteen
minutes?'' eyes "Then I'll take him.
He'll do for the last scene in the 'Destruc-
ton of Sennacferio'-its a tremendous