Year: 1873

gar, and never dare show your face
here again, or I will kick you out Of
doors" and Doctor Skinner rose, as
if: to put his threat into, execution.


The boy whom he addressed re-
treated before the great burly man,
though his black eyes flashed vim
,lictive fre-his little hands were
clenched, his dark face flushed, and
his whole manner told plainly that
he wanted the strength, and not the
will to retaliate. And once out OF
the house of the physician he threw
himself down beneath the first shell
tering tree and broode. over his
wrongs r. aJ 49,. .a1


The doctor returned with an an
cry. face indoors, flung himself saw
ageiy in his armchair and gave pas
and audible utterances to his
though s; 1.-The young scamp, to
keep coming here day after day.
Something must be done to quiet his
Hagp tHHfHf neaHt 5tsF 81 fft @y ears Pa and


not escape without a sting. He knows
too much, and lucky for me that he is
only a child. Yes, something 'lust
be done, and the sooner the better,
Let me see. He has no,relatlves to
be inquiring into the matter, and if
he should fail to turn up some day
there will be no hue and cry. Let
me see. If his body was found in
the river no one could say that ne
had not been accidentally drowned,
even if they took sufficient interest
for that, which is doubtful. Then
the law and its officers are very lax
on the frontier, and-but good heav,
en- l am thinking of murder" and
he started at the sound of the word,
although it was uttered by his own
lips. But nerving himself from q
bottle that stood near, he continued ::
eff his father did die nothing can
be said about it. Such things hap
pen in the practice Of every one of
nv profession, and if he chose to leave
me his heir, that was his own busl-
ness. The fact is, the brat was al
WAYS a curse to him, and he will be
to me, unless 1 can get him out of
the way. Let me see.


While he was pondering thus the
boy was thinking of the same sub
iect but in a very different strain.
Young as he was he became satisfied
at the death of his father that he had
not beap fairly dealt with, but could g,
prove nothing. Doctor Monroe Skin
! ner was the only physician of any
note in that part Of the country: His
word was law in all questions Of
medicine, and it would have been q
bold man indeed, who would have
dared to accuse him OF malpractice
But, had such charge been made
how could it have been proven
There was 40 chemist to analyze the
contents of the stomach of the dead
man-uo one sufficiently skilled in
poison to apply the proper testss1i anG y,
the standing Of the 'ioctor WOULD
have outweighed score OF witnesses
before the Hneducated jurles com


mon upon the frontier at that time.


But the poor boy had his owl
opinion of the mattef. He remem


bered the last and fatal G;ekpess o.


his fatler- MS last kind word@thi
tenderness with which he hadlalway'
been treated and he could not. un


derstand,, Why he should have beer
left a beggaT, 80, -


Perhaps others thought the same


but they were wise in not expressing
Il, and making an enemy of the ma


bob of the frontier village. They


knew little of the final sickness o
John Manning. He had died sud
| denly. with no one save his only Sol
| and the physician, and the accoun
the latter had given of it could no


we'll be questioned. But be was


rich man-that is; he was the ogna


Of many acres Of wild land tha


would rapidly increase in price, AM


when it was found that he had willie!


it all to Monroe Skinner, they shool


their heads doubtfully. Howeve


there were none to look after the in


terests of or take the part of tn


boy, and he drifted from place t


place, though often visiting the Doc


tor and endsavoring to obtain wins


he firmly believed was his right.


But again and again he had bee


repulsed, even though the physicia


made great show Of tenderness t


him in public, talking loudly of whs


he intended, to do, and never doin


it, protesting, to pity and at the SAN


time cursing--playing the saint an
; living the Understanding his Iii
erality and keeping his pockets clio
ed and at last resolving Ito remoy