Year: 1873

-C0SSeteS magazine.





THE DOCTOR,S STORY.


Thackery says there are no new stories
all are old But they are not turned
in that kaleidoscope we call time, and
though it may be the same piece, we see
another color through it. What was at
one turn a deep green, at another be-
comes a rose color, soft and beautiful.
So my story may be old, but in the
turning, new light may come through
an old bit of glass, which shall not have
grown dim by the shadows of time.


I was sitting late one night in my
office, before a CRATE fire, or one that
had been Qredt few hours before, with
my feet on the table before me. I had
forgotten to replenish the fire, had no
idea what time it was, for my thoughts
had been busy in studying out the case
of patient I had that day been to see.
I had had many years of practice, but
this case was something new to me. I
was puzzling over it, my books of refer
ence lay scattered about on the table
and chairs, and was just beginning to
see where the difficulty lay, when heard
q shot, the sound of men running, and
soon somebody ascending the stairs and
coming toward my door, It was opened
hastily by big stout fellow, a mechanic,
by the name of Ross, a man I had known
some time. He spoke out short and
quick


Doctor, there's a man down on the
sidewalk-dead, L guess. Wish you'd
come down and see."


I snatched my hat and followed Ross
down stairs, and there lay the man al
most before the door. I examined him
and found life was gone. He was be-
IF
If he knew anything about him. He
said he believed he boarded at the Re-
we're House, and roomed with a man by
the name of Dougal, but knew nothing
farther.


We took the poor fellow between us,
and carried him to his room, and getting
DougaI up asked him what he knew of
the young man. He was very much af-
fected at first, and said he was a good
friend of his, that they had roomed to
gether for more than year, that his
name was King g-Johnston King that
he worked in the machine shops, and
everybody liked him. He was a great
hearted fellow. The only difficulty was
he would drink sometimes, and he sup
posed that was what he had been at to-
night. His home was in Canada he had
q father and mother, and some sisters,
he believed a mother anyway, for he
had talked about her Sunday nights,
sometimes. AS looked at young King,
lying where we had put him, on his ow1
bed, with his white, boyish face, and the
dark curls that lay damp on his low
broad forehead, I thought of my OWE
boy that had left me only a few years
before, to help hold our flag high above
all outrage and slander, that had beer
shot, and fallen in the midst of smoke
and fire, and some one had found him,
and had buried him as soldier should
be buried, with his own flag about him,
and always felt that it was a debt
owed, and believed there would come 6
time when might repay it and this
was the first chance I had and resolved
that Johnston King should have from
me all that son could have.


/ told the young man I would attenC
to the funeral. L staid at the hote
that night, or what there was left of it
and the next morning found out the par
ticulars of the trouble.


Johnston King had gone into one o
the saloons, had take glass of ale, anC
was passing out, when some man whom
he knew slightly offered him something
stronger got him under the influence o
it, and then began to banter and ammo.
him.. until he was beside himself, whe1





sent him into one corner of the room
He got up as mad as natural depravit,
and drink can make a man. He tool
out a pistol from his pocket, whicl
King discovered, and ran, but the mai
followed him, and fred after going bu
little way. Somehow I could not blam
young King. His frank, open face ha
touched my heart. I thought of hi
home and his mother, and believe
there was a something hidden that W
might not know in this life, but tha
would be made clear by-and-by. ]
seemed the saddest thing I had eve
known. We buried him that day. Th
mechanics from the shops attended th
funeral, and all seemed to feel sad an
troubled, and 1 heard them saying on
to another


"We shall miss poor King-he alwaJ
kept things lively and many tim
when I've been blue he has had
CHEEKY word for me, that set me a
right again. Someway he always left
track of light behind him."


Yes, I was glad L had done for tn
man what somebody had done for n
boy. The papers that day had an a
count of the affair, closing up with
eulogy on DIR. Gardner's Kindness,
doing for stranger all that he cou
have done for one of his own family.
crushed the paper in my hand as res