THE SECRET.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2212, 11 September 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE SECRET.

1 am a doctor. I live iv Now York city, and in one of the mosc crowded localities. I am not ashamed to s-ty I lire tliero, because I find it a better pl.ice for a young physician's practice than the more fashionable streets. My patients weie little shop-keeper*, poor mechanics, labourers, and even begirers. The latter, of course, paid me nothing, though they showered blpssings on me by the bushel. The poorer they were the oftenor -they sent for me, and on the smallest pivtenses, I had been in my present office two year I*,1 *, and never had a patient from th'> more aristocrat!" cucV*, when one night I was by a violent liny of my bell, and having just compose 1 mv.-elf for a nap, after a hard day's work, I cannot say the summons was atrreeable. However, Iran to my window* at once Mid cried; "Who is there?" A voirv answered: "Only I, doctor. It's an urgent case. Fiease come down to the door." The tone' of the answer surprised me. The form "Only I" was still more astonishing, for grammar was not. a favourite accomplishment in that neighbourhood. Thatn lady spoke I was Mire, a lady of education and refinement. I hurried down .stairs and opened the door. Thero stood an elderly lady, dieted in mourning. Her face, though wrinkled, was very fine iv feature. H^r hair was arranged iv elegant puftVundcr a hand- i some bonnet. She pat out the smallest of hands in a I fine black kid glove, and an id piteously : " Are you the doctor ?" " Yes," I taid. " Then come with me," said she. " Don't delay. It's life or death, Come," I hurried on my overcoat, caught up my urnbi 11 i, and offered my aim to the old Lid\ . w ilked dowu tho sheet with her. " Yo,i iiius(, be my iruide, madam," T said. l> iJo not know wheie you live. 1 ' She instantly ixnve me <i street and number tliit smpiiyid me i.till nioie. It was the mo-t aristocratic quaiter of <he city. " Who is> ill, madam," I inquiied — " a grown person ur [a child r" '' A young lady— my daughter," she said, ''Suddenly ?" " Ye-, suddenly," she answered. "Do you keep a gig? You should hat r had it out if you do. Wo would have been able to go faster." '" I keep no conveyances," I said. " Perhaps you are poor,'' she Vaid "eagerly. " Certainly not iich," I sud. " Cuio her and I'll make you rich,' 1 she said, in a sort of suppiessed shriek ; cure her aiul I'll gi\c you anything you ask. I don't care for money. I'm rolling in gold. Cure her and T'll shower it on you." "You are excited, ma lam," I said " Piay be calm." "Oilin!"' she f»iid— " calm, but you don't know a mother's heart. ' We had reached the stnet she had indicitod, and we weie at the do >r of one of its finest mansions. The old 1 ulv ascended the steps and opened the door with a lat"fl-krv. A low.litrht burned m the hall, another m one of the thr<>e ptilours, the furniture of which was draped and shrouded in whiu linen. "Wait heic, mi, if you plea-e," she as she led me into oii'> of these. u I'll s t . ( > ii mv daughter is prepared for your visit. " And with a sweeping courtesy c .!ie (^lidtil ,i\\ay. Doctous ate not iu->eil to 1»> Kept waiting long I waited what I thought a ni^st unitasonable time in those q 00-ny jmi lou^s, wheu a step, very difleicat troin

the old lady's, was heard upon the staira, and a stout, short, red-faced woman bustled into the parlour. 41 I beg your pardon, fir," she said, in a tungular tone : " but my lady, the lady who brought you here, in very nervous, and was needlessly alarmed. She begs your aeceptanee*ot the customary fee, and them is no need of your services " Thus spjaking, she handed me a five-dollar gold piece, courteaied and opened the door for rue. I bowed, expressed my pleasure that the patient was better, and departed. It -was ;i queer sort of adventure, but rather amusing than otherwise ; besides, I had my fee. I went home and slept soundly. I arose early next morning, and made a visit before breakfast. Returning 1 , to my astonishment, I found sitting in my office the lady of the night before. She arose as I entered. " What must you think of me ?" ih« said. " But no matter. My daughter is very dear to me, and I have heard of your skill. She is worse asjain. Can you call some time to day, as early as possible, at my house ?" " I be there in an hour," I said. The old lady took out her purpc. "I am an English woman," she said. 4< I ret'iin Enghf-h habits. In my day the doctor received his fee on the spot. It was, in ordinary cagps, a guinea. Will you receive it now ?"' I did not know what to shy, but she laid the gold piece on the table and departed. I ate my breakfast and made my way to the old lady's house. I rang the boll. The door was oppn»d bv the <-tout femnle who hid di.smi'-suil mo the niyht before. " The doctor ! ' I said, by way of expl.inition. ''Ah!" said she. "Has mi-sus called \ou in again ?" "Ye*," I answered. "Thei\.'-< no need, I assure you, sir," she said. "I can't really ask you in. T}u'ie\ no one ill here. It's a • wnim of missus* =» I'm a better judge of i illnt'S-> than she Ko Deed of a doctor." " Hut since tin 1 lady eall< .1 on me I must m c tln v patient,"' I said lv I>c^ jour pardon ; I've oidec to admit no one," she jinsw cred. and shut tli" door f-of tly in my face. I loft the house, of course, paitly in dudgeon, partly in amazement. Could there be some plan on the part of this old woman to keep medical assistance fioin some unhappy patient, whoso death would serve her purposes? I asked m\"vU this tjuf-tion for several days ; tin ii I foigot the matter. Two wejks passed by, wlk n 10, the old lady again. Mie walked into my parlour, dressed as befoio, as i/re.itlv agitated, ,is carefully polite. " Sir,'' she >iiil, •' ayain I trouble you. My poor, poor daughter ! Come at once.'' "Madam,' I answered, "it is th" ph}-»iciin's duty, as it should be his plca&mu. to obey mu h calls, but you are aware tint I h.i\ c Ik-cm scut from your door tv ice without steaiv the patient? Allow me to a&k jou a question. Are you the inistte'-s of that house?'' " Heaven Knows I am,' 1 said the old lady. (> J himh im' limjil thcic for foi t}' ytars. I own it. I :vn the "rdy pet son under that roof who has the right to give an ord'T." "' And the person who nent me away?" "M) old .sen ant, Margiirt'' '• Did s!i f3f 3 do it at your order?" "No sir ; it was a piece of ptesumption. But Margaret means well. She loves us" "Then, madam, if I accompany you I shall sec the patient?" "Assuredly, sir."' I put on my hat again, and we went out of the house toother. At the door of her mansion the old lady paused. 44 Don't mind M.n^atet," she whispered. 44 She means well.'" Then shy ascended the steps. At the last o'ic the door «a^ opened to 113 by the woman I had twice seen before. "The doctor must «cc my child, Margaret," said the old lady. Margaret stepped back. "Walk in sir," was all she said. The ol 1 lady beckoned me to follow hf>r. I fl'il ?r» Mie went upstairs and opened t!ie tiist door h e came to. It was an empty bed -room. She closed it with a '.•.gli The ntxt room into winch '•he led me was also empty. So were .ill the others In (fleet we visited mx CMupai tments. only one of which seemed to be lepilarly occupied as a sleeping apartment ; and at the last the old lady turned to me with a strange glitter in her eyes. 4 Stolnn,' she said : 4t stolen — somebody ha> stolen my frirl. Sir, do you know I I think it must be Sitan r' ' Then a steady step eroded the sill. Margaret came in, ami thf old 1 idv, billeting into tears, .suffered her to lead her .iw.iv. As I made mv wiv d'l'.vn sf ur». M,irir<net r joined me. "You undeist trul it now," she sud. " You >.po my mi^tte--< i> not in her right mind.-" "I do, indeed, ' I s.iul ' She had <i daughter one*-, ' sud M.iriraict, '' and th<^ <^irl — -i pret f v erprit\ue of sixteen — rm away with a bad man. Sho came b.ick home one day and beirged foririven''"« ; her in if In c turned her from the door in a fury It w .is niirht. The r.un r.iin and h ul i>'M* dow t\ on tiie pioi tiling, and the w ind buiFete.l her. Tnere i.s no lcTiowii".' what hipjfiKd to her that ir rl ' ; but noxt uioimuij she liy dead in rhe poll o nili •(> Her mother's addre3-i wis pinned to liT b.ihy's dotliinjf, and they broiiirh li.'-r !vnn\ From thit awful d.iv, s-ir, mv mi*tre-^ — w ho, in her remorse nnd ri"Hiinm, eilied in twenty doctors to bring her de&d daughter to life — has always been doing what she has done to you. I try to keep the. secret generally, but some find it out, and others think odd things of us I thought I would let you know the tiuth. If >he contrives tD come again to \ou, you can always pro-misi-to call <»nd so br ml of her. Poor soul ! Slie has nobody in the wot Id but me now. She'i> punUherf for her hardness at any rate, and you'll excuse her conduct." I bowed, I could say nothiug. Margaret openul the door for me and I walked out into the fresh air. A3 I looked back upon the house, with all its elegance, it seemed to me to have a luuntjil air, as though the ghost of the poor |»iil htill ho\eied about it. "God only Know-, how iiiuiy feaiful secrets such splendid hu'iie- mas at times shut in,"' I s.ud to m> -''lf, .i.iJ I turned my luck upon it gl ully I ha\e ne\er been the poor old ladj >iiu-e that hour ; piolubiy Marg.uvt has kept too close a watch upon her. — Kew Yo< k News.

The Roll oi* Ai;i-> --'J'hc penny lollat railway lefieihtncnt rooms. j{ v\ i\«. r-'f t. ii' ■ ti .m an>.uvr to a corrcpouck'm , unified py u> a few d iv* siui'c, .m«l d 1d 1 ii'u' with the (jUi-^tion of i.liiiM'Mnui S^L.t'il'i'.'l, •iv'Su:--, svtulenun \uit ■* tn '-■■> "i< <1 supplier fmther inform iticn <>n Mio MihjVi t. Ho itos ih it th- 1 -i 'i'»ii 'jo in 'ht> 'lujonty of cmtoii-< r.inm *> fioi.i to -i\tei.n. iJiere <ir^ no inf mt -> u )dU except tho»o provided hy ]i:i\,i^ cnt^tpu-o. The Ivindero m p m .-, r x o i 1"],,'),.! inr "i V, t -.t..lnrre ib geiK>i vl'v in \o«'ii» tor ohildiu-u up to M«wn y<>n^ of .lire. I lie sihool hums for the oltlrr pupils of di^tuct schools ,ire 7 .i.m. to 12 a mi mi ocit.jindiys tindfto'ii S a.m. to \'2 ii in. on other d<iys m summer. The time for dinner raniros fmm one and ahalf to two hour*. Thp aftornoon school ho'irs in Mimmer aro fom 2to 4. Ou. Saturday thi> hour- aio fmm ~ to VI a.m. Tho afttMiioon i^ d"\nfoj to le-ieiti^n i.ntil .") n'.'lu k, «!it>n tt 1 ).' hoy«. air diilh'ii fis two hoius t<i pnjpiiu 1 them fur the ■umv. At tlie a^< of -JO iho-e wlio h ivo p.i-»-i\] the l\ uiun.it .m.i must m«i\v ,t t, tIU •A* vtciuiti. Sho'ilil ,i in m not be ah!i- to pn> m r>idin<r. writing v, histrv, ire iprri]diy, nith-netir, iV ,he h<is 10 .1 \ . ■'i - lei-U'>. r, ,i^ i n i) )0 h :rr iam to If j I l"<r thf T)«.ir1,.,.f ( ,,l , U b, M .t,,. fJymnt«ti'-<5, sin 'Miy, I iwiry-, r^.i^ion, nl ir.H made . t Usw^ «,uujco...