A Daughter of the Land

The doctor swung the table in place, and with George's help laid

Peter on it, then began tearing open his clothes. As they worked

the two men followed into the house to see if they could do

anything and excited neighbours began to gather. George and his

mother explained how Peter had exhausted himself walking two miles

from the country that hot morning, how he had entered the office,

tottering with fatigue, and had fallen in the chair in a fainting

condition. Everything was plausible until a neighbour woman,

eager to be the centre of attention for a second, cried: "Yes, we

all see him come more'n an hour ago; and when he begin to let out

the yells we says to each other, 'THERE! George has got his first

patient, sure!' An' we all kind of waited to see if he'd come out

better."

The doctor looked at her sharply: "More than an hour ago?" he

said. "You heard cries?"

"Yes, more'n a good hour ago. Yes, we all heard him yell, jist

once, good and loud!" she said.

The doctor turned to George. Before he could speak his mother

intervened.

"That was our Kate done the yellin'," she said. "She was scart

crazy from the start. He jest come in, and set in the chair and

he's been there ever since."

"You didn't give him any treatment, Holt?" asked the doctor.

Again Mrs. Holt answered: "Never touched him! Hadn't even got

time to get his table open. Wa'n't nothing he could 'a' done for

him anyway. Peter was good as gone when he got here. His fool

folks never ought 'a' let him out this hot day, sick as he was."

The doctor looked at George, at his mother, long at Peter. "He

surely was too sick to walk that far in this heat," he said. "But

to make sure, I'll look him over. George, you help me. Clear the

room of all but these two men."

HE began minutely examining Peter's heart region. Then he rolled

him over and started to compress his lungs. Long white streaks

marked the puffy red of the swollen, dropsical flesh. The doctor

examined the length of the body, and looked straight into George

Holt's eyes.

"No use," he said. "Bill, go to the 'phone in my office, and tell

Coroner Smith to get here from Hartley as soon as he can. All

that's left to do here is to obey the law, and have a funeral.

Better some of the rest of you go tell his folks. I've done all I

can do. It's up to the Coroner now. The rest of you go home, and

keep still till he comes."

When he and George were left alone he said tersely: "Of course

you and your mother are lying. You had this man stripped, he did

cry out, and he did die from the pain of the treatment you tried

to give him, in his condition. By the way, where's your wife?

This is a bad thing for her right now. Come, let's find her and

see what state she is in."