The Story of a Doctor's Telephone Part 22

Blank, will you do me a great favor?'

'Certainly,' I answered promptly.

'My husband is very sick and I came to see if you would go down and ask Dr. Smithson to come and see him.' I swallowed my astonishment and wrath, put on my rubber coat and went for the doctor."

"But she had the grace to come in next day," said Mary, "and tell me in much confusion that she was greatly embarra.s.sed and ashamed. It had not entered her head until that morning that my husband was a physician."

"You see," put in the doctor, "she had not taken me seriously; in fact had not taken me at all."

"Tell us about the old man who had you come in to see if he needed a doctor," said Mary. The doctor smiled, "_That_ was when I didn't count, too," he said.

"This old fellow got sick one day and wanted to send for old Dr. Brown, but being of a thrifty turn of mind he didn't want to unless he had to.

He knew me pretty well so he sent for me to come and see if he _needed_ a doctor. If I thought he did he'd send for Brown. I chatted with him awhile and he felt better. Next day he sent word to me again that he wished I'd stop as I went by and I did. This kept up several days and he got better and better, and finally got well _without_ any doctor, as he said."

The visitor laughed, "You doctors could unfold many a tale--"

"If the telephone would permit," said Mary, as the doctor answered the old summons, took his hat and left.

"John," said Mary one day, "I wish you would disconnect the house from the office."

"No! You're a lot of help to me," protested the doctor.

"Well, I heard someone wrangling with central today because the house answered when it was the office that was wanted." She laughed. "I know there are people who fancy the doctor's wife enjoying to the utmost her 'sweet privilege' of answering the 'phone in her husband's absence.

Poor, innocent souls! If they could only know the deadly weariness of it all--but they can't."

"Why, I didn't know you felt quite that way about it, Mary. I suppose I can disconnect it but--"

"But you don't see how you can? Never mind, then. We'll go on, and some sweet day you'll retire from practice. Then hully-gee! won't I be free!

You didn't choose the right sort of helpmeet, John. You surely could have selected one who would enjoy thrusting herself into the reluctant confidences of people far more than this one."

"I'm resigned to my lot," laughed John, as he kissed his wife and departed.

Ting-a-ling-ling-ling. Ting-a-ling-ling-ling.

"Is this you, Doctor?"

"Yes."

"What am I ever to do with Jane?"

"Keep her in bed! That's what to do with her."

"Well, I've got a mighty hard job. She's feeling so much better, she just _will_ get up."

"Keep her down for awhile yet."

"Well, maybe I can today, but I won't answer for tomorrow. She says she feels like she can jump over the house."

"She can't, though."

Laughter. "I'll do the best I can, Doctor, but that won't be much.

Keeping her in bed is easier said than done," and the doctor grinned a very ready a.s.sent as he hung up the receiver.

The doctor's family was seated at dinner. Ting-a-ling-ling-ling. John rose, napkin in hand, and went while the clatter of knives and forks instantly ceased.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you do as I told you, yesterday?"

"I _told_ you what to do."

"Well, did you put them in hot water?"

"Then do it. Do it right away. Have the water _hot_, now."

He came back and went on with his dinner. Mary admitted to herself a little curiosity as to what was to be put into hot water. In a few minutes the dinner was finished and the doctor was gone.

"I bet I know what that was," spoke up the small boy.

"What?" asked his sister.

"Diphtheria clothes. There's a family in town that's got the diphtheria."

Mary was relieved--not that there should be diphtheria in town, but that the answer for which her mind was vaguely groping had probably been found.

Ting-a-ling-ling-ling. When the doctor had answered the summons he told Mary he would have to go down to a little house at the edge of town about a mile away. When he came back an hour later he sat down before the fire with his wife. "I remember a night nineteen years ago when I was called to that house--a little boy was born. I used to see the little fellow occasionally as he grew up and pity him because he had no show at all. Tonight I saw him, a great strapping fellow with a good position and no bad habits. He'll make it all right now."

The doctor paused for a moment, then went on. "They didn't pay me then.

I remember that. I mentioned it tonight in the young fellow's presence."

"John, you surely didn't!"

"Yes, I did. His mother said she guessed Jake could pay the bill himself."

Mary looked at this husband of hers with a quizzical smile.

"Doesn't it strike you that you are going pretty far back for your bill?"

"There's no good reason why this boy should not pay the bill if he wants to."

"No, I suppose not. But I don't believe he was so keen to get into the world as all that."