PART I.
FRIENDS OF CHILDHOOD 0
I
Dr. Howard Archie 1
had just come up from a game of pool with
the Jewish clothier 2
and
two traveling men who happened to be staying overnight in
Moonstone 4
3 .
were in
the Duke Block 6
, over
the drug store 7
.
Larry 8
,
the doctor 's man 73
, had lit the overhead light in
the waiting-room 9
and the double student 's lamp on the desk in
the study 10
.
The isinglass sides of the hard-coal burner were aglow , and the air in
the study 10
was so hot that as
he 1
came in
the doctor 1
opened the door into
his 1
little operating-room
11 , where there was no stove .
The waiting room 9
was carpeted and stiffly furnished , something like
a country parlor 12
.
The study 10
had worn , unpainted floors , but there was a look of winter comfort about
it 10
.
The doctor 1
's flat-top desk was large and well made ; the papers were in orderly piles , under glass weights .
Behind the stove a wide bookcase , with double glass doors , reached from the floor to the ceiling .
It was filled with medical books of every thickness and color .
On the top shelf stood a long row of thirty or forty volumes , bound all alike in dark mottled board covers , with imitation leather backs .
As
the doctor in
New England 14
villages
15 is proverbially old , so
the doctor in
small
Colorado 18
towns
17 twenty-five years ago was generally young .
Dr. Archie 1
was barely thirty .
He 1
was tall , with massive shoulders which
he 1
held stiffly , and a large , well-shaped head .
He 1
was
a distinguished-looking man 76
, for
that part of
the world 20
19 , at least .
There was something individual in the way in which
his 1
reddish-brown hair , parted cleanly at the side , bushed over
his 1
high forehead .
His 1
nose was straight and thick , and
his 1
eyes were intelligent .
He 1
wore a curly , reddish mustache and an imperial , cut trimly , which made
him 1
look a little like the pictures of
Napoleon III 21
.
His 1
hands were large and well kept , but ruggedly formed , and the backs were shaded with crinkly reddish hair .
He 1
wore a blue suit of woolly , wide-waled serge ;
the traveling men 3
had known at a glance that it was made by
.
The doctor 1
was always well dressed .
Dr. Archie 1
turned up the student 's lamp and sat down in the swivel chair before
his 1
desk .
He 1
sat uneasily , beating a tattoo on
his 1
knees with
his 1
fingers , and looked about
him 1
as if
he 1
were bored .
He 1
glanced at
his 1
watch , then absently took from
his 1
pocket a bunch of small keys , selected one and looked at it .
A contemptuous smile , barely perceptible , played on
his 1
lips , but
his 1
eyes remained meditative .
Behind the door that led into
the hall 24
, under
his 1
buffalo-skin driving-coat , was a locked cupboard .
This
the doctor 1
opened mechanically , kicking aside a pile of muddy overshoes .
Inside , on the shelves , were whiskey glasses and decanters , lemons , sugar , and bitters .
Hearing a step in
the empty , echoing hall 24
without ,
the doctor 1
closed the cupboard again , snapping the Yale lock .
The door of
the waiting-room 9
opened ,
a man 25
entered and came on into
the consulting-room 26
.
“ Good-evening ,
Mr. Kronborg 25
, ” said
the doctor 1
carelessly .
“ Sit down . ”
was
a tall , loosely built man , with a thin brown beard , streaked with gray 77
.
He 25
wore a frock coat , a broad-brimmed black hat , a white lawn necktie , and steel rimmed spectacles .
Altogether there was a pretentious and important air about
him 25
, as
he 25
lifted the skirts of
his 25
coat and sat down .
“ Good-evening ,
doctor 1
.
Can
you 1
step around to
the house 27
with
me 25
?
I 25
think
Mrs. Kronborg 28
will need
you 1
this evening . ”
This was said with profound gravity and , curiously enough , with a slight embarrassment .
“ Any hurry ? ”
the doctor 1
asked over
his 1
shoulder as
he 1
went into
.
Mr. Kronborg 25
coughed behind
his 25
hand , and contracted
his 25
brows .
His 25
face threatened at every moment to break into a smile of foolish excitement .
He 25
controlled it only by calling upon
his 25
habitual pulpit manner .
“ Well ,
I 25
think it would be as well to go immediately .
Mrs. Kronborg 28
will be more comfortable if
you 1
are there .
She 28
has been suffering for some time . ”
The doctor 1
came back and threw a black bag upon
his 1
desk .
He 1
wrote some instructions for
on a prescription pad and then drew on
his 1
overcoat .
“ All ready , ”
he 1
announced , putting out
his 1
lamp .
Mr. Kronborg 25
rose and
they 29
tramped through
the empty hall 24
and down
the stairway 30
to
the street 31
.
The drug store 7
below was dark , and
the saloon 32
next door was just closing .
Every other light on
Main Street 33
was out .
On either side of
the road 34
and at the outer edge of
the board sidewalk 35
, the snow had been shoveled into breastworks .
The town 36
looked small and black , flattened down in the snow , muffled and all but extinguished .
Overhead the stars shone gloriously .
It was impossible not to notice them .
The air was so clear that
the white sand hills to the east of
Moonstone 4
37 gleamed softly .
Following
the Reverend 25
Mr. Kronborg 25
along
the narrow walk 38
, past
the little dark , sleeping houses 39
,
the doctor 1
looked up at the flashing night and whistled softly .
It did seem that
people 40
were stupider than
they 40
need be ; as if on a night like this there ought to be something better to do than to sleep nine hours , or to assist
Mrs. Kronborg 28
in functions which
she 28
could have performed so admirably unaided .
He 1
wished
he 1
had gone down to
Denver 23
to hear
Fay Templeton 41
sing “ See-Saw . ”
Then
he 1
remembered that
he 1
had a personal interest in
this family 42
, after all .
They 29
turned into
another street 43
and saw before
them 29
lighted windows ;
a low story-and-a-half house , with a wing built on at the right and a
kitchen 45
addition at the back
44 , everything a little on the slant -- roofs , windows , and doors .
As
they 29
approached the gate ,
Peter Kronborg 25
's pace grew brisker .
His 25
nervous , ministerial cough annoyed
the doctor 1
.
“ Exactly as if
he 25
were going to give out a text , ”
he 1
thought .
He 1
drew off
his 1
glove and felt in
his 1
vest pocket .
“ Have a troche ,
Kronborg 25
, ”
he 1
said , producing some .
“ Sent
me 1
for samples .
Very good for a rough throat . ”
“ Ah , thank
you 1
, thank
you 1
.
I 25
was in something of a hurry .
I 25
neglected to put on
my 25
overshoes .
Here
we 29
are ,
doctor 1
. ”
Kronborg 25
opened
his 25
front door -- seemed delighted to be at
home 46
again .
The front hall 47
was dark and cold ; the hatrack was hung with an astonishing number of
children 48
's hats and caps and cloaks .
They were even piled on the table beneath the hatrack .
Under the table was a heap of rubbers and overshoes .
While
the doctor 1
hung up
his 1
coat and hat ,
Peter Kronborg 25
opened the door into
the living-room 49
.
A glare of light greeted
them 29
, and a rush of hot , stale air , smelling of warming flannels .
At three o'clock in the morning
Dr. Archie 1
was in
the parlor 50
putting on
his 1
cuffs and coat -- there was
no spare bedroom 51
in
that house 44
.
Peter Kronborg 25
's seventh child
52 ,
a boy 74
, was being soothed and cosseted by
,
Mrs. Kronborg 28
was asleep , and
the doctor 1
was going
home 54
.
But
he 1
wanted first to speak to
Kronborg 25
, who , coatless and fluttery , was pouring coal into the
kitchen 45
stove .
As
the doctor 1
crossed
the dining-room 55
he 1
paused and listened .
From
one of
the wing rooms 57
56 , off to the left ,
he 1
heard rapid , distressed breathing .
He 1
went to the
kitchen 45
door .
“
One of
the children 59
58 sick in
there 56
? ”
he 1
asked , nodding toward the partition .
Kronborg 25
hung up the stove-lifter and dusted
his 25
fingers .
“ It must be
Thea 60
.
I 25
meant to ask
you 1
to look at
her 60
.
She 60
has a croupy cold .
But in
my 25
excitement --
Mrs. Kronborg 28
is doing finely , eh ,
doctor 1
?
Not
with such a constitution ,
I 25
expect . ”
“ Oh , yes .
She 28
's
a fine mother 75
. ”
The doctor 1
took up the lamp from the
kitchen 45
table and unceremoniously went into
the wing room 56
.
Two chubby little boys 63
were asleep in a double bed , with the coverlids over
their 63
noses and
their 63
feet drawn up .
In a single bed , next to theirs , lay
a little girl of eleven 60
, wide awake , two yellow braids sticking up on the pillow behind
her 60
.
Her 60
face was scarlet and
her 60
eyes were blazing .
The doctor 1
shut the door behind
him 1
.
“ Feel pretty sick ,
Thea 60
? ”
he 1
asked as
he 1
took out
his 1
thermometer .
“ Why did n't
you 60
call
somebody 64
? ”
She 60
looked at
him 1
with greedy affection .
“
I 60
thought
you 1
were here , ”
she 60
spoke between quick breaths .
“ There is
a new baby 65
, is n't there ?
Which ? ”
“ Which ? ” repeated
the doctor 1
.
“
Brother 66
or
sister 67
? ”
He 1
smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed .
“
Brother 68
, ”
he 1
said , taking
her 60
hand .
“ Open . ”
“ Good .
Brothers 69
are better , ”
she 60
murmured as
he 1
put the glass tube under
her 60
tongue .
“ Now , be still ,
I 1
want to count . ”
Dr. Archie 1
reached for
her 60
hand and took out
his 1
watch .
When
he 1
put
her 60
hand back under the quilt
he 1
went over to one of the windows -- they were both tight shut -- and lifted it a little way .
He 1
reached up and ran
his 1
hand along the cold , unpapered wall .
“ Keep under the covers ;
I 1
'll come back to
you 60
in a moment , ”
he 1
said , bending over the glass lamp with
his 1
thermometer .
He 1
winked at
her 60
from the door before
he 1
shut it .
Peter Kronborg 25
was sitting in
, holding the bundle which contained
.
His 25
air of cheerful importance ,
his 25
beard and glasses , even
his 25
shirt-sleeves , annoyed
the doctor 1
.
He 1
beckoned
Kronborg 25
into
the living-room 49
and said sternly : -- “
You 25
've got
a very sick child 60
in
there 56
.
Why did n't
you 25
call
me 1
before ?
It 's pneumonia , and
she 60
must have been sick for several days .
Put
the baby 65
down somewhere , please , and help
me 1
make up the bed-lounge
here 50
in
the parlor 50
.
She 60
's got to be in
a warm room 71
, and
she 60
's got to be quiet .
You 25
must keep
the other children 72
out .
Here , this thing opens up ,
I 1
see , ” swinging back the top of the carpet lounge .
“
We 29
can lift
her 60
mattress and carry
her 60
in just as
she 60
is .
I 1
do n't want to disturb
her 60
more than is necessary . ”