Ellen M. Firebaugh

“ One of the most discouraging things I have encountered is a great blank silence. The doctor asks his wife to keep a close watch on the telephone for a little while, and leaves the office. Pretty soon it rings and she goes to answer it.
“Hello?” Silence. “What is it?” More silence. She knows that “unseen hands or spirits” did not ring that bell. She knows perfectly well that there is a listening ear at the other end of the line. But you cannot converse with silence any more than you can speak to a man you meet on the street if he purposely looks the other way. ”

“ Mary goes back to her chair and ponders a little. Of what avail to multiply words. No use to tell the woman 'phoning that she was willing to take the waiting and the watching, the seeing that the doctor received the message upon herself rather than that the other should be again troubled by it. No use to let her gently understand that she doesn't care for any confidences which belong only to her husband, but Fate has placed her in a position where she has oftentimes to seem unduly interested. ”

“ One warm summer night when bed-time came she made the announcement that she was going upstairs to sleep in the big room.
“But what if I should be called out in the night?” asked her husband, with protest in his voice.
“Then I'd be safer up there than down here,” said Mary, calmly.
“But I mean you couldn't hear the 'phone.”
“That is a consummation devoutly to be wished.”
“Now don't go off up there,” expostulated John. “You always hear it and I sort of depend on you to get me awake.”
“Exactly. But it's a good thing for a man to depend on himself once in awhile. ”

“ She said she came six miles to see you and she supposed you'd be in your office some time, and that sometime was mightily emphatic.”
“O, yes, I know now. She'll be in again,” laughed the doctor and Mary felt relieved, for in the querulous tones of the disappointed woman she had read disapproval of the doctor and of herself too, as the partner not only of his joys and sorrows, but of his laggard gait as well. The people who wait for a doctor are not apt to consider that a good many more may be waiting for him also at that particular moment of time. ”

“ The doctor came out and they started. Just before they came out to the main road they passed an old deserted house. No signs of life were about it except the very luxuriant life in the tall jimsons and ragweeds growing about it and reaching almost to the top of the low doorway, yawning blackly behind them.
“I think the longest night of my life was spent in that house about sixteen years ago. It's the only house I was ever in where there was nothing at all to read. There wasn't even an almanac.”
Mary laughed. “An almanac is a great deal better than nothing, my dear. ”

“ Mother and daughter gave the doctor warm thanks and each buggy went its separate way.
Mary was looking about her. “The elms have a faint suspicion that spring is coming; the willows only are quite sure of it,” she said, noting their tender greenth which formed a soft blur of color, the only color in all the gray landscape. No, there is a swift dash of blue, for a jay has settled down on the top of a rail just at our travelers' right. ”

“ The Story of a Doctor's Telephone
CHAPTER I.
The hands of the clock were climbing around toward eleven and the doctor had not returned. Mary, a drowsiness beginning to steal over her, looked up with a yawn. Then she fell into a soliloquy:
To bed, or not to bed—that is the question:
Whether 'tis wiser in the wife to wait for a belated spouse,
Or to wrap the drapery of her couch about her
And lie down to pleasant dreams? ”

“ This done she looked down the road where the doctor had disappeared. “I'll just walk on and meet him,” she thought. She went leisurely along, stopping now and then to pluck a spray of goldenrod. When she had gathered quite a bunch she looked at it closely. “You are like some people in this world—you have a pretty name and at a little distance you are pretty: but seen too close you are a disappointment, and more than that you are coarse. I don't want you,” and she flung them away. She saw dust rising far down the road and hoped it might be the doctor. ”

“ The world should not lie in ignorance of this tremendous evil. If men will not be saved from themselves they will save their unborn children, if they only know. God help them.”
The doctor went slowly homeward, his mind filled with the awful calamity in the household he had left. “It is time the world is waking,” he thought. “We must arouse it.”
Ting-a-ling-ling-ling. Ting-a-ling-ling-ling. Ting-a-ling-ling-ling.
“Is this Mrs. Blank?”
It was a manly voice vibrating with youth and joy.
“I want to tell you that your husband has just left a sweet little daughter at our house.” ”

“ If he fails he will come right down into the road—“Oh!”
“What is it?” asked the doctor, looking around, and Mary told him with a rather foolish smile.
The twilight deepened into dusk and the notes of a whippoorwill came to them from a distance. “You and I must have nothing but sweet thoughts right now, John, because then we'll get to keep them for a year.” She quoted:
“'Tis said that whatever sweet feeling
May be throbbing within the fond heart,
When listening to a whippoorwill s-pieling,
For a twelvemonth will never depart.” ”

“ There was a look of resigned despair on his face and Mary smiled sympathetically at him as she went out. How many lads and lassies could have sympathized with him too, having been victims to that widespread feeling among housewives that when “Pa” is gone no dinner need be got and sometimes not much supper.
As the doctor and his wife started down the walk they heard a voice say, “Ma, don't you ever send for that smart-aleck doctor agin. I won't have him.” The doctor shook with laughter as he untied the horse. ”

“ I want you to know something about what every father and mother ought to understand.”
They went in and the doctor took the baby up and seated himself by the chair on which stood a basin of water. The mother, with very ungracious demeanor, looked on. Mary, shocked and filled with pity, looked down into the baby's face. The inflammation in the eyes was terrible. The secretion constantly exuded and hung in great globules to the tiny lids. Never in her life had she seen anything like it. “Let me hold it for you,” she said, sitting down and taking the baby in her lap. ”

“ I don't know why I do it—so many people seem to expect it as a matter of course—”
“It's a great deal easier for each person to deliver his own message than for you to have a half dozen on your mind at once. I wouldn't do it. You'll be a raving lunatic by the next time I see you.”
“At least I'll have ample time in which to become one,” laughed Mary.
“I'm going,” announced her friend, suddenly rising. “I could spare five or ten minutes more but if I sit here you'll forget that 'phone again. But take my advice, Mary, and institute a change in the order of things.” ”

“ The doctor was fixing up powders and went placidly on till he got through, then he said “Mary Ann has a better opinion of me than I thought she had. It takes a mighty good doctor to do that. That's a very old song but there are a few people in the world that like to sing it yet. They don't know that there isn't a doctor in the world that knows enough to do a thing like that even if he wanted to. Nature would beat him every time if they gave her a chance.” ”

“ The doctor nodded his head toward two little girls in fresh white dresses who stood on the side-walk anxiously watching his approach. There was earnest interest in the blue eyes and the black. Near the little girls stood a white-headed toddler of about two years and by his side a boy seven or eight years old.
“Mr. Blank,” called the blue-eyed little girl—all men with or without titles are Mr. to little folks;—the doctor stopped his horse.
“Well, what is it, Mamie?”
“I want you to bring my mamma a baby.” ”

“ I will watch the 'phone as faithfully as in the past, but I will not ask for any name or any message. They will be given voluntarily if at all.”
“All right, Mary,” said the doctor, gently, seeing that she was quite serious.
“I do not mean to say that most of the people who 'phone are grouchy and disagreeable—far from it. Indeed the majority are pleasant and courteous. But it is those who are not who have routed me, and made me vow my vow. Don't ask me to break it, John, for I will not.” ”

“ He had recognized the messenger as the night clerk at the hotel not far from his home.
“A man hurt at the railroad—they're afraid he'll bleed to death. Central called me and asked me to run over here and rouse you.”
When the doctor was gone Mary rose tremblingly and hung up the receiver. She would not tell John what she had done. He would be angry. She had felt that the end justified the means—that he was tired out and half sick and sorely needed a night's unbroken rest—but if the end should be the bleeding to death of this poor man—
She dared not think of it. ”

“ She started off and Mary went on gathering nuts, her face breaking into smiles at the queer errand and the restorative power imputed to herself. “If it is as serious as she thinks, all the doctors in the world can't do much for it, much less one meek and humble doctor's wife. ”

“ There has been legislation for the prevention of blindness in the States of New York, Maine, Rhode Island and Illinois.
When they were in the buggy again Mary said, “But what if the baby goes blind after all? Of course they would say that you did it with your ‘strong medicine.’”
“Of course they would, but that would not disturb me in the least. But it will not go blind now. I'll see to that.”
Soon they had left the town behind them and were fairly on their way. The soft, yet bracing, air of the April morning was delightful. The sun shone warm. Birds carolled everywhere. ”

“ On a lovely afternoon our travelers were driving leisurely along through partially cleared woodland. The doctor had proposed that they take this trip in the new automobile. But Mary had declined with great firmness.
“I will not be hurled along the road in October of all months. What fools these mortals be,” she went on. ”

“ He wanted to trade a watermelon for pills and we traded.”
“For pity's sake,” said Mary indignantly, “and you're going to let that man kill himself while you strain at a point of professional etiquette!” She was gazing back at the unfortunate man.
“Don't you worry, he'll be too much afraid of them to hurt himself with them,” said the doctor, laughing.
“I sincerely hope he will.”
As they came in sight of home the doctor, who had been silent for some time, sighed heavily. “I am thinking of that little child out there. I tell you, Mary, a case of meningitis makes a man feel his limitations.” ”

“ She knew that he was often under its influence.
“I can't get it without a prescription from a physician, you know. She needs it right away.”
“The thirst is on him,” thought our listener, pityingly.
The voice went on, “Mrs. Blank, couldn't you just speak to the druggist about it so I could get it right away?”
“Mr. Andrews,” she said hastily, “the druggist would pay no attention to me. I'm not a physician, you know. The doctor will be here in an hour—see him,” and she hurried the receiver into its place, anxious to get away from it. This was a story that was entirely new to her. ”

“ Mary felt reluctant to answer it—it sounded so like the first. And it was not the house call this time, but two rings which undeniably meant the office. But she must be true to the trust reposed in her. She went to the 'phone and softly taking down the receiver, listened; perhaps the doctor had got back and would answer it himself. ”

“ The attitude of the majestic woman has changed to that of supplication. And now the father stretches down forgiving arms and the queenly daughter bows her head against the mighty wall and weeps in gladness. ”

“ The doctor and his wife found their sleep disturbed far oftener than before. People will not dress and go out into the night to the doctor's house unless it is necessary. But it is an easy thing to step to the 'phone and call him from his sleep to answer questions—often needless—and when several people do the same thing in the same night, as frequently happens, it is not hard to see what the effect may be. ”

“ Listen to me.”
“Yes, I know. But a man's got to be human. I tell you you can't send her out in this cold. It's outrageous to—”
“Yes, I know all that, too. But it won't be long—the crisis will come in a day or two now and—”
“Damn it! Listen. Now stop that and listen. Don't you attempt it! That girl will be to drag off if you do, I tell you—”
“All right then. That sounds more like it,” and he hung up the receiver.
Mary looked up. “You are not very elegant in your discourse at times, John, but I'm glad you beat,” she said.
One evening the doctor came in and walked hurriedly into the dining-room. ”

“ Darkness settled over the earth. The willow trees, skirting the road for a little distance, lifted themselves in ghostly tracery against the starlit sky. A soft breeze stirred their branches like the breath of a gentle spirit abiding there. They passed a cozy farmhouse nestled down among tall trees. ”

“ When he finally looked around it seemed to Mary it would be a little awkward to bid him good morning now, so she tried to think what to say instead, by way of friendly greeting; it would be a little embarrassing to sit facing a human being for some time with not a word to break the constraint. ”

“ About this time another telephone system was established in the town—the Farmers'. Now a doctor's clientele includes many farmers, so he put one of the new 'phones into his office. By and by he reflected that farmers are apt to need to consult a physician at night—he must put in a Farmers' 'phone at home, too. And he did. Then he connected it with the office.
When the first 'phone went up Mary soon accustomed herself to its call—three rings. When her husband connected it with the office the rings were multiplied by three. One ring meant someone at the office calling central. ”

“ Mary smiled at the double negative and when she laughingly spoke of it that night her husband assured her that that doctor's singleness of purpose more than offset his doubleness of negative. That he was a fine fellow and a good physician just the same.
One morning in March just as the doctor arose from the breakfast table he was called to the 'phone.
“Is this Dr. Blank?”
“Yes.”
“Doctor, will it hurt the baby to bathe it every morning? I've been doing that but some of the folks around here say I oughtn't to do it; they say it isn't good for a baby to bathe it so often.” ”

“ But there was nothing for our listener to do but thrust herself into it.
“Hello,” she said, very gently.
“O, I've got you again, have I! I know I rung the office this time, for I looked in the book to see. How does it happen I get the house?” Ill temper was manifest in every word.
“The office and residence are connected,” explained Mary, patiently, “and when the 'phone rings while the doctor is out, he asks me to answer it for him.”
“I don't see what good that does.”
“It doesn't do any good when people do not care to leave a message,” said Mary quietly. ”

“ You have no idea how it tires a man to have people come to him and complain, complain, complain. The story is ever new to them but it gets mighty old to the doctor. Then they go away to the city and some surgeon with a great name does what may seem to him to be best. ”

“ I have always that sort of feeling when I look at sunset. It always seems to me that there in the west lies a land of light and warmth and love.”
A carriage was now coming down the road at great speed. Mary saw it was her husband and went in to put on her things. In a few minutes more she was in the buggy and they were bound for home. It was almost ten o'clock when they got there. The trip had been so hard on the horses that all the spirit was taken out of them. The doctor, too, was exceedingly tired. “Forty-two miles is a long trip to make in an afternoon,” he said. ”