The Sagebrusher: A Story of the West

by Emerson Hough

  CHAPTER XI

  THE COMPANY DOCTOR

  The Two Forks, below their junction, make a mighty stream which hasburst through a mountain range. Across this narrow gorge which it hasrent for itself in time immemorial, the insect, Man, industrious andpersevering, has cast a great pile of rock and concrete, a hundred feethigh, for that good folk some hundreds of miles away one day may blessthe Company for electric lighting. In this labor toiled manyman-insects of divers breeds and races, many of them returned soldiers,much as did the slaves of Pharaoh in earlier times. The work was onone of the new government projects revived after the war, in large partto offer employment to the returning men of the late Army.

  But Pharaoh had not dynamite or rack-rock or TNT; so that in the totalit were safer for an insect to have labored in Pharaoh's time. TheCompany doctor--himself a returned major--stationed there by reason ofthe eccentricities of dynamite, rack-rock and other high explosives,was much given to the sport of the angle, and disposed to be irritablewhen called from the allurements of the stream to attend some laboringman who had undertaken to attach a fuse by means of his teeth, or somesuch simple process. That is to say, Doctor Allen Barnes was irritableuntil he had reeled up his line and climbed the bank below the damsite, and betaken himself to the side of the last hospital cot wherelay the last victim of dynamic and dynamitical industry. After that hewas apt to forget angling and become an absorbed surgeon, and a veryable one.

  But on this particular day, when word came to him at the stream sidethat a stranger not of the force had arrived in town with a "bumleg"--so reported the messenger, Foreman Flaherty--Doctor Barnes waswroth exceedingly, for at that moment he was fast in a noble trout thatwas far out in the white water, and giving him, as he himself wouldhave phrased it, the time of his life.

  "Tell him I can't come, Flaherty!" he called over his shoulder. "I'mbusy."

  "I reckon that's so, Doc," said the foreman. "Why don't you haul himin? That pole of yours ain't no good, it's too limber. If I had himon mine I'd show you how to get him in."

  "Oh, you would, would you, dad burn you," remarked Doctor Barnes, whohad small love for the human race at many times, and less at thismoment. "I wouldn't put it past you. Well, this is my affair and notyours. Who is the fellow, anyhow, and where did he come from, and whatdoes he want? Has he been trying to beat the shot?"

  "He ain't on our job," replied the foreman. "Come down from twentymile up the East Fork. Got kicked by a horse."

  "Huh! What's his name? Look at him jump!" remarked the doctor, withmixed emotions and references.

  "Sim Gage. Come down with a feller name of Gardner that lives up inthere."

  "Oh, above on the East Fork? Say, how's the fishing up there?--Didthey say there were any grayling in there?"

  "I've saw Wid Gardner lots of times before, and he says a feller canalways get a sackful of grayling any time he wants to, in there, comesummer time."

  "Look at him go! Ain't that fine?" inquired Dr. Allen Barnes. "Did hesay they were coming good now, up there? Ain't he a peach?"

  "Yes, Wid said the grayling was risin' right good now," said Flaherty."But this feller, Sim Gage, his leg looks to me like you'd have to cutit off. Can I help, Doc?--I never seen a man's leg cut off, not in mywhole life."

  "How do I know whether it's got to come off or not, I'd like to know.See that?--Ain't he a darling, now, I'm asking you?"

  "He is. Like I was saying, this feller's leg is all swoll up. Leaveit to me, I'd say we ought to cut it off right now."

  "Well, you go tell him not to cut it off till I get this fish landed,"said Dr. Barnes. "Tell him I'll be up there in a few minutes. What'sthe matter with it, anyhow?"

  "Been gone a couple of days," said Flaherty, breaking off twigs andcasting them on the current. "Blood poison, I reckon."

  "What's that?" The Doctor turned under the spur of his professionalconscience. "Oh, well, dang it! Here goes!"

  He began to lift up and reel in with all his might, so that his fish,very much obliged, broke the gear and ran off with joy, a yard ofleader attached to his mouth.

  "That's the way it goes," said the Doctor. "Get fast to a six-poundbrown trout, and along comes a man with a leg that's got to be cut off.Dang such a job anyhow--I will cut his leg off, too, just for this!"

  Fuming as usual, he climbed the steep bank below the white face of thedam and crossed the street to his own raw shack, which was office andhome alike. He gazed resentfully at his parted leader as he hung upthe rod on the nails at the rear of the small porch, and sighing,entered the office for his surgical case.

  "Where is that fellow?" he demanded of Flaherty, who had followed himin.

  "That's him settin' on the wagon seat up with Wid Gardner, in theroad," replied the messenger. "He's got his foot up on the dash boardlike it was sore, ain't he?"

  Grumblingly Dr. Allen Barnes passed on up the road to the wagon wheretwo passengers awaited his coming.

  "Are you the man that wants me?" he asked, looking up at Sim Gage.

  "Why, yep," said Sim Gage, his face puckered up into his usual frown ofperplexity. "I reckon so, Doc. I got my leg hurt."

  "Well, come on over to the hospital."

  "Hospital? I can't go to no hospital. I can't afford it, Doc."

  "Well, I can't cut your leg off right out here in the street, can I,man? I'm offering you the hospital free--the Company takes care ofthose things. Not that I've got any business taking care of you, but Iwill."

  "Why, this ain't nothing," said Sim Gage, pointing a finger towards hisswollen knee, "just a leetle kick of a bronc, that's all. I got to begetting right back, Doc--I ain't got much time."

  "It don't take much time to cut off a leg," said Dr. Barnes. "Do it inthree minutes." His face, professionally grim, showed no token of asmile.

  "Well, I left my folks all alone up there," began Sim.

  "You did, eh? Well, they'll be there when you get back, won't they?"

  "I dunno, Doc----"

  "Well, I don't know anything about it, if you don't. But tell me,how's the fishing up in there? Any grayling?"

  "All you want," said Sim Gage. "Come along up any time, and I'll takeyou out. But no, I guess maybe----"

  Dr. Barnes looked at him curiously, and Wid Gardner went on to explainfor his neighbor.

  "You see, Doc, Sim, he's just newly married," said he, "or else he'sgoing to be right soon. Sim, he's kind of bashful about having youaround."

  "Thanks! But come--I haven't any time. Come into the office, andwe'll have a look at the leg."

  Wid drove after the stalking figure, which presently drew up in frontof the little office. In a few moments they had Sim Gage, the injuredmember bared, sitting up in a white chair in a very white and cleanminiature hospital which Dr. Barnes had installed.

  "This wound hasn't been cleaned properly," commented the doctor atonce. "What did you put on it?"

  "Why, whiskey. I didn't have nothing else."

  "Try water the next time," said Dr. Barnes with sarcasm. "We'll haveto paint it up with iodine now. Lockjaw, blood poison and amputationis the very least that will happen to you if you don't look out."

  "Amputation?" Sim turned with curiosity to his neighbor.

  "It's where they cut off your leg, Sim," said Wid, explaining.

  "Oh, well, maybe we'll save his leg," said Dr. Barnes, grinning atlast. "But don't let this occur again, my Christian friend. This willlay you up for two or three weeks the best way it can happen, in alllikelihood. Well, I'll swab it out and tie it up, and give you someiodine. Keep it painted. How big do the grayling go up in yourcountry?"

  "I've seen plenty over three pounds," said Sim Gage.

  "I don't like to doubt your word, my friend, but if you'll show me onethree-pound grayling, you won't ever owe me anything for fixing up yourleg."

  "I sure can, Doc," said Sim Gage. "Grasshoppers is best."

  "For you, maybe. If you please, I'll try Queen of th
e Waters, orProfessor, long-shanked, and about Number 8. And I say again, ifyou'll put me up to a three-pound grayling I'll cut off your leg fornothing any time you want it done!"

  "Well, now," said Sim Gage, his forehead puckering up, "I don't want toput you under no obligations, Doc."

  "He won't, neither, Doc," interrupted Wid Gardner, while the surgicaldressing was going forward. "There's holes in there twenty feet deep,and I've see two or three hundred grayling in there dang near as longas your arm."

  "Ouch, Doc!" remarked Sim Gage, "that yellow stuff smarts."

  "It's got to, my man. A couple of days more and you might really havelost that leg, sure enough. I've seen plenty of legs lost, my man. Idon't think it'll go much further up--I hope not. But blood poisoningis something bad to have, and I'll tell you that."

  "You ain't been in this country long, have you, Doc?" queried WidGardner. "You come on up and go fishing with us fellers. A few weeksfrom now it'll be better. I ain't got no woman at my place, but I cancook some. Sim's got a woman at his."

  "What's that?" inquired Dr. Barnes. "Oh, the woman that's waiting?What do you mean about that?"

  "Well," replied his patient, his forehead furrowed, "that is, we ain'trightly married yet. Just sort of studying things over, you know, Doc.We're waiting for--well, until things kind of shapes up. Youunderstand, Doc?"

  "I don't know that I do," said the Doctor, looking at him straightly."You understand one thing--there can't any funny business go on in thisvalley now. The administration's mighty keen. You know that."

  "There ain't, Doc. She's my housekeeper. I'd ask you in all right,only she can't cook, nor nothing."

  "A housekeeper, and can't cook? How's that?"

  Sim Gage wiped off his face, finding the temperature high for him."Well," said he, "Wid there and me, we advertised fer a housekeeper.This girl come on out. And when she come she was blind."

  "Blind!"

  "Blind as a bat. So she says she's fooled me. I sort of felt likewe'd all fooled _her_. She's a lady."

  "Why don't you send her back, man?" asked the doctor, with very visibledisgust.

  "I can't. How can I, when she's blind? She wasn't born that way, Doc,far's I can tell, but she was blind when she come out here. Now,leaving her setting there alone, it makes me feel kind of nervous. Youdon't blame me, now, do you, Doc?"

  "No," said Dr. Barnes gravely, "I don't blame you. You people out hereget me guessing sometimes. But you make me tired."

  He swept a hand across his face and eyes, just because he was tired."That's all I'm going to do for you to-day, my man," said he inconclusion. "Go on back home and fight out your own womanproblems--that isn't in my line."

  "She--I reckon she'd be glad to see you--if she could. You see, she'sa lady, Doc. She ain't like us people out here."

  The physician looked at him with curious appraisal in his eyes,studying both the man and this peculiar problem which all at once hadbeen brought to view.

  "A lady?" said he at last, somewhat disgusted. "If she was any ladyshe'd never have answered any advertisement such as you two people sayyou have been fools enough to print."

  "Look here! That ain't so," said Sim Gage with sudden heat. "Thatain't so none a-tall. Now, she is a lady--I won't let nobody say nodifferent. Only thing, she's a blind lady, that's all. She falls overthings when she walks. She got her eyes plumb full of cinders on thetrain, I expect. Cinders is awful. Why, one time when I was going outto Arizony I got a cinder in my eye, and I want to tell _you_----"

  "Listen at him lie, Doc!" interrupted Wid Gardner. "He never wasnowhere near Arizony in his life. That's his favoright lie. But he'stelling you the truth, near as I know it, about that woman. She didcome out to be a housekeeper, and she did come out here blind. Now,couldn't she be a lady and that be true?"

  "How can I tell?" said Dr. Barnes. "All I know; is that you peoplecame down here and made me break loose from the best fish I've seensince I've been out here. My best fish of a lifetime--I'll never gethold of a trout like that again."

  Sim Gage was experiencing at the moment mingled gratitude andresentment, but nothing could quench his own hospitable impulses. "Aw,come on up, Doc," said he, "won't you? We can figure out some way totake care of you right at my place. You and me can sleep in the tent."

  "So you live in the tent?" inquired Dr. Barnes.

  "Why, of course. She stays in the house. And she's there all alonethis very minute."

  "Hit the trail, men," said Dr. Barnes. "Go on back home, and staythere, you damn sagebrushers!"