The Beloved Stranger - By Grace Livingston Hill Page 0,70

son works, but he charged ten dollars every time he saw him, and ordered things that cost so much we couldn’t get them, and said he ought to go to a private hospital for observation where they charge fifty dollars a week, and we had to give that up. Now we owe them all, and Lutie is paying them fifty cents a week, and Sam pays sometimes a dollar when he can spare it; dear knows when we’ll get them all paid off.”

“Well,” said Aunt Pat with satisfaction, “then the coast is clear. That’s good. Now, I’m going to send my doctor up to see him. How soon would it be convenient for him to come?”

The woman flushed.

“Oh, we couldn’t really afford another doctor,” she said in a worried tone. “It’s very kind for you to take an interest in us, but you see, we just couldn’t pay him now, and it only worries Father and makes him so he can’t sleep.”

“Yes, but you see, my doctor won’t cost you anything,” said Aunt Pat. “He does these things as a favor for me.

He’s an old friend of mine, and he’s been our family physician for years. He’s very skillful, too, and he’ll tell me the truth. If anything can be done for your husband, we’ll find out what it is. And as for money, dear woman, aren’t you and I both God’s children? I’ve got some money that is just crying out to be spent somehow. They’re after me to build an art school with it, but if it could make your husband better, I’d a lot rather have it used that way. And I take it God would be a great deal better pleased.”

“Oh, but Miss Catherwood, I couldn’t! You’re awfully good and I’ll never forget it—but we couldn’t! Oh, we never could!” The woman was crying openly now, into her nice clean blue-and-white checked apron. Sherrill had a sudden feeling that she would like to go over and put her arms around Lutie’s mother and kiss her on her tired, seamed forehead. Suppose it had been her mother? Sherrill’s mother seemed so very many years away!

But Miss Catherwood was sitting up very straight now.

“Fiddlesticks end!” she said crisply. “As if you’d put pride between when it comes to getting your husband well! Listen! The Lord told me to come over here this morning and see what needed doing and do it. See? And you’re not going to block the way. You’re just going to be a dear sweet woman and do what you’re told. How soon can you be ready for the doctor?”

“Oh!” sobbed the woman. “You’re too good to us! Lutie said you were the salt of the earth—”

“Now, look here,” fumed Aunt Pat, “stop that kind of talk. We don’t need any salt around here just now. Wipe your eyes and tell me how soon I can have the doctor stop. Can you be ready for him by two o’clock? I think it likely he could be here about then. And while he’s here I’m going to tell him to take a look at the little boy. Lutie said he had trouble with his hip.”

“Oh yes,” wailed the mother as if the admission stabbed her to the heart. “They tell me he’ll never walk again. He doesn’t know it yet, poor kid. He keeps talking about when he’s going to get well enough to play baseball with the other boys.”

“Well, we’ll see what can be done,” said Aunt Pat with satisfaction. “And now, is there any way we can help you with this washing? Because, you see, we want you to be ready to have the doctor give you an examination, too, and then we’ll know where we stand.”

“Oh, but I’m all right!” beamed the mother eagerly. “I don’t need the doctor now. If my husband and boy could just get cured I’d be all right. It’s just been the worry—”

“Well, that’s all right, too, but you’re going to have the examination, and then we’ll find out what the doctor says about it. If he says you’re all right, why, then no harm is done, but if he says you need an operation, you’re going to have it right away.”

“Oh, but I couldn’t be spared while my two men are sick,” said the woman in alarm.

“Oh yes, you could, my dear!” said the old lady determinedly, “and it’s a great deal better for you to be spared now than to wait until it’s too late to