Our Square and the People in ItAdams, Samuel Hopkins
General
Our Square and the People in It
Adams, Samuel Hopkins
New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction; Short stories
at the intruder and rushed to the rescue, followed by the partner of
his bosom. It was no time for diplomacy or fine distinctions as to
the rights of the non-combatant sex. The Little Red Doctor acted with
promptitude and both hands, and the Murphys came to in the kitchen with
the door barred against reëntry. Thereupon they raised such lamentable
outcry that Dad-mun Schütz loped downstairs to the rescue. Seeing a
stranger in the act of throttling the scion of the house of Murphy,
the ol'-clo' man undertook to dissuade him by fixing a bony hand in
his collar; but in so doing forgot the existence of what is technically
termed, I understand, the pivot blow. Upon discovering its uses he lay
down in the hallway to meditate upon it. The Little Red Doctor finished
his job before Terry the Cop's substitute arrived to arrest him. He went
peacefully. Dead-Men's-Shoes followed to the court, escorting Murphy
senior, who was extensively bandaged. The bench was occupied and
ornamented by Magistrate Wolfe Tone Hanrahan, the Irish Solon of Avenue
B. Judge Hanrahan possesses a human stratum in his judicial temperament.
His examination of the prisoner (suppressed from the stenographer's
official notes) proceeded as follows:--
The Judge--What were you doing in Murphys' flat?
The Accused--I was there professionally.
The Judge--Professionally, say ye? (With a look at the ill-repaired
Murphys.) Are ye a prize-fighter?
The Accused--I am a physician and surgeon.
The Judge--Mostly surgeon, I'm thinkin'. Ye seem to have removed three
teeth from the patient an' partly ampytated an ear. Besides, he swears
ye tried to murder the boy. Is such yer usual practice?
The Accused--The boy had a fish bone in his throat. He was strangling.
Here is the bone. The boy is in bed. I ought to be with him now.
The Judge--Officer, ye're a fool. Murphy, y' oughta get ten days. Mrs.
Murphy, back to yer child! Defendant, cud ye come to my house, No. 36,
to-morra mornin'? My cook has a bile on her neck. I like yer style. Yere
discharged.
Dead-Men's-Shoes escorted the physician back apologizing at every step,
and thenceforth touted for him (greatly to his embarrassment) until Our
Square grew afraid to call in any other practitioner lest the partisan
ol'-clo' man should accuse us of attempted suicide by negligence. Within
a year of his arrival the little Red Doctor had become, as it were,
official healer to the whole place. And where he began as physician he
ended as friend and ally.
The Little Red Doctor was intensely personal in his permanent engagement
with his old friend, Death.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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