The recovered patient leaped from his bed, and, with an oath, made straight for the doctor; but the bystanders, though convulsed with laughter, caught the enraged victim, while, amid the cheers and laughter of the crowd, Dr. B. made his escape, saying to himself,-- "The nitrate of silver I put in the basin worked like a charm." The story soon circulated, and Dr. S., being unable to remove the deep stain from his skin, and the curious rabble from his door, left for parts unknown. Dr. B., on revisiting his patients, who now rejoiced in his recovery, found that S. had not only dispensed lobelia and blood-root, but had bled and mercurialized several. REMARKABLE DROPSY. The writer was acquainted with a young physician who was unceremoniously discharged by the family of a beautiful young lady to whom he had been called to prescribe, in a country village, his offence being the discovery of the true source of the patient's (?) indisposition, which fact he _dared_ to intimate to the mother. "An older and more experienced physician" succeeded him, who reversed the diagnosis, and pronounced it "a clear case of _dropsy_," and the young M. D. went into disrepute. During the entire winter the old doctor made daily visits to his patient. Daily had the old ladies of the neighborhood adjusted their "specs," smoothed down their aprons, and, watching the doctor's return, run out to the gate to inquire after the health of the lady, the belle of the town. "O, she's _convalescent_," was his usual reply, with due professional dignity; and thus the matter stood till a crisis came. [Illustration: MARRYING A FAMILY.] There was a ball in the village one night. About eleven o'clock a messenger appeared in the room, who hastily summoned a certain young gentleman, a scion of one of the "first families" in town. At the same time the minister was called, and the young man, standing by the bed, holding the invalid lady by the right hand, while on his left arm he supported a beautiful babe but an hour old, was married to the "convalescent" patient. The old doctor had run a beautiful "bill," but it was his last in that village. A COUNTRY CONSULTATION. The difficulty of obtaining competent counsel in the country can only be fully comprehended by the intelligent physician who has had experience therein. From Dr. Richmond's "_Scenes in Western Practice_," I have selected the following lamentable incidents, which I have abbreviated as much as is consistent with the facts, related by the doctor, who in this case was called to a wealthy and influential family, two of whom, wife and child, were prostrated by epidemic dysentery.