Chapter 1
Sam Hilton paced the physician’s office for half an hour , hat in hand, with his faithful hound beside him. He was told Dr.Riley could help his brother and he was determined to have a word with the physician before the end of the day.
A young woman with her small child emerged from the office thanking the doctor and the lord above. The mother continued to thank the doctor as she made her way down the steps.
Sam stepped aside, letting the woman pass and watching as she kissed the baby’s chubby cheek.
The doctor noticed the young man, looked up at the sun in frustration and back at the young man. “You must be the one refusing to leave.”
Sam looked up to a man not much older than himself.
“You Doc Riley?”
The physician motioned for Sam to enter his office. The hound followed with slobber hanging from her long jowls.
“Doc, you gotta help me. I have a brother who has seen three doctors and all three say there is no hope.”
The young physician patted the hound’s head and stomach, paying no attention to the puddle of drool.
“Mr. Hilton, I have heard ‘no hope’ far too many times. It’s starting to exhaust me.”
Sam put his hat on, took it off and whistled for his hound. He pulled from his pocket a handkerchief of cornbread.
“Sit and behave, Jacks.”
The hound retrieved the cornbread and returned to Doc’s side.
“I am sure you didn’t hound my door to show me Jacks likes bread. Explain the condition of your brother.”
Sam began bending his hat, noticed the doctor was giving his full attention and went on to describe the plight of his young brother.
“James is a few years younger than me, 23 years old. He’s always been strong and healthy. Both of us work as masons by trade. You see, James has hardly ever been sick. But lately, well, lately James has been acting peculiar. Something has happened to him. James has never been one to overly worry. He started worrying he had smallpox and then insisting on it.”
The physician sat in his chair, leaning back comfortably.
“Smallpox is very serious . A man would have the right to worry about such an ailment.”
“Doc, James has seen three doctors. He has no sign whatsoever of this sickness. He will not relinquish the notion. He stopped eating, stopped working. Hell, I’m at a loss of what to do for him, Doc.”
Dr.Riley lit his pipe and sighed.
“Is he not eating or unable to eat?”
Sam looked down at his hound who was nudging the physician for attention.
“He has this notion. James stopped eating meat. He only eats vegetables and only a few bites at most. His wife and children had to leave on account of starvation. Any food I took them, James tossed out. The man, my own brother, would not let his wife cook for the children. He tossed them out into the street. At this moment, they are staying with my wife and children.”
Sam sat down in a chair in exhaustion. “He’s convinced he has smallpox internally.”
The Doc looked up at his shelf of medical books and then back at the worried young man. “Internally?”
Sam nodded.
“Internally. Of all the fool notions for a man to take hold of.”
Sam’s faithful hound returned to his side to offer comfort.
Dr. Riley stood, reaching for his hat.
“And these three physicians, none could help him?”
Sam looked up, with Jacks doing the same. “You have to help him, Doc.”
Dr.Riley nodded, smiled at the hound now wagging her tail. “Let us go and see your brother.”
The two walked from the office to his brother’s home, Jacks trotting happily ahead. The doctor explained he would examine the patient but a bit of trickery might be needed.
“Doc, as long as you can help him, you can say anything you like. Jame’s wife is ready to leave both husband and country and my wife is ready to help her pack. Hell, I am ready to pack up myself.”
Sam knocked on the door of his brother. With no answer, he opened and entered the dark room. Lighting a lantern, he motioned for the doctor and faithful hound.
His brother sat in a chair, head bowed as if asleep.
Jacks sniffed the patient from his legs to his arms and licked his down turned face, finally returning to the door to rest.
“James , you awake? Look at me, James.”
Dr.Riley patted Sam’s arm.
James had made no response, no movement, no act of civility , not even raising his head to look at him.
Dr.Riley knelt beside the chair.
“James, my name is Dr.Riley. The physicians asked me to come here today because they knew I could help you.”
James gave no sign of acknowledgement.
“The physicians told me of your symptoms and I can help you.”
Sam watched as the physician looked at his brother’s ears, nose and eyes, He then rose to his feet and started walking the room as if in astonishment.
“It is possible! Who could ever have thought it? Can it be?”
Sam watched as the physician returned to the chair of his brother and began his examination again. Ears, nose, eyes, and then commenced his pace of the floor.
“It’s a fact! No mistake and the like is not to be found in the records of medicine. I am astonished!”
Sam watched as his brother lifted his head, his eyes looking at the physician.
“Dr. Riley, what is it? What!”
Dr. Riley pulled out his pipe, taking his time as he filled and lit.
James pleaded, his voice rising in panic.
“What! You must tell me! What is it?”
Dr. Riley paced, pipe in hand, and now with the hound pacing with him.
“What? Sure enough!”
James pleaded again. “What? You must tell me!”
Dr.Riley pulled up a chair next to James, the hound sitting beside the doctor with slobber hanging from her cheeks to the physician’s shoes.
“Something very singular in our case. I am under no obligations to you for discovery, I will keep it to myself. More than that, it is as much as a physician’s reputation is worth to advance such an opinion. No, I think I will keep it to myself.”
Dr. Riley started to stand but was stopped by the skeletal hand of James.
“Doctor, I must know. “
The doctor sat back down. “Why sir, if i tell you, it must be kept secret, between ourselves.”
James readily assented. “I give you my word. Please tell me.”
“Then, sir, you must know that you have the smallpox internally!”
The Doc stood and started to turn away.
James sprung from his seat and seized the doctor by the hand.
“You are the doctor for me! I have been telling the doctors but none of them would believe me.”
Sam motioned for James to sit back down, his own stomach sick with worry at the sight of the skeleton figure of his brother.
James asked with a voice barely heard, “Is there a remedy? Any hope?”
Dr.Riley paced a bit more, “I think there is, but you must follow my direction. There are three ways by which the disease may be eradicated. One, by insensible perspiration, another by internal remedies, the third by bringing it out upon the surface in the form of eruption.”
James looked at his brother and Sam nodded. “He can help you, James.”
James began to cry as if he were a child.
“Let it be the last so I may have proof of the fact.”
Dr. Riley quickly began giving orders for a nutritious diet. Within a matter of days, James began to regain his health and strength.
Doc had also given some harmless medicinal preparation, which the physician had told his patient would bring forth the smallpox.
Dr. Riley continually checked in on the patient and when he gained sufficient strength through nutrition, the physician instructed the brother.
“Cowage.” Doc handed him a bag of what he thought was herbs.
Sam looked at the bag, taking it from the Doc carefully. “Cowage?”
The Doc smiled. “ The hair of this bean is dreadful. It’s an article known to cause eruption and intolerable itching when applied to the skin. Strew his bed with it.”
Sam did as he was instructed. He bid his brother goodnight. Leaving for his own home and family, he said a quick prayer that the plan would work.
“Lord, let my brother James wake up blistered and itching. Let him take back his wife and children so that I can live in peace.”
Sam went home and slept as if he had never slept before.
James went to bed and was not bed long when he woke with great itching and his entire body blotched.
He shrieked with happiness and relief.
“Praise be to God! I have proof!” James shouted with joy for days, endured the suffering, satisfied that he was correct.
Doc visited once more and declared him healed, thanking God himself that the case was done.
James returned to work with his brother and was never troubled with internal smallpox again.
Sam saw his own prayer answered and was able to return his brother’s wife and children home.
“Praise be to God for peace.”
And the hound? She recently had a litter of puppies, two to be given to Doc and one for James. Blessings were spread about the town in the form of drooping jowls and howls of joy.
THE END
