The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 1 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

4 THE ARGOSY. ship had given him last Christmas in lieu of salary as Board of Health, and the two nickels in his trouser-pockets, was ex- actly four dollars and ten cents! CHAPTER II. INTO THE HEART OF FLATBUSH. [* occurred to Mrs. Dunlap, indeed, after several awkward seconds, that this Dr. Jim Bowen would have been a poor successor to Dr. Rimborne in any case. He looked dazed and stupid as he stood there, staring at her; and when that brief smile appeared, as it did again, there. was even a suggestion that Dr. Bowen might be mentally not quite bal- anced! “The services will be held to-morrow at two, doctor,” she said. Dr. Jim Bowen awoke with a start. - “T’]]—try to be here,” he muttered. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Dunlap, and thank you.” She followed him down-stairs. She waited at the door of the drawing-room as he stepped softly back to the side of the casket for a last, long look at his father’s friend. Then, not without a small sigh of relief, Mrs. Dunlap closed the door on Dr. Jim Bowen—and that really gifted and learned medical man stood in the sunshine again, alone with a situation of which the very possibility had never occurred to him! For he was in a mess now, in good earnest! With trunks and grips and in- strument-cases distributed between the baggage-department and the checking- room of the Grand Central Terminal, through which he had entered New York not two hours ago— without even the price of a week’s cheap board in his pocket, Dr. James Bowen, at thirty-five, was in a very bad plight indeed. Inevitably, as he moved slowly down McDonough Street, his mind went back to Hallas and yesterday morning. He had been very cheerful then, as he stood waiting to take the branch train; cheerful even though not ten dollars re- mained to him after buying his ticket to New York. He had jested with the Rev. Halliday, Hallas’s one minister, a decid- edly good fellow of his own age and— well, if one chose to be painfully frank, another professional fizzle. Dick Halliday had been ministering to souls about Hallas for ten years, and had no hope of escaping; Jim Bowen had been attending bodies for twelve, and was leaving for good, and it was hard for the Rev. Halliday to smile. ‘““T envy you, Jim,” was almost the last thing he had said. “ They’re good people hereabout, but—” “But they don’t make even enough money to feed themselves,” Dr. Jim Bowen recalled saying flatly. ‘‘ They’re a good enough lot, even if they have starved me to death, but— Lord! I’m glad I’m going to something sure and better.” Here the Rev. Halliday had looked earnestly at him. “It zs sure, Jim, isn’t it? for your sake.”’ And now Dr. Bowen winced queerly as he remembered laughing and saying: ‘It’s as sure as a gold-bond, Dick! Old Dr. Rimborne’s one of the finest and best medical men in Brooklyn, and his practise is enormous. I haven’t seen him for years, because I’ve never been able to afford a trip from this hole to the city; but he was dad’s good friend, even after he failed in business and everybody went back on him; and I’ve been waiting five I hope so, ‘good years to have him suggest that I come down and take hold with him—and hardly daring to hope that he’d ever do it. “ But the thing is sure, my boy. And when I’m well settled down there,” Dr. Bowen had been kind enough to add, with just a touch of the patronizing, ‘‘ I’m going to find you a real church, Dick. Brooklyn’s supposed to be slow, but it’s strong on churches, and this work with Rimborne will keep me in touch with the very best people.” ‘“‘[—I wish you could,” the Rev. Halli- CORMMICOOOKS (C©)