74 THE ITINERANT HORSE PHYSICIAN 



where I tried to get on as assistant to some veteri- 

 narian, but was not successful. However, old 

 Dr. Merchant advised me to go to Fort Smith, 

 where he was quite sure I would find an opening 

 with Dr. May. 



Arrived at Fort Smith I immediately applied 

 to that gentleman for a position. While he had 

 no opening for me just then he was good enough 

 to give me permission to do a little work for him, 

 enough to enable me to get a few dollars ahead. 

 I did not care to do this, upon which the doctor 

 made me a loan of $25.00, saying I could pay him 

 back when I could do so conveniently. 



He sure was a regular good fellow. 



With this money I left for Oklahoma City, 

 thinking that I might find something to do there, 

 but the town already had more veterinarians than 

 it required and none of them cared to hire me. 

 The town was too large to "work," and so I 

 decided to go to El Reno. 



My experiences in El Reno I have told in a 

 previous article. Up until this time I had trod 

 a tolerable straight and narrow path profession- 

 ally considering the time and the customs in 

 the Southwest, but now financial pressure due to 

 my illness and the resulting expensive treatment 

 at Hot Springs deflected me in not a few 

 instances from the paths of professional conduct 

 that I would have chosen under easier circum- 

 stances. 



Leaving El Reno I travel south over the Rock 

 Island road, stopping off at every town along the 

 route and with one or two exceptions from twelve 



