A JOURNEY TO NATURE 



threw his cane upon the table recklessly, and, 

 drawing up his portly form, said : 



&quot; Well, confound your urgent impudence ! I 

 expected to find you breathing your last.&quot; 



&quot; Perhaps I am, Doctor,&quot; I said. &quot; I had an 

 attack on the street of heart failure. I want 

 instant advice.&quot; 



&quot; Heart failure ? &quot; he shouted. &quot; Is that all ? 

 Confound you; I thought you had the influenza. 

 Suppose you open that window. I ll have heart 

 failure myself if I breathe this atmosphere.&quot; 



&quot; Do you think it would be safe for me in my 

 present condition ? &quot; I asked. 



&quot; Not only safe, but preferable.&quot; 



I opened the sash. It was an early spring after 

 noon, and the sound of a newsboy s voice came 

 mellowed by the distance, as if from a world I had 

 left behind. He was calling a late edition. 



&quot; You ll excuse me a moment, Doctor,&quot; I said, 

 as I rang my call again. &quot; I d like to see the 

 latest quotations.&quot; 



He looked at me curiously. &quot; There s a break 

 in the market ? &quot; he asked. 



&quot; Slump,&quot; I replied. 



&quot; Are you in deep ? &quot; 



&quot; Up to my ears. But it s my health that s 

 worrying me.&quot; Then I described my experience 

 as well as I could, and presently he had my coat 

 off, and I was under his professional manipulation. 

 He called it taking a look at my assets hardly 

 thought I could make an assignment, and various 

 cheerful remarks of that kind, while his cool thumb 



