A Frontier Doctor Page: 20

A FRONTIER DOCTOR

The other woman was very profuse in her thanks. We
went on our way, both Van Dusen and I sorry that
Henderson had 'beaten us to it.' Nearing home Hender-
son reached for his watch, a valuable one, a present from
his mother. It was gone. Our sorrow vanished.
At that time Allen Pinkerton lived not far from our
place. We almost ran to his home and Henderson re-
ported the incident. After asking a few questions, Mr.
Pinkerton laughed heartily, and told Henderson not to
worry, he would get the watch back. Sure enough, the
next day it was returned and Mr. Pinkerton would take no
fee for his services.
The first Tuesday in November, 1876, a President was
to be elected. I never had voted for one. The Sunday
morning before election day, while we were at breakfast,
I heard some one say that the Republican and Demo-
cratic State Committees were giving passes on railroads
to students in Chicago who would like to go home and
vote.
Idea! I made a quick trip to the Grand Pacific Hotel on
Clark Street, headquarters of one of the Committees - I
never knew which one - found a group of men around a
large table and told them what I had heard. They asked
me a few questions and said that I had come to the
wrong place, that I should go to a Mr. Keep at an ad-
dress on Michigan Avenue. I noticed a sly wink or two
and realized they were putting something over on me, or
trying to. Thanking them for their kindness, I retired
and smiled to myself as I heard them laughing.
I called at the office, asked the clerk who 'Mr. Keep'
was, giving the number and street, and was informed that
he was president of the Chicago and Northwestern Rail-
road Company and that the address was that of his resi-
dence.
I decided that it would do no harm to call and walked

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