He was a strong, fine-looking man, so full of quiet
energy that his very presence in the sick-room was encouraging to
the invalid; and he had come to be at once the friend, physician,
and adviser of every family in town, whether rich or poor. If his
patients could afford to pay him for his visits, very well; if
not, it was just as well, for neither Dr. Adams nor his wife
desired to be rich. To live comfortably themselves, to lay up a
little for the future, and to be able to help their poorer
neighbors, now and then,--this was all they wished, and this was
easily accomplished. In past years, two or three other doctors had
settled in the town; but after a few months of trial they had
closed their offices and gone away, because not one of Dr. Adams's
patients could be tempted to leave him, and his lively black horse
and shabby buggy were seen flying about the streets, while their
shiny new carriages either stood idle in their stables, or were
taken out for an occasional pleasure drive.
If Polly had been asked what was her greatest trial, her answer,
truthful and emphatic, would have been: "Aunt Jane." It was a
mystery to her as, indeed, it was to every one else, how two
sisters could be so unlike.
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