| Romance Fiction posted May 14, 2013 | Chapters: |
-1- 2... 
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Love Among the Thorns
A chapter in the book The Animal Doctor
The Apprentice
by amahra
| Background Some say he had a gift: a touch, a whisper, and animals became calm, ill ones got well, and women's loins moistened from the taste of his lips. This is the story of Nathan Daniels, The Animal Doctor. |
Nathan Daniels stepped off the train after a night's journey. He walked to the middle of the platform, glad to get the stiffness out of his limbs. He stopped and streched his neck for the buggy waiting to take him to the Horse and Cattle doctor's ranch just outside of town. Running his fingers through his thick, dark hair drew a faint sigh from a heavily made-up woman seated near the ticket window. A well-known fixture, she kept a watchful eye out for visitors in need of fragrant company.
The woman lowered her eyes to the inside of his thigh and wet her lips; his deep blue eyes caught hers' when she looked up.
She crossed her legs, revealing a red garter above a pale white knee. Her blazing, red hair gleamed in the sunlight. As the beauty lowered and raised her long, dark lashes, she flashed her marble green eyes. Nathan's eyes widened and a tingle crept within his loins. This painted little filly wasn't my kind of woman. But she sure as hell will do.
His eyes caressed her powder-white breast. And as if God had suddenly run interference in this unholy anticipation, Nathan heard his name from far off. He looked over the heads on the platform and saw a Negro man waving his white-gloved hand.
"Mr. Nathan Daniels?" the man repeated loudly.
"Yes," Nathan blurted, waving back. Daniels glanced over his shoulder and saw a cute pout come upon the woman's red lips. He marked her and flashed a white smile. He turned back as the Negro rushed up and grabbed his bags.
"Welcome to Texas, Sir, I'm Pete." he said, looking at the lady, then back at Nathan.
"Glad to meet you, Pete," he said, following Pete to the horse and carriage.
"You're going to love it here in Sweet Springs, Sir." He lifted the heavy bags onto the carriage.
"I can't believe I'm going to be living here, right here where the famous Chisholm Trail cattle drive began."
"Yes Sir, you sho' know your history, Sir."
Nathan sat high in the carriage. He came from a little town in Oklahoma called Horn Creek, where most average size men's eyes stopped at the level of his chin. But that didn't stop him from feeling like a small-fry as the new guy in town. He had confidence in his medical abilities, still he felt nervous about meeting the incomparable Dr. Vladimir Koren, a well-respected veterinarian among the ranchers throughout the region. Pete, however, had put him at ease with his bright smile and inquisitive wit. He had been a devoted and well treasured driver for the Koren family for nearly ten years.
"Did I save you back there, Sir...or was I interfering?"
"What do you mean?"
"The lady, Sir?"
"Oh...that," Nathan said, chuckling. "I guess we'll never know."
"I can always turn old Bruno here around and say I missed you."
"Oh no Pete, I'm expecting you to keep me out of trouble."
"Yes Sir. I sho' can do that," Pete said, chuckling.
Catching sight of the ranch as the coach came near, reminded Nathan of old man Casey's place back home. Nathan Sr. had died of natural causes a year after moving his family to Oklahoma in the late 1800s. Little Nate, as he was called, being oldest of two girls and two boys, quit school after his twelfth birthday and worked around Casey's ranch baling hay, cleaning stalls and hauling pails of feed, slop and water.
In 1900, Nathan had left his mother and siblings, glassy-eyed at the rail station as he went off to medical school to study animal medicine. Six years later, he acquired an apprentice position with Dr. Koren.
Nate received warm greetings from the Koren family and shown his living quarters. Dr. Koren took him on a tour of the ranch which included the medical facilities. Daniels found the new modern facility and medical equipment very impressive. After the tour, the doctor escorted Daniels into his library to get better acquainted.
Koren scratched his aging bald head and rested his backside on the edge of his mahogany desk. "What made you decide to study animal medicine?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"When I was ten," Nate said, taking a seat on the sofa, "my best friend's dog was bitten by a rattle snake. There wasn't a doctor for miles. I remember feeling so helpless as he lay on my friend's lap and died. I swore I'd never let something like that happen again."
"You know, it's simple events like that which cause people to make a difference in the world. Welcome to medicine," Koren said.
"Thank you, Sir."
"I had a similar experience when I was a boy. It was my dear sister's death that shaped my destiny, but animal medicine, somehow, seemed more appealing."
"...To experience that at such a young age, Sir..." Nate said, frowning and shaking his head.
"Ah, life wouldn't be life without challenges, Son." He placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder. Sniffing the air, Koren told him, "Let's go and see what Merald, my cook, is up to, shall we?" Nathan nodded and followed him outside to the main kitchen that stood a short walk from the house.
Later that evening, following a hearty dinner, Nathan and the doctor enjoyed a glass of Port while Koren lit up his favorite smoke. His wife, Elisabeth, a plain looking, mousy brown-haired woman in her forties, took their little twin girls out on the porch to enjoy what sunlight remained. The two men talked until nine, afterwards all retired for the night.
Before going to bed, Nathan wrote a letter to his mother, telling her how happy he was to have come and how nicely the Doctor and his wife, Elisabeth were treating him. Nate placed the letter in the out-mail basket downstairs; the coachmen would take them into town. He tip-toed back up to his room, settled under the warm bed covers and fell asleep.
When he woke the next morning, a thin stream of sunlight that peered through a tiny opening of the closed curtain hit his eyes. It blinded him for a moment; he rose and prepared himself for the day. It was a March Sunday and the Korens had gone to church. Embarrassed that he may have given the wrong impression of his religious upbringing, he tried slipping unnoticed to the in-house kitchen to find something to eat. He grabbed a cookie from a plate and stuffed it in his mouth.
"Good morning." Nathan snatched around.
"God! You scared me," he said.
"I'm Sorry. I didn't mean too. I kept you breakfast warm." Merald was a chubby little woman who smiled a lot but didn't talk much. She flashed a smile and motioned him to sit. The steak appeared an inch thick with hardly enough room on the plate for the fried potatoes, scrambled eggs and a fluffy biscuit soaked with sweet, creamy butter. While he ate, she continued house cleaning in the next room.
After finishing his meal, Nathan took his second cup of coffee into Dr. Koren's private medical library. He sat quietly and sipped the hot brew while scanning through the latest periodicals. A knock came on the door; he yelled to Merald, who was dusting in the next room, that he had it. He opened the door to an angel with the light of morning above her head like a halo. A gentle breeze blew her auburn hair...revealing an exotic face with its high cheek bones and deep brown eyes. Her smile lit a fire in him like he'd never known. She toyed with his boyish reaction to her by flinging her long hair from her face; slowly she extended her soft, white hand.
"Hello, I'm Margaret, your neighbor just down the road." Nathan found his voice and shook her hand.
"Pleased to meet you Miss. Nathan Daniels. Won't you come in? He watched her full hips caress her long skirt as she seemed to glide across the shiny wood floor. "The Korens are at church. Is there anything I can do?" He asked, hoping she'd say yes.
"I'm here to see you," she said, swinging her hair out of her face.
"Me?" Nathan poked his finger at his chest.
"Well, unless there's someone else here in the room," she said grinning, and pretending to look around for others in the room.
"What can I do for you?"
"I'm sure Dr. and Mrs. Koren have been most gracious to you. But I thought you might want to get to know your neighbors."
"Oh, I would."
"I was hoping you'd say that; the Saint Mary's Ball that's given by The Ladies of the Holy Cross Association, will be held the third Saturday evening of next month. It's an annual event. I'd love for you to come."
As if she felt certain of his answer, she wrote the location on a slip of paper and handed it to him.
"Of course if you'll be busy..."
"No! I won't. I mean...I shouldn't," he said awkwardly.
"Wonderful! Well, I better be getting back. Hope to see you then," she said. He opened the door and walked her to the carriage. A well-dressed Negro helped her in, then climbed the top and grabbed the reins. She flashed her brown eyes at him as the horse pulled away. He watched the carriage until it became as small as his thumb.
Later that Day...
The Korens returned home. Daniels made his apologies for not waking in time for church. But Mrs. Koren said his salvation was his own business. "Besides," she said, "I think anyone who devotes their life to healing God's helpless creatures has a sure place in God's heart."
"That's very kind of you," he said.
In the smoke room, Daniels joined Doc for a glass of Port and politely passed up a cigar. He listened to Dr. Koren's findings on the latest animal medicines and treatments, but his mind was clearly on the angel he had let into the house and into his heart. His excitement after meeting her made sleeping that night nearly impossible. While staring up at the ceiling, images of her deep brown eyes finally lured him to sleep.
At five the next morning, Doc woke him prematurely. A ranch-hand had been sent and the three rushed to the Collins ranch.
Fearsome Bill was a very sick horse. The Collins family had him since he was a beautiful brown colt, frisky and bold. The horse got its name from how it intimidated the other little colts simply by staring them in the eye. The owner quickly realized the little tot's calling; once grown to adulthood, he'd use him to keep his other horses in line. The choice for his name was also due to the number of bitten ears and hard nudges strangers had to endure when they dared to venture too close. With his family, however, he had been gentle and well behaved, especially towards the Collins children.
After twenty years of being a much loved companion and family member, Fearsome Bill was too weak even to walk to his trough. He wasn't digesting enough hay to generate the body heat needed for him to stay warm. Dr. Koren and Nathan kept piling on the blankets and trying to force feed him, but sadly, the old horse had given up.
"He's not going to make it, is he?" Nathan asked, vigorously running his hands over the blankets to create body heat.
"He's old, got arthritis - can't move around," Koren said, shaking his head. "His teeth are bad. Listen to him. Poor creature, he's in a lot of pain. We could give him pain medicine, but it would be cruel to make him live past his best years."
"I hate it when we have to put them out of their misery," Nathan said," rubbing the horse.
"You know as well as I do it's the most loving thing we can do for them."
"I know," he said, "but I still hate it."
"We all do, Son. Well, I'm going to let you attend to old Fearsome here; I've known the family for a long time. It'll be better for me to go up to the house alone and prepare them for what must be eating them alive," Dr. Koren said, turning toward the door of the barn.
He started out the barn and headed for the walk to the Collins' ranch house. Each family member, as well as the ranch-hands, had already said their tearful goodbyes to Fearsome.
It was true that Dr. Koren had known the Collins for a long time; but it wasn't the only reason he left Nathan to administer the injection. Doc felt it would be good for him to start his practice with the very worst of what can happen when treating animals; that is, facing their death. He believed this would mentally prepare him for whatever else his practice would bring.
As soon as Koren had left, Nathan administered the deadly concoction little by little and sat with the horse's head upon his lap. Fearsome Bill loved being talked to and stroked; and Nathan supplied both lovingly.
He talked to Fearsome about the beautiful horse place God had prepared with its bright apple trees and many hills of golden hay. He told him how much fun he would have running and playing with the other horses, that he wouldn't be old up there, and he'd never even have to walk, because he'd have wings.
Suddenly, Fearsome made a horse sigh; he sucked in all the air around him until his rib cage rose like a mighty ant hill; then slowly and placidly his soul went out from him. Still, so still, he appeared as if he were sleeping. Young Nate continued to hold him and stroke his mane. After a few moments of stroking, he stopped, placed his head upon the furry brown face, and wept.
The Collins, like most horse owners (who considered them family) had a funeral and buried Fearsome in the family plot, not far from great grandpa Collins who started their famous legacy of horse breeding. In attendance were a hundred of their closest friends including Dr. Koren and Nathan. The Parson opened the Bible and recited a passage from the Book of Job, Chapter 39: 19-25.
Do you give the horse his strength? Or clothe his neck with a flowing mane? Do you make him leap like a locust, Striking terror with his proud snorting? He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray. He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing: He does not shy away from the sword. The quiver rattles against his side, Along with the flashing spear and lance. In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground; he cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds. At the blast of the trumpet he snorts, 'Aha!' He catches the scent of battle from afar, the shout of commanders and the battle cry.
The Parson ended with a prayer and comforting words to the family.
After the burial, the Collins further celebrated the life and loves of their horse with a five course meal, plenty of Champagne and swapped stories of many happy moments with Fearsome Bill. They pulled out pictures of his favorite fillies and many more of his colts; they debated on which one of the colts would grow up to be just like him. One retired ranch-hand proudly showed off a nibbled ear, "Courtesy of Fearsome Bill," he said, laughing. The Collins' grandchildren insisted that no other horse use Fearsome's things, so the family took them and built a shrine.
The Age of Wisdom...
Dr. Koren was usually right about these things. The shock of having to euthanize Old Fearsome Bill did a lot to prepare young Nathan for all of the emergency trips he and Doc made during the following weeks. Of course it wasn't nearly as dramatic and Daniels was a bit disappointed. How animals could get themselves into such mischief was beyond him, he thought. He had become an animal doctor because he'd fantasized about his saving heroic war horses from gunshots, all animals from diseases, snake-bites, difficult births, or farm animals from work fatigue or accidents.
Little did he know that he had also signed on for such things as - helping the Johnsons' cat cough up a fur ball; Miss Millie's dog cut from getting his head caught in a vase; a run-away cow side-swiped by a speeding carriage; and stitching an ear and hanging flesh back onto two feuding neighborhood dogs. Dr. Koren thought it all funny; and by the end of it, young Nate did too. But thank God, he thought, it was the night of the Saint Mary's Ball; weeks had flown by. This was his chance to see the brown-eyed angel again.....
The woman lowered her eyes to the inside of his thigh and wet her lips; his deep blue eyes caught hers' when she looked up.
She crossed her legs, revealing a red garter above a pale white knee. Her blazing, red hair gleamed in the sunlight. As the beauty lowered and raised her long, dark lashes, she flashed her marble green eyes. Nathan's eyes widened and a tingle crept within his loins. This painted little filly wasn't my kind of woman. But she sure as hell will do.
His eyes caressed her powder-white breast. And as if God had suddenly run interference in this unholy anticipation, Nathan heard his name from far off. He looked over the heads on the platform and saw a Negro man waving his white-gloved hand.
"Mr. Nathan Daniels?" the man repeated loudly.
"Yes," Nathan blurted, waving back. Daniels glanced over his shoulder and saw a cute pout come upon the woman's red lips. He marked her and flashed a white smile. He turned back as the Negro rushed up and grabbed his bags.
"Welcome to Texas, Sir, I'm Pete." he said, looking at the lady, then back at Nathan.
"Glad to meet you, Pete," he said, following Pete to the horse and carriage.
"You're going to love it here in Sweet Springs, Sir." He lifted the heavy bags onto the carriage.
"I can't believe I'm going to be living here, right here where the famous Chisholm Trail cattle drive began."
"Yes Sir, you sho' know your history, Sir."
Nathan sat high in the carriage. He came from a little town in Oklahoma called Horn Creek, where most average size men's eyes stopped at the level of his chin. But that didn't stop him from feeling like a small-fry as the new guy in town. He had confidence in his medical abilities, still he felt nervous about meeting the incomparable Dr. Vladimir Koren, a well-respected veterinarian among the ranchers throughout the region. Pete, however, had put him at ease with his bright smile and inquisitive wit. He had been a devoted and well treasured driver for the Koren family for nearly ten years.
"Did I save you back there, Sir...or was I interfering?"
"What do you mean?"
"The lady, Sir?"
"Oh...that," Nathan said, chuckling. "I guess we'll never know."
"I can always turn old Bruno here around and say I missed you."
"Oh no Pete, I'm expecting you to keep me out of trouble."
"Yes Sir. I sho' can do that," Pete said, chuckling.
Catching sight of the ranch as the coach came near, reminded Nathan of old man Casey's place back home. Nathan Sr. had died of natural causes a year after moving his family to Oklahoma in the late 1800s. Little Nate, as he was called, being oldest of two girls and two boys, quit school after his twelfth birthday and worked around Casey's ranch baling hay, cleaning stalls and hauling pails of feed, slop and water.
In 1900, Nathan had left his mother and siblings, glassy-eyed at the rail station as he went off to medical school to study animal medicine. Six years later, he acquired an apprentice position with Dr. Koren.
Nate received warm greetings from the Koren family and shown his living quarters. Dr. Koren took him on a tour of the ranch which included the medical facilities. Daniels found the new modern facility and medical equipment very impressive. After the tour, the doctor escorted Daniels into his library to get better acquainted.
Koren scratched his aging bald head and rested his backside on the edge of his mahogany desk. "What made you decide to study animal medicine?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"When I was ten," Nate said, taking a seat on the sofa, "my best friend's dog was bitten by a rattle snake. There wasn't a doctor for miles. I remember feeling so helpless as he lay on my friend's lap and died. I swore I'd never let something like that happen again."
"You know, it's simple events like that which cause people to make a difference in the world. Welcome to medicine," Koren said.
"Thank you, Sir."
"I had a similar experience when I was a boy. It was my dear sister's death that shaped my destiny, but animal medicine, somehow, seemed more appealing."
"...To experience that at such a young age, Sir..." Nate said, frowning and shaking his head.
"Ah, life wouldn't be life without challenges, Son." He placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder. Sniffing the air, Koren told him, "Let's go and see what Merald, my cook, is up to, shall we?" Nathan nodded and followed him outside to the main kitchen that stood a short walk from the house.
Later that evening, following a hearty dinner, Nathan and the doctor enjoyed a glass of Port while Koren lit up his favorite smoke. His wife, Elisabeth, a plain looking, mousy brown-haired woman in her forties, took their little twin girls out on the porch to enjoy what sunlight remained. The two men talked until nine, afterwards all retired for the night.
Before going to bed, Nathan wrote a letter to his mother, telling her how happy he was to have come and how nicely the Doctor and his wife, Elisabeth were treating him. Nate placed the letter in the out-mail basket downstairs; the coachmen would take them into town. He tip-toed back up to his room, settled under the warm bed covers and fell asleep.
When he woke the next morning, a thin stream of sunlight that peered through a tiny opening of the closed curtain hit his eyes. It blinded him for a moment; he rose and prepared himself for the day. It was a March Sunday and the Korens had gone to church. Embarrassed that he may have given the wrong impression of his religious upbringing, he tried slipping unnoticed to the in-house kitchen to find something to eat. He grabbed a cookie from a plate and stuffed it in his mouth.
"Good morning." Nathan snatched around.
"God! You scared me," he said.
"I'm Sorry. I didn't mean too. I kept you breakfast warm." Merald was a chubby little woman who smiled a lot but didn't talk much. She flashed a smile and motioned him to sit. The steak appeared an inch thick with hardly enough room on the plate for the fried potatoes, scrambled eggs and a fluffy biscuit soaked with sweet, creamy butter. While he ate, she continued house cleaning in the next room.
After finishing his meal, Nathan took his second cup of coffee into Dr. Koren's private medical library. He sat quietly and sipped the hot brew while scanning through the latest periodicals. A knock came on the door; he yelled to Merald, who was dusting in the next room, that he had it. He opened the door to an angel with the light of morning above her head like a halo. A gentle breeze blew her auburn hair...revealing an exotic face with its high cheek bones and deep brown eyes. Her smile lit a fire in him like he'd never known. She toyed with his boyish reaction to her by flinging her long hair from her face; slowly she extended her soft, white hand.
"Hello, I'm Margaret, your neighbor just down the road." Nathan found his voice and shook her hand.
"Pleased to meet you Miss. Nathan Daniels. Won't you come in? He watched her full hips caress her long skirt as she seemed to glide across the shiny wood floor. "The Korens are at church. Is there anything I can do?" He asked, hoping she'd say yes.
"I'm here to see you," she said, swinging her hair out of her face.
"Me?" Nathan poked his finger at his chest.
"Well, unless there's someone else here in the room," she said grinning, and pretending to look around for others in the room.
"What can I do for you?"
"I'm sure Dr. and Mrs. Koren have been most gracious to you. But I thought you might want to get to know your neighbors."
"Oh, I would."
"I was hoping you'd say that; the Saint Mary's Ball that's given by The Ladies of the Holy Cross Association, will be held the third Saturday evening of next month. It's an annual event. I'd love for you to come."
As if she felt certain of his answer, she wrote the location on a slip of paper and handed it to him.
"Of course if you'll be busy..."
"No! I won't. I mean...I shouldn't," he said awkwardly.
"Wonderful! Well, I better be getting back. Hope to see you then," she said. He opened the door and walked her to the carriage. A well-dressed Negro helped her in, then climbed the top and grabbed the reins. She flashed her brown eyes at him as the horse pulled away. He watched the carriage until it became as small as his thumb.
Later that Day...
The Korens returned home. Daniels made his apologies for not waking in time for church. But Mrs. Koren said his salvation was his own business. "Besides," she said, "I think anyone who devotes their life to healing God's helpless creatures has a sure place in God's heart."
"That's very kind of you," he said.
In the smoke room, Daniels joined Doc for a glass of Port and politely passed up a cigar. He listened to Dr. Koren's findings on the latest animal medicines and treatments, but his mind was clearly on the angel he had let into the house and into his heart. His excitement after meeting her made sleeping that night nearly impossible. While staring up at the ceiling, images of her deep brown eyes finally lured him to sleep.
At five the next morning, Doc woke him prematurely. A ranch-hand had been sent and the three rushed to the Collins ranch.
Fearsome Bill was a very sick horse. The Collins family had him since he was a beautiful brown colt, frisky and bold. The horse got its name from how it intimidated the other little colts simply by staring them in the eye. The owner quickly realized the little tot's calling; once grown to adulthood, he'd use him to keep his other horses in line. The choice for his name was also due to the number of bitten ears and hard nudges strangers had to endure when they dared to venture too close. With his family, however, he had been gentle and well behaved, especially towards the Collins children.
After twenty years of being a much loved companion and family member, Fearsome Bill was too weak even to walk to his trough. He wasn't digesting enough hay to generate the body heat needed for him to stay warm. Dr. Koren and Nathan kept piling on the blankets and trying to force feed him, but sadly, the old horse had given up.
"He's not going to make it, is he?" Nathan asked, vigorously running his hands over the blankets to create body heat.
"He's old, got arthritis - can't move around," Koren said, shaking his head. "His teeth are bad. Listen to him. Poor creature, he's in a lot of pain. We could give him pain medicine, but it would be cruel to make him live past his best years."
"I hate it when we have to put them out of their misery," Nathan said," rubbing the horse.
"You know as well as I do it's the most loving thing we can do for them."
"I know," he said, "but I still hate it."
"We all do, Son. Well, I'm going to let you attend to old Fearsome here; I've known the family for a long time. It'll be better for me to go up to the house alone and prepare them for what must be eating them alive," Dr. Koren said, turning toward the door of the barn.
He started out the barn and headed for the walk to the Collins' ranch house. Each family member, as well as the ranch-hands, had already said their tearful goodbyes to Fearsome.
It was true that Dr. Koren had known the Collins for a long time; but it wasn't the only reason he left Nathan to administer the injection. Doc felt it would be good for him to start his practice with the very worst of what can happen when treating animals; that is, facing their death. He believed this would mentally prepare him for whatever else his practice would bring.
As soon as Koren had left, Nathan administered the deadly concoction little by little and sat with the horse's head upon his lap. Fearsome Bill loved being talked to and stroked; and Nathan supplied both lovingly.
He talked to Fearsome about the beautiful horse place God had prepared with its bright apple trees and many hills of golden hay. He told him how much fun he would have running and playing with the other horses, that he wouldn't be old up there, and he'd never even have to walk, because he'd have wings.
Suddenly, Fearsome made a horse sigh; he sucked in all the air around him until his rib cage rose like a mighty ant hill; then slowly and placidly his soul went out from him. Still, so still, he appeared as if he were sleeping. Young Nate continued to hold him and stroke his mane. After a few moments of stroking, he stopped, placed his head upon the furry brown face, and wept.
The Collins, like most horse owners (who considered them family) had a funeral and buried Fearsome in the family plot, not far from great grandpa Collins who started their famous legacy of horse breeding. In attendance were a hundred of their closest friends including Dr. Koren and Nathan. The Parson opened the Bible and recited a passage from the Book of Job, Chapter 39: 19-25.
Do you give the horse his strength? Or clothe his neck with a flowing mane? Do you make him leap like a locust, Striking terror with his proud snorting? He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray. He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing: He does not shy away from the sword. The quiver rattles against his side, Along with the flashing spear and lance. In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground; he cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds. At the blast of the trumpet he snorts, 'Aha!' He catches the scent of battle from afar, the shout of commanders and the battle cry.
The Parson ended with a prayer and comforting words to the family.
After the burial, the Collins further celebrated the life and loves of their horse with a five course meal, plenty of Champagne and swapped stories of many happy moments with Fearsome Bill. They pulled out pictures of his favorite fillies and many more of his colts; they debated on which one of the colts would grow up to be just like him. One retired ranch-hand proudly showed off a nibbled ear, "Courtesy of Fearsome Bill," he said, laughing. The Collins' grandchildren insisted that no other horse use Fearsome's things, so the family took them and built a shrine.
The Age of Wisdom...
Dr. Koren was usually right about these things. The shock of having to euthanize Old Fearsome Bill did a lot to prepare young Nathan for all of the emergency trips he and Doc made during the following weeks. Of course it wasn't nearly as dramatic and Daniels was a bit disappointed. How animals could get themselves into such mischief was beyond him, he thought. He had become an animal doctor because he'd fantasized about his saving heroic war horses from gunshots, all animals from diseases, snake-bites, difficult births, or farm animals from work fatigue or accidents.
Little did he know that he had also signed on for such things as - helping the Johnsons' cat cough up a fur ball; Miss Millie's dog cut from getting his head caught in a vase; a run-away cow side-swiped by a speeding carriage; and stitching an ear and hanging flesh back onto two feuding neighborhood dogs. Dr. Koren thought it all funny; and by the end of it, young Nate did too. But thank God, he thought, it was the night of the Saint Mary's Ball; weeks had flown by. This was his chance to see the brown-eyed angel again.....
 Recognized |
|
Characters:
Nathan Daniels....Main Character
Duchess Margaret...Nathan's heart breaker and lost love (not mentioned in this chapter)
Doctor Koren.......Nathan's Mentor
Elisabeth Koren....Doctor Koren's wife
Koren Twins .......Ella and Ellie
Eva Mitchell.......Deeply in love with Nathan
Koren's Servants:
Pete...........Negro Coachman (not mentioned in this chapter)
Merald.............Head housekeeper
Jenny...............Maid and cook
Supporting Characters:
Sweet Springs Town folk
Art work by google
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Nathan Daniels....Main Character
Duchess Margaret...Nathan's heart breaker and lost love (not mentioned in this chapter)
Doctor Koren.......Nathan's Mentor
Elisabeth Koren....Doctor Koren's wife
Koren Twins .......Ella and Ellie
Eva Mitchell.......Deeply in love with Nathan
Koren's Servants:
Pete...........Negro Coachman (not mentioned in this chapter)
Merald.............Head housekeeper
Jenny...............Maid and cook
Supporting Characters:
Sweet Springs Town folk
Art work by google
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