“Dr. Wheeler isn’t at home,” informed Persis, distressedly. “Oh, dear! what shall we do?”
“We must have some doctor right away,” declared Mrs. Estabrook, and Persis darted out again. She could not think for a moment where she would find another physician, but she did remember that their family doctor lived about ten blocks off. It seemed a long way in her present state of perturbation. She could walk there as quickly as she could go by a roundabout car-route, she reflected. But here her eye caught sight of Porter’s bicycle leaning against the side of the porch. In another moment she had mounted and was flying like the wind along the street, being back again in less time than she could have dreamed, breathless from her effort. “The doctor will be here right off,” she made haste to notify. “I went to Dr. Armstrong’s.”
Mrs. Estabrook looked amazed. “In this time?” she said.
“Oh, grandma! I didn’t know any other way, and I went on Porter’s wheel.”
Grandma’s only reply was, “I am thankful that you found him so quickly. We cannot tell what injury our little girl may have sustained.”
The doctor, however, pronounced a simple fracture of the arm to be the only damage done, and when the broken member was skilfully set, and Mellicent was put to bed, Persis sat down and cried from sheer relief.
There was no gingerbread made that day, for Persis sat by the little sufferer all the evening, until grandma advised her to go to her lessons, saying that Mellicent did not need two nurses.
“Oh, dear!” said Persis, tearfully; “if I had only gone down-cellar myself, it would never have happened. I can never forgive myself.”
“My dear child, you must not feel that way about it. We should not blame ourselves for accidents which are not the result of thoughtlessness nor wrong intention. Your intentions were all right, and no one was to blame. You were not giving Mellicent work to do beyond her strength. She was as likely to fall in going down for an apple, or to see the new kittens; so don’t blame yourself.” Thus grandma comforted.
Persis was much cheered by this; but she devoted every spare moment to entertaining the invalid.