Willa Cather - Obscure Destinies

Title: Obscure Destinies Author: Willa Cather A Project Gutenberg of Australia eBook eBook No.: 0201131.txt Edition: 1 Language: English Character set encoding: Latin-1(ISO-8859-1)8 bit Date first posted: December 2002 Date most recently updated: December 2002

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Title: Obscure Destinies Author: Willa Cather

1. Neighbour Rosicky

2. Old Mrs. Harris

3. Two Friends

When Doctor Burleigh told neighbour Rosicky he had a bad heart, Rosicky protested.

So? No, I guess my heart was always pretty good. I got a little asthma, maybe. Just a awful short breath when I was pitchin hay last summer, dats all.

Well now, Rosicky, if you know more about it than I do, what did you come to me for? Its your heart that makes you short of breath, I tell you. Youre sixty-five years old, and youve always worked hard, and your hearts tired. Youve got to be careful from now on, and you cant do heavy work any more. Youve got five boys at home to do it for you.

The old farmer looked up at the Doctor with a gleam of amusement in his queer triangular-shaped eyes. His eyes were large and lively, but the lids were caught up in the middle in a curious way, so that they formed a triangle. He did not look like a sick man. His brown face was creased but not wrinkled, he had a ruddy colour in his smooth-shaven cheeks and in his lips, under his long brown moustache. His hair was thin and ragged around his ears, but very little grey. His forehead, naturally high and crossed by deep parallel lines, now ran all the way up to his pointed crown. Rosickys face had the habit of looking interested,suggested a contented disposition and a reflective quality that was gay rather than grave. This gave him a certain detachment, the easy manner of an onlooker and observer.

Well, I guess you aint got no pills fur a bad heart, Doctor Ed. I guess the only thing is fur me to git me a new one.

Doctor Burleigh swung round in his desk-chair and frowned at the old farmer. I think if I were you Id take a little care of the old one, Rosicky.

Rosicky shrugged. Maybe I dont know how. I expect you mean fur me not to drink my coffee no more.

I wouldnt, in your place. But youll do as you choose about that. Ive never yet been able to separate a Bohemian from his coffee or his pipe. Ive quit trying. But the sure thing is youve got to cut out farm work. You can feed the stock and do chores about the barn, but you cant do anything in the fields that makes you short of breath.

How about shelling corn?

Of course not!

Rosicky considered with puckered brows.

I cant make my heart go no longern it wants to, can I, Doctor Ed?

I think its good for five or six years yet, maybe more, if youll take the strain off it. Sit around the house and help Mary. If I had a good wife like yours, Id want to stay around the house.

His patient chuckled. It aint no place fur a man. I dont like no old man hanging round the kitchen too much. An my wife, shes a awful hard worker her own self.

Thats it; you can help her a little. My Lord, Rosicky, you are one of the few men I know who has a family he can get some comfort out of; happy dispositions, never quarrel among themselves, and they treat you right. I want to see you live a few years and enjoy them.

Oh, theyre good kids, all right, Rosicky assented.

The Doctor wrote him a prescription and asked him how his oldest son, Rudolph, who had married in the spring, was getting on. Rudolph had struck out for himself, on rented land. And hows Polly? I was afraid Mary mightnt like an American daughter-in- law, but it seems to be working out all right.

Yes, shes a fine girl. Dat widder woman bring her daughters up very nice. Polly got lots of spunk, an she got some style, too. Das nice, for young folks to have some style. Rosicky inclined his head gallantly. His voice and his twinkly smile were an affectionate compliment to his daughter-in-law.

It looks like a storm, and youd better be getting home before it comes. In town in the car? Doctor Burleigh rose.

No, Im in de wagon. When you got five boys, you aint got much chance to ride round in de Ford. I aint much for cars, noway.

Well, its a good road out to your place; but I dont want you bumping around in a wagon much. And never again on a hay-rake, remember!

Rosicky placed the Doctors fee delicately behind the desk-telephone, looking the other way, as if this were an absent-minded gesture. He put on his plush cap and his corduroy jacket with a sheepskin collar, and went out.

The Doctor picked up his stethoscope and frowned at it as if he were seriously annoyed with the instrument. He wished it had been telling tales about some other mans heart, some old man who didnt look the Doctor in the eye so knowingly, or hold out such a warm brown hand when he said good-bye. Doctor Burleigh had been a poor boy in the country before he went away to medical school; he had known Rosicky almost ever since he could remember, and he had a deep affection for Mrs. Rosicky.

Only last winter he had had such a good breakfast at Rosickys, and that when he needed it. He had been out all night on a long, hard confinement case at Tom Marshalls,a big rich farm where there was plenty of stock and plenty of feed and a great deal of expensive farm machinery of the newest model, and no comfort whatever. The woman had too many children and too much work, and she was no manager. When the baby was born at last, and handed over to the assisting neighbour woman, and the mother was properly attended to, Burleigh refused any breakfast in that slovenly house, and drove his buggythe snow was too deep for a careight miles to Anton Rosickys place. He didnt know another farm-house where a man could get such a warm welcome, and such good strong coffee with rich cream. No wonder the old chap didnt want to give up his coffee!

He had driven in just when the boys had come back from the barn and were washing up for breakfast. The long table, covered with a bright oilcloth, was set out with dishes waiting for them, and the warm kitchen was full of the smell of coffee and hot biscuit and sausage. Five big handsome boys, running from twenty to twelve, all with what Burleigh called natural good manners,they hadnt a bit of the painful self-consciousness he himself had to struggle with when he was a lad. One ran to put his horse away, another helped him off with his fur coat and hung it up, and Josephine, the youngest child and the only daughter, quickly set another place under her mothers direction.

With Mary, to feed creatures was the natural expression of affection,her chickens, the calves, her big hungry boys. It was a rare pleasure to feed a young man whom she seldom saw and of whom she was as proud as if he belonged to her. Some country housekeepers would have stopped to spread a white cloth over the oilcloth, to change the thick cups and plates for their best china, and the wooden-handled knives for plated ones. But not Mary.

You must take us as you find us, Doctor Ed. Id be glad to put out my good things for you if you was expected, but Im glad to get you any way at all.