Texas Surgeon: an Autobiography Page: 11
xii, 180 p. ; 21 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
stained red, was obviously the culprit. "Atkinson, remove your
coat," he said, and got the birch rod from his desk.
He belabored me with a will, venting on me all the pain of
ridicule his infirmity had brought him. In my excitement I
hardly felt the strokes. Indeed, when he caught the switch in his
coattails, I burst out laughing. Then a curious thing happened,
more alarming to me than the thrashing. Professor Lambkin
suddenly began to breathe stertorously and clutched his chest.
In a great silence he slumped into his chair and anxiously felt
his pulse. Poor man, more than his nose was faulty. And I, who
in turn had been proud of myself and then afraid, was now
ashamed and more frightened still.
Happier days were summers when I explored the shore for
pirate treasure, for I had been brought up on tales of pirates and
privateers, which both Grandpa Atkinson and my father could
tell so well. I remember sitting still as a mouse and wide-eyed
with wonder by the fireplace hob, drinking it all in. Especially
do I remember the story of Nelson and Morrison, who one
winter allowed their vessel to be frozen fast in the ice of North-
umberland Strait, and defied the Crown to seize them. Later
they were wrecked in the fog in the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
though they escaped with their lives. Whereas Nelson's treasure
has been accounted for, not a farthing of Morrison's has been
traced. I looked and looked along the rocky shore and poked
into every cove, but all in vain. However, it was stirring sport
for a small boy, and I still remember it with pleasure.
One winter, when I was eleven, I stopped going to school
regularly to take my first full-fledged job. A North Shore man
named Captain Burns, during the three or four winter months
when the Northumberland Strait was pretty much frozen solid
all the time, ran what was called an "iceboat" between Cape
Tormentine and Prince Edward Island. This iceboat was a stout
longboat fitted with runners, and capable of ferrying thirty pas-
sengers across the eight-and-three-quarters miles of frozen strait.
II
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Atkinson, Donald Taylor. Texas Surgeon: an Autobiography, book, 1958; New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth143566/m1/23/?rotate=270: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting University of Texas Health Science Center Libraries.