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Short Story I D Rockefeller

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Karolina was growing increasingly worried about her youngest son Albert as she carried him off of the train. He was never able to get rid of the congestion in his chest, he had gotten back in Baden. The drafty train cars appeared to make him worse as he was coughing constantly as she had tried to keep him warm from the cold April air. His fever began to rise and he became more and more listless as she held him. He even refused to eat and just sat staring blankly out of the window. As they got off the train, she asked her cousin if he knew of a doctor in the city that could help her boy. He just shook his head. As she spoke, a young newspaper boy of looked up from selling his newspapers. “I can help you. Ma'am” he said. He was a serious-looking …show more content…

Bill “Doc” Rockefeller had set up his small wagon at the end of the concourse where incoming train passengers from back east disembarked and had to walk through in order to get onto departing trains heading for the new western territories. He was a tall and powerful man well dressed in his finest clothes with a diamond cravat instead of a tie. A sign above his head said “Doc Rockefeller’s Best Tonic this side of the Mississippi!” That’s my Pa, Johnnie said proudly to Karolina as he pointed to a smartly dressed tall man standing on the back of a wagon. There were crowds of immigrants standing around him. He was shouting at the crowd as they disembarked from the trains, selling his patented potion that would cure everything from cancer to warts. He now pulled out his trusty rifle and exclaimed to the crowd. “This medicine has made my eyes sharper and my hands steadier”. He pointed to a spot on the wall of the Union Depot where he had set up a small paper target several yards away and pulled the trigger. A deafening roar was heard and the target fluttered to the ground as most of the bystanders covered their ears and looked astonished. Many of the bystanders began to applaud and cheer the marksmanship of the medicine man. Several of the audience laughed as “Doc” Rockefeller puts down his rifle and placed a medicine man’s hat on his head complete with feathers that he received from …show more content…

She offered to pay him half but he took one look at her tattered traveling clothes and said:”This one is on the house.” He knew the other train passengers were watching him closely and would look at him kindly for his generosity and would, in turn, buy more of his bottles of medicine for their own families. Johnny beamed as he grabbed the bottle from his father and gave it to Karolina. Johnny told her, “I told you my Pa would help.” She carefully opened the bottle and gave her infant son a small sip. He coughed but began to relax in her arms as the medicine began to take effect. In a moment, he was fast asleep. Karolina thanked him and turned back towards her traveling companions. Stanislaus patted Johnny on the head and thanked him in his broken English. The rest of Karolina’s family also thanked him. Johnnie turned to go but took one last look at the tired immigrants as they walked quickly to their train. A new lightning train had just started service between Cleveland and Cincinnati and promised to cut the travel time to eight hours. They would have to hurry before the train left without them or they would need to spend another night in the drafty train station. He felt sorry for them as they continued on their

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