Zeke and Doc
Part 1
Every small town had its Doctor in those days
and Kamiah, Idaho was no exception, they had Doc Bryant. Doc had come from back east and
he fast became very popular with the local folks as he treated all with respect. He
accepted many different forms of payment for his services, chickens, eggs, meat and labor
as was the way of the times.
Idaho had roads that were no more than cow paths, not fit for cars. It didn't make much
difference as there were few autos anyway. Doc Bryant made his rounds to the rural farms
by riding a horse. Late one evening, Doc was returning from tending a dying patient and
had stayed late to keep the old woman company and comfortable until she passed on. As he
was riding back to town in the dark, something spooked his horse. Doc was sleeping as he
rode and was thrown to the ground but his foot was caught in the stirrup and he was
dragged some distance from the road before he managed to free his foot. His horse bolted
into the darkness leaving Doc lying there with a broken leg and arm and a badly bruised
head and ego. After regaining his composure, the Doc managed to drag himself back to the
road. An hour or two went by and, luckily, a farm hand who had been sent to town to get
supplies but had overspent his time at the local tavern in town was returning extremely
late from his trip. Doc heard his wagon and started hollering. The man stopped, and after
seeing the Doc's condition, managed to get the good Doctor into the back of the wagon and
made a fast and bumpy ride some eight miles back to town. It was near daylight when they
arrived.
As there were no other medical people in town, Mrs. Bryant summoned the nearest neighbor ladies whom she knew had some experience treating injured people. One of those chosen was my Grandmother, Maybelle "May" See. Between all the ladies, they managed to set the Doc's arm and leg, clean up all his cuts and bruises but with the Doc giving the orders, of course. A few days later a Doctor from the Neighboring Town of Koosia, Idaho made a trip by train to check out the job the ladies had done and replied that he couldn't have done a better job himself. The Doc walked with slight limp the rest of his life.
My Grandmother was quite fond of the Doctor as he had tended to her after two still borne births. Since she only lived a few blocks away at the time, she volunteered to help Mrs. Bryant tend Doc till he got back on his feet. Mrs. Bryant gladly accepted. Even though she was married to a Doctor, she was not into being a nurse maid. For the next couple of months, grandmother showed up everyday, usually with one of her famous home cooked meals, and helped the Doc tend to his patients as best he could from his bed. The rumor was that Doc preferred May's home cooking to his wife's east coast cuisine.
The whole town knew Zeke and May had fallen on hard times. Doc Bryant asked Zeke if he could hire him to drive him on his rounds to the many farms located around Kamiah as he had decided not to ride a horse again, although he did for enjoyment later. Zeke accepted the offer and for a couple of years, day and night, they traveled the ridges and hills around the valley. A strange pair those two; one a educated Doctor from the east coast and the other an uneducated farm boy from the hills of Oregon and Idaho. They bonded a friendship that would last both their lifetimes.
When word was sent that Doc Bryant needed him, Zeke dropped whatever he was doing and hooked his matched bays to a buckboard. May threw a featherbed mattress in the back along with a pillow and blankets just in case the Doc got tired. She also put in a large basket of what ever she was preparing for dinner that day along with cookies and cake and three one gallon jugs wrapped in burlap. One was water, one was coffee and if was hot out, the other was lemonade. Off they went to take care of the person or persons in need of the Doc. On more than one occasion when the Doc's services was so badly needed, my grandmother wondered to herself why they needed the fishing poles Zeke had hidden (not too good) under the front seat of the buckboard.
As the roads got better, and cars became more common, the people came to the Doc's office. When Doc learned to drive, Zeke's services were no longer needed. My Dad told me he often saw the Doc's car and Zeke's horse at the same fishing hole. Doctor Bryant took care of Zeke and Mae for the rest of their lives and never charged them a cent. When they got older, he stopped by their little house, checked their blood pressure and gave them check ups. If they needed medication, he brought it to them. He did that for years after he retired, usually showing up just before dinner time and of course he stayed for dinner. My Grandmother beamed from ear to ear when he accepted.
My Grandmother died and Doctor Bryant went to a rest home. My mom and dad bought a house next door to Zeke so they could keep a eye on him as he refused to let anyone take care of him. He nearly burned the house down twice as he was ninety five percent blind. Dad talked and talked but couldn't get him to go to a rest home. The answer was always the same, "Hell No." Then Dad got an idea. He took Zeke to see Doc Bryant at the rest home he was at. Zeke finally relented; if the Doc was there, he would go. They visited each other everyday for three months talking over old times and the adventures they had had in the good old days . Then it seems as soon as their pasts were fresh in their minds, the Doc passed on and Zeke followed two weeks later.
Storm E. See