From The Topeka State Journal, January 17, 1914. By William F. Kirk.
Day in, day out, night out, night in,
Where snow is thick and fees are thin,
He hustles with his cheery grin
To fight with ills.
The drives are long, the nights are cold,
He suffers hardships left untold
To call upon some mother old
Across the hills.
Little he says about his pay;
Often he gives his skill away,
And though he’s getting bent and gray
He has no wealth.
His life has been an endless trial,
His motto has been self-denial;
Freely he gives from every vial
For some one’s health.
The gallant soldier goes away
While fife and drum and bugle play
Bravely to conquer or to slay—
That is his part.
The country doctor rides alone
Through rugged roads, o’er stock and stone,
To heal men, not to make them moan;
God bless his heart!