I have had through my long professional life, but little trouble with this
 class. And I want to say here that I never charged an exorbitant bill in my
 life: Never the less a few of my customers would think I did.

 I will detail one case where I had trouble in collecting a bill in Yancey
 County, N.C. and the outcome of it.

 George Young, living in South Toe River 8 ½ miles from Burnsville, had 8
 cases of fever in his family in the Summer of 1844. His father in law Dr.
 Loyd lived in his family. He was, what is called a "Self made Dr. That is a
 Dr. without reading. He simply took up the practice without any
 preparation whatever.

 He had been treating the first two cases that occurred in the family, the
 oldest son about 20, and a Negro boy about 8 or 10 years old. He had
 treated them about a month, when Young’s son in law, Jackson Gardner,
 came for the burying clothes for the Negro in Burnsville. And also to get
 me to go and See the other patient John Young. When I reached there
 old Dr. Loyd had left in a great rage, because they had sent for me. I
 found John in a very dangerous condition. He had been treated too
 actively, had taken too much medicine, as the fever was of the Typhoid
 type, but I prescribed for him of course, and did all I could for him, but I
 could not save him.

 Young then asked me to go out and see the colored boy, whose burying
 clothes Gardner had brought—saying he had not thought any thing could
 be done for him; but he wanted me to see him.

 On my return I told him the Boy was Speechless, and unconscious, but
 his pulse indicated to me that it was barely possible that some thing
 might be done for him—and that I believed in addition to his fever that he
 was full of worms.

 He told me to do all I could to Save him. I went immediately to work with
 Medicines and injections to expell the worms. I remained with him day
 and night, until I not only succeeded in not only clearing him of the large
 number of worms, but also in restoring him to health.

 One after another of the family fell sick with fever until six more were
 prostrated. They were all bad cases, and protracted. I had to visit them
 often, and some times in the night. One trip I made in day time, under
 peculiar circumstances, I will ever remember. Being urged by Gardner to
 ride fast, we rode from Burnsville to Youngs 8 ½ miles crossing Crabtree
 Creek 6 times and Toe River once, in 40 minutes by my watch.

 When the battle was over and the smoke cleared away, I had the
 satisfaction of knowing I had done my whole duty, though I had exposed
 myself so much, I came near losing my life in a spell of fever. I had saved
 all of the 8 cases except John whose case was hopeless when I first saw
 him. Mr. Young was one of the sufferers during the siege that lasted many
 weeks. He was very extravagant in praising me for my devotion and
 unremitting care to the sick. He spoke in the highest terms of me. Said I
 had Stood by them in their distress and danger like a Brother. That they
 were not up to waiting on the sick, that I had made myself physician and
 nurse. And said he did not know what I would charge him, but if I charged
 him a thousand dollars he would never grumble. All this I had proved by
 his Brother & Nephew on the trial—for I was compelled to Sue him to
 collect One Hundred Dollars, which ought to have been two hundred.

 Col. Woodfin, my Attorney told me, if I would make it two hundred if he
 did not get judgment for all of it, he would charge me no fee. No, I said
 $100 is my account, and I will not charge any more.

 Young was so ambitious, after I had gotten judgment before a Justice of
 the Peace (Esquire James A. Ruble) he employed two lawyers and
 appealed the case from court to court until the principal, Int. cost and
 Lawyers fees caused him to have to Sell a Negro man to discharge his
 indebtedness, that one hundred dollars would have paid at the Start.

(From Dr. Abraham Jobe’s Diary, p. 96. The original is housed in the archives
 of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn.)