Ring of Fire III (49 page)

Lannie nudged her husband. Rob stood, excused himself, and left the room. He returned shortly, holding something behind his back.

“In light of your recent adventures,” Rob said, “and especially your new status as a college lecturer, we thought these additions to your wardrobe were appropriate.” Rob held his hands out. The right held a brown leather jacket; the left a brown fedora. “You’ll have to provide the bullwhip yourself.”

An Eye Opener

Kerryn Offord and Linda Davidson

Spring 1635, Magdeburg

“I hear business is slow.”

Ursula Sprug finished securing the door of her optometry practice before turning around to face Cathy McNally. “What makes you say that?”

“Your receptionist told me. He’s worried you’ll have to close your practice.” Cathy grinned. “I think he likes you.”

“Thomas is just happy with his new glasses.”

“But business is slow?”

Ursula sighed. Slow didn’t describe the near total lack of customers. “Yes.”

“Well then, why don’t you take advantage of your friends?”

“I don’t know many people in Magdeburg, and those I know don’t need glasses.”

“I don’t mean you should try to fit your friends with glasses. I mean you should ask them to help you. For instance, I bet there are dozens of girls at school who need glasses. Talk to Casey and Staci. See if they’ll let you examine their students.”

“They’d never let me take the girls out of school to bring them to my office,” Ursula protested.

“They might, if they felt the girls might benefit, but what about just using an eye chart and doing a simple screening test at the school? If you find any girls need glasses you can let Casey or Staci know and they can contact the parents recommending a proper examination and the purchase of prescription glasses.

“You could also offer to give the students a little talk about the different problems people can have with their eyes and how important properly fitted glasses are. Dad and Dr. Shipley would certainly approve of that.”

Ursula thought about Cathy’s suggestions. Dr. Shipley and Mr. McNally, the Grantville optometrist and optician who trained her, would definitely approve of her educating people about eye health. And Casey and Staci were, well, more than just teachers at the new Duchess Elisabeth Sofie Secondary School for Girls. They were part owners and could talk to Lady Beth Haygood, the principal. “How much can I charge though?”

“Well, just to get them interested, I’d suggest doing a screening test of the current pupils for free,” Cathy suggested.

“Free? Dr. Shipley said I should charge for examinations.”

“Hey, it’s not as if you have a lot of paying customers. And you might want to prepare a handout for those little talks. Those girls all have families, you know. The more people know, the more likely they are to want to do something. Think of it as preparing the ground for seed. Anyway, it’s a way to get your foot in the door. I know of at least a dozen girls who wear those funny down-time glasses, and I bet they would benefit from a decent pair.”

Cathy certainly had that bit right. Her father was pretty scathing of the quality of the glasses the local spectacle sellers peddled. At best they had lenses of equal power, when very few people who needed glasses needed the same prescription in each eye. At the worst, well, Jim McNally considered them more damaging than going without.

“Okay, I’ll talk to Casey or Staci.”

“Tonight! After class.”

Ursula glared down at Cathy. “Yes, tonight.”

“Don’t forget.”

Ursula had a feeling that if she did forget, Cathy wouldn’t. “I won’t forget.”

Karickhoff’s Gym

The dancers were pulling on their outdoor clothes after a hard session under the eyes of Bitty Matowski. Ursula was pulling a brush through her hair when she felt Cathy’s eyes boring into her. In the mirror she could see Cathy nodding suggestively toward Casey Stevenson who was just about to leave the changing room. She glared back at Cathy before thrusting her hairbrush into her bag and scrambling to her feet.

“Casey, could I have a word?”

Casey turned from the door and smiled. “Sure. Can you talk while we walk? I’m supposed to be going to the American Kitchen with Carl.”

“Thanks.” Ursula took a deep breath. “I was wondering if I could do screening eye tests on the pupils at your school?”

“What does that entail? We can’t afford the time to take them to your office.”

“I was just thinking of using a room at the school and doing a simple test using an eye chart. For most of the children it wouldn’t take more than five minutes.”

Casey nodded. “And how much were you planning on charging?”

“Cathy suggested doing the tests for free.”

“Can you afford to do them for free? I hear you haven’t had many customers since you opened your office.”

“What? Where did you hear...Oh. Cathy’s been talking?”

“Yes, Cathy’s been talking. You really should have spoken up earlier. Come on, there’s Carl. I bet Kelly Construction would be interested in having their work force screened for vision problems.”

* * *

Ursula skipped home with a new spring to her step, and after an hour and a half of barre and center work under Miz Bitty’s eye, that was saying something. She might not have any guaranteed customers, but Carl had promised to talk to the guy who doubled, or tripled, as health officer at Kelly Construction about scheduling screening tests, and Casey had promised to bring up the idea of screening tests and talks on eye health with Lady Beth. Surely some of the tests would result in customers.

She used her key to open the door of the boarding house where she had a room and made for the kitchen. Everyone knew she went to dance class after work, so there was usually something left simmering on the range for her.

She bounced into the kitchen, and froze. Sitting back at the kitchen table working her way through a bowl of stew was the landlady. “Hi, Elisabetha. It’s been a fantastic day, hasn’t it?”

Elisabetha Schmelzer smiled. “Did you get a customer?”

Ursula flushed. Did everyone know that she’d barely had any customers? “Not yet, but I’ve arranged to do screening tests at Kelly Construction and the new girls’ school.”

“What are screening tests?”

“It’s just a quick and dirty way of determining whether or not someone needs a proper examination. I can give you one now if you like. I just need to get a chart and tape measure from my room.”

Elisabeth shook her head. “No need to rush. Get something to eat, and then have a soak. There’s still plenty of hot water. How much are you charging for these screening tests?”

Ursula found a clean bowl and, after filling it with stew, collected some bread and joined Elisabeth at the table. “I was planning on doing them free.”

“Have you thought about offering free tests at your office?”

“No.”

“You might want to try it. A lot of people see the fancy office and think they can’t afford to see you. If you put out a sign offering free examinations...well, it’ll be a foot in the door.”

Ursula blinked. There was that phrase again. “Have you been talking to Cathy McNally?”

“No. Should I have been?”

“It’s just she used that exact same phrase when she suggested I talk to Casey about screening the girls at Duchess Elisabeth Sofie.”

“Ah, well, it’s probably a common up-timer phrase. My Tommy uses it a lot.”

Ursula grinned. “And which door is your Tommy talking about putting his foot in?”

Elisabeth waved her finger at Ursula. “That’s enough of that, young lady. Just you finish your dinner and I’ll run you a bath.”

Glowing inside, Ursula set to cleaning her plate. She’d do what Elisabeth suggested and advertise free examinations. It would, as everyone seemed to be saying, get her foot in the door.

Two weeks later

It was after noon before Ursula returned from the latest series of screening tests at Duchess Elisabeth Sofie. She walked up to the reception desk to check if any mail or messages had arrived while she was out.

“Two parents called about you seeing their daughters. They were on the list you provided me and I’ve scheduled their appointments.” Thomas smiled. “At this rate you’ll be able to afford to pay your receptionist this week.”

Ursula poked her tongue out at him before copying the appointments into her appointment book. Thomas’ services as receptionist were provided to the tenants as part of their rent. “Thank you. I’ll be in for the rest of the day.”

“Do you want me to put your ‘Free Examinations’ sign out?”

Ursula checked her schedule for the rest of the day. There were just three appointments over the next five hours. “Yes, please.”

* * *

The sign caught Juliane Lortz’s eye. The enormous glasses showed the shop sold glasses, but it was the word “free” that held her attention. She wasn’t sure exactly what was being offered, but it wouldn’t cost her anything to ask. She tugged at the hand of her daughter. “Come on, Anna. Let’s see what they are giving away.”

The man manning the front desk was wearing glasses just like the ones on the sign. She approached him. “What are the ‘free examinations,’ please?”

“The optician does a few simple tests to determine if you need glasses or if there is some other problem with your eyes that needs to be addressed.”

Juliane glanced down at her daughter. Surely her eyes shouldn’t be turning in like that. “Could I have one for my daughter, please.”

“Of course. The optician is in. I’ll give her a ring.”

Behind one of the doors was the gentle tinkle of a bell in response to the cord the receptionist pulled. The door opened and...a very young female came out. Juliane swung round to question the receptionist, but didn’t get the chance before he spoke.

“Fraülein Sprug, this lady would like you to examine her daughter.”

“Of course. Would you please come this way?”

* * *

Ursula studied the woman and child as they approached. Their dress suggested “poor but proud.” The daughter’s clothes looked like they’d been made out of material from her mother’s old clothes. The mother’s clothes had few obvious repairs, but they were heavy wear for the current weather. If she had to guess, Ursula didn’t think she’d be able to afford the full cost for glasses.

“What’s the patient’s name?” she asked the mother.

“Anna.”

Ursula wrote that down. “And how old is Anna?”

“She’ll be four in August.”

Ursula added the age to her notes, then pulled out the booster seat that would raise the child to a comfortable working height and placed it on the examination chair. “If you’ll just seat Anna, I’ll be right with you.”

While Juliane lifted Anna onto the booster seat Ursula took her first really good look at the little girl. She had to bite her tongue to stop herself crying out. Both eyes were turning in. She’d seen this condition in patients during her apprenticeship back in Grantville, but not this bad. She took a small paddle from her work table and did a simple cover-uncover test. She knew young Anna had a definite problem when her eyes swung back and forth. Fortunately, the condition had been caught early enough that it should still be treatable...if the family could afford it.

Ursula selected the special child’s eye chart and proceeded to do the best she could to determine whether there was more wrong than just the eyes turning in. She started by pointing to the largest picture on the chart. “Can you tell me what that is, Anna?”

“A horsie?”

“Very good.” It was actually a man on a horse, but at least Anna could make out the horse. Ursula pointed to an image on the next line down, a hand. “Now, how about this one?” Anna shook her head. Ursula pointed to the next picture on the same line. “What about this?” Anna shook her head again.

Ursula repeated the procedure with Anna’s left eye, regularly glancing at Anna’s eyes. They didn’t turn in as much when Anna was looking at the chart. Ursula added that snippet of information to Anna’s notes. Finally she turned to the mother.

“Anna has a definite problem, but it is treatable. Unfortunately, the condition that is causing her eyes to turn in is beyond my current ability to assess. She really needs to see Dr. Shipley in Grantville.”

“Grantville! We can’t afford to go there. And a Grantville doctor? We can’t afford the kind of fees they charge.”

Ursula nodded in silent sympathy. She knew all about the fees Dr. Shipley charged. “I believe Dr. Shipley intends coming to Magdeburg for Fourth of July Arts Week. I can probably get him to examine Anna free of charge then.”

“Why would you do that?” Juliane demanded.

“So I can learn how to do the examination myself.” Ursula was proud of that statement. It even contained a grain of truth. It would be a useful learning experience, but she’d probably have to pay Dr. Shipley’s fee herself.

Ursula watched the woman wrap her arms protectively around Anna, and tried to reassure her. “The examination won’t cost you anything, I promise. However, Anna does need prescription glasses, and they could be expensive.”

“How expensive?”

Ursula mentally compared what she could afford to subsidize with how much a new pair of glasses cost. “About three hundred dollars.”

“Three hundred dollars? For glasses for a child? You can buy a pair from a peddler for a fraction of that.”

“Yes, you can buy a cheap pair of glasses from a peddler, but Anna’s problem won’t be helped by them. And if you don’t do something soon, her vision could be permanently damaged.”

“Permanently? You mean Anna could go blind?”

Ursula hastily shook her head. “Not blind, just beyond our ability to correct. Come on, let’s get Thomas to take down some contact details and I’ll be in touch as soon as I hear back from Dr. Shipley.”

July 1635, Magdeburg

It usually took about half an hour for the atropine eye drops to stabilize a child’s eyes enough for him to examine, so Dr. Ezra Shipley spent the time explaining the importance of good eye health to the mother. Eventually he was happy with the dilation of Anna’s eyes and turned his attention to his patient.