Paid in full...with a glass of milk...

A lady used to have milk delivered to her doorstep early in the morning. She used to see a bottle of milk delivered to her doorstep each morning, but hadn't seen the milkman who delivered it to her. One day, she woke up early and opened the front door to see a little boy sitting on the doorstep with a bottle of milk by his side. The lady came to know who delivered her the milk each morning. The boy looked ill.  He was weak and hungry as well. He requested the lady for a little water to drink. The lady sensed his state and offered him a glass of milk. The boy accepted it with gratitude and left. The incident remained fresh in his mind.

Several years rolled by. The lady became old, sick and weak. She was admitted to the local hospital. As her condition became worse, she was shifted to a large medical institute in a distant city. The senior doctor, who was also the director of the institute, examined her. He diagnosed her disorder and performed an immediate surgery. She was carried to the best room in the hospital and provided expert medical care. The staff was always ready to offer all assistance and care. Within a month, she regained her health fully. She was informed that she would be discharged the next day. She was worried about the bill as she was poor and could not afford to pay a large amount. She planned to sell her house to settle the bill. She enquired about the bill. The bill was presented to her. She examined it anxiously. On the top of the bill, there was a note signed by the director of the institute, with a note written at a corner - “Paid in full with a glass of milk. Your milkman.”

Slowly, she recollected the incident when she offered a glass of milk to a weak and hungry boy delivering milk at her doorstep. By this time, the director himself came to her room and she could recognize his face. He was the same boy whom she had helped with a glass of milk a long time ago. He had recognized her earlier and gratefully made elaborate arrangements for her treatment and paid the expenses from his own pocket, all for a glass of milk and tender care received in a crucial moment of his life, during his hard times, long before he became a distinguished doctor by his hard work and earnest efforts. He was none other than Dr. Howard Kelly, inventor of the cystoscope.