Evening star., 1897-03-13
DISAPPEARANCE OF DOC
II
DINkINS.
Tritten Exclusively for The Evening Star.

Inc IolioWlng'i are the facts IN the case
of the disappeafance of Doc Dinkins, as re-
lated by my friend David Johnson.
The way In which came to hear the tale
was as follows:' Last summer 1 revisited
the scenes of my Childhood at Massieville,
over to the stoEe..t
Although the stove at the end of the
room had given Out no heat for many
months and was red with rust a choice
collection of villa Sc and farm folks were
seated about it. Blue overalls, brown and
red and white checked shirts, large straw
hats and calfskin boots were the prevail
ing articles of attire
A place was made for me. and George
Rage asked sotto voce whether Johnson
had told me about Doc Dinkins. 1 replied
that l had never heard the history of the
doctor.
We'll, you don't want to either. Eff old
Johnson gets started you won't have any
peace until he tells you about Doc Din
klns. Everybody around here is tired of
his tale an won't listen to him any more on
any account after he has related of it four
or five times. But you're a stranger, you
but eff was you, I'd jest simply swear l
wouldn't listen to him. He's got his eye
on you now an Is gettin' uneasy he con-
cluded.
Old johnson was farmer of the funereaI
type. lank and wiry: hair iron gray; eyes,
gray: whiskers Of the kind used in min
strel jokes. His eye was set hard upon me
from one side of his mouth to the other.
In lieu of Il cusridcr, he bit the knot hole
with d precision acquired by practice, and
said:
Say. did you ever hear about Doc Din
kins?"
I made no reply. pretending not to un-
derstand that his inquiry was addressed to
me-
81 saw" he repeated in louder tone
did you ever hear about Doc Dinkins?''
There was no escape and I replied that
l believed 1 had heard of him. mo, no."
said Johnson quickly. fearful of being
cheated out of his prey; mo- you never
heard about Doc Dinkins but I'll tell you
though" and a look of satisfaction crept
over his solemn countenance.
what did tell your said George Page.
with disgust. Now. we have to listen to
that old addle-headed hit drivel along
through that story agin' They ought to
be law agin' it."
Then the funereal old person began:
We'll. was goin' to tell you how
DOC Dfnkins came to leave this part
OF the country. Old man Smoot was
alive then. He had always been a
lazy man an healthy. till one day he cut
his toe with scythe an lad 10 stay in the
house until he recovered. He found it was
so easy an comfortable to loaf around that
was well he would pretend to have collie an
influenza, an gout an appendicitis an
heart dfsease-anything, you understand,
so as to be compelled to take a rest an
let other folks provide for him.
Doc Dinkins was really a hoss doctor
an treated all the sick cows an hosses in
the neighborhood. an also old Smoot. He
Gfdnt know much about taking care of a
man an had sense enough to give him only
harmless things. One night old Smoot
thought 1t was about time to have another
attack of something SO he wouldn't have to
go to work; so that night he said he had
ont Say,, IN,
hurry for Doc Dinkins to get something
for him 1t was late at night-about /
o,ciock-an' Sam raped on the docs door
until he woke. Doc stuck his head Out of
the window an asked what was the trouble
Sam told him that his old man had some
thing wrong with his stomach. Doc wasn't
all me way awake an SO he said:
Oh, yes. l know: he's been eating too
much green stuff. I'll give you something
for him. and he gave Sam a brown bottle
OF OF horse medicine. You see. he thought
Sam was talking about a horse he had
been attending that day
II ne don' T. like to take it, he says,
why just stuck corncob in the side of his
mouth an hold back his head an hen
pour II down. After that says this ch;ck
le-headed person-safter that give him a bod
oil clean straw an in the morning feed him
pucket OF bran mixed with hot water
no.nlhg @ else Don't let Kim out till | call
But ne didn't have any need of calling
around. cause old Smoot came to see him
.;., "nat ald ne give you for your poor
SICK pa! says Mrs. Smoot when sam came
back. i ehihe
l., Ihis bottle Sam told her, AN he saws
ne must drink it all an if he don't like +,
" stull ~ cora cob in his mouth
Seems kinder harsh says the old lady
an what else did he say?'
Why, to give him bed of clean straw,
W hat? says Mrs. Smoot
oiean straw says Sam; AN in the
morning feed him some hot bran an wafer
an don't let him out until the doc comss
around to see him.
, Ihey were both simple minded folks
sam an his mother-an' while 1t seemed
UNUSUAL she thought the doc knew hest
Yes says the old lady, shaking her
head very wise. 1T seems kinder harsh
put the doc knows best. Sammy she
says kinder what you call apprehensive,
were going to have a devil of time
doctorng your poor sick pa
Wen, old Smoot was groaning and pre-
tehuing ne was SICK. an expected to get
some harmless kind of sweet tasting stuff,
an they went an gave him a drink ont Of
the bottle. 1t disguised him. an he said
ne wouldn't take another drop. Said he
felt blame sight better. an thought he
was was OF. the hlsh road to recovery an didn't
need any more medicine.
NO. says the old lady. you look flush
ed, the horse medicine was liable to make
a man look flushed. No. says she Won
must take 1t all and she sent Sammy for
the corncob. Sam went out to the barn an,
got one The old man swore an rayed
but they stuck 1t in his mouth to mold #
open an held him down while he swallow
ed the medicine. 1t made him wild. but
Mrs. Smoot was very patient an persever-
ing an held him down while Sam got some
clean straw an took his bed clothes away
Old Smoot thought they had gone clean
crazy an was in mortal dread that they
would lynch him or burn him at the stake
next. So he KEEP quotas quiet as he
could after drinking the boss medicine
SOS not to irritate them
After they had given him some nice
clean straw they locked him In, an as
there wasn't any window in the room they
thought that he would be there when the
doc came. They do say he behaved scan
dalous. an walked up an down am swore
an pounded on the wall, an begged. an
howled, an prayed, an cussed until the
old woman an Sam thought he'd gone
crazy. By the time morning came he was
hungry a wolf. an begged very meekly
for something to eat. Thea they got the
bran an hot water and showed it in the
door. He broke loose again and whooped
up things at a great rate.
It's for your own good, dear saws the
old lady, soothingly. through the keyhole.
What's for my own good says he
why the bran.' says she.
who said soar he asked.
why, Doc Dinkins.' Mrs Smoot told
him. O.
after that he didn't say anything, but
~