Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-05
CHAPTER III.

The next morning after breakfast at
which Mrs. Ewing did not appear, Doctor
Gordon observed that she always took her
rolls and coffee in bed. james followed
Doctor Gordon into his office. Clemency.
who had presided at the coffee urn. had
done so silently and looked. SO James
thought, rather sulky, If something had
gone wrong Directly James was In the Of
fee, the doctors man, Aaron. appeared. He
was a TALL lank Jerseyman. necessarily
chewing. His lean, yellow jaws appeared TO
have acquired a permanent rotary motion,
but he had keen eyes of intelligence upon
the doctor as he gave his orders.
Put in the team, said Gordon. I'VE are
going TO Havers Corners. Old Sam Ed
wards is pertty low and l ought to have
gone there yesterday, but l didn't know
whether that child with diphtheria at Tuck
ers Mill would live the day out. Now he
has seen the worst of 1t, thank the Lord!
But today | must go to Havers. l want
to make good time, for there's something
going on this afternoon and | want an hour
off If l can get it. Again the EXPRESSION
Of simple popularity was over the mans
face, and James remembered what he had
said the night before about again running
a race with himself the next day.
After Aaron had gone out Gordon turned
to james He pointed to his great medicine
case on the table. You might see to ii that
the bottles are all filed he said. You
will find the medicines yonder'' He point
ed to the shelf. Il have TO speak to Glenn
ency before 1 CO.
James obeyed. AS he worked filling the
bottles he heard dimly Gordon's voice talk
ing to Clemency on the other side of the
wall. The girl seemed to be expostulating.
When Doctor Gordon returned Aaron was
at his heels with an immense bottle con-
tanning a small quantity of red fluid.
s. pose you'll want this filed?' he said to
Gordon with grin which only disturbed
for a second his rotary jaws.
"Oh, yes. of course" replied Gordon, we
want the aqua
James stared at him as he poured a lit
tie red-eolored liquid from one of the bot
ties on the shelves into the big one. Now
fiji it up from the pump, and put it in the
buggy; be sure the cork is in tight, he
said to Aaron
Gordon looked laughtngly at James when
the man had gone. Il infer that you are
wondering what AQUA may be, he said.
Il was brought up to think it was water"
said James.
SO it is, water pure and simple; with a
little coloring matter thrown in. Bless you,
boy, the people around here want their
medicines by the quart, and If they had
them by the quart, good-by to the doctors
job, and no for the undertaken? SO the
doctor is obliged TO impose upon the cred
ulity of the avariciously innocent, and dilute
the medicine Bless you, 1 have patients
who would accuse me of cheating If l pre-
Scribed less than a cupful OF medicine at a
time. They have to be humored. After all.
they are a harmless good lot, but s-iffened
with hereditary ideas. worse than by rheu-
matism. If L should give few drops in
half glass of water and order a teaspoon
full at time, l should fly in the face of
something which no mortal man can con-
quer, sheer heredity The grandfathers and
great-grandfathers of these people took
their physic on draft, the children must
do likewise. Sometimes 1 even think the
medicine would lose its effect if taken in
any other way. Nobody can estimate the
power of fixed idea upon the body. All
the same, it is COMPOUNDED nuisance car
rying around the aqua, l will confess, al
though L see the necessity of yielding that
l have less patience with mems stiff-necked
stupidity than l have with their sins"
James drove all the morning with DIR.
Gordon about the New Jersey country It
was moist, damp day, such as sometimes
comes even in winter. 1t was dog day
with an atmosphere slightly cooler than
that of midsummer. Overcoats were op-
pressive, the horses steamed. The roads
were deep with red mud which clogged
the wheels and made the hoofs or the
horses heavy. It's a id soil" said
DR.. Gordon. This morning after appear
ing somewhat saturnine at breakfast he
was again in his unnatural, rollicking
mood He hailed everybody whom he met
He joked with the patients and their rela-
tiyes in the farm houses. approached
through cart tracks OF mire, and huttered
about by chickens. quacking geese and dead