The Story of a Doctor's Telephone Part 42

He told her how to take the medicine and then said, "Whenever you need any more let me know and I'll send it to you. You needn't worry about the pay."

"I'm very much obleeged to you, Doctor."

"Just take the hen back home with you."

"I wonder if I couldn't sell her at the store," she said, looking at the doctor with a bright, expectant face.

"Wait here and rest awhile and then we'll see about it. I'll go down and perhaps I can find some one in town from out your way that you can ride home with. Where do you live?" She told him and he went down the stairs.

In a little while he came back.

"One of your neighbors is down here now waiting for you. He's just starting home," he said. He took the hen and as they started down the stairs Mary came out and joined them. At the foot of the stairway he said to the grocer standing in front of his establishment, "Here, Keller, I want you to give me a dollar for this hen."

"She ain't worth it."

"She _is_ worth it," said the doctor so emphatically that Keller put his hand in his pocket and handed out the dollar. The poor woman did not see the half dollar that pa.s.sed from the doctor's hand to the grocer's, but Mary saw and was glad.

The doctor laid the dollar in the trembling palm, helped the feeble woman into the wagon and they drove off.

Mary turned to her husband and said with a little break in her voice, "I'm going home, John. I want to get away from your kaleidoscope."

Ting-a-ling-ling-ling. Ting-a-ling-ling-ling.

"And I must go for another peep into it. Good-bye. Come again."

"Is this Dr. Blank?"

"Yes."

"This is Jim Sampson, Doctor, out at Sampson's mill. My boy fell out of a tree a while ago and broke his leg, and I'm sort o' worried about it."

"It don't have to _stay_ broke, you know."

"That's just the point. I'm afraid it will--for a while at least."

"What do you mean?"

"Why, my wife says she won't have it set unless the signs are right for setting a broken bone. She's great on the almanac signs."

"The devil! You have that bone _set_--_today_! Do you understand?"

"Yes, but Mary's awful set in her way."

"I'm a darned sight more set. That boy's not going to lie there and suffer because of a fool whim of his mother's. Where is she? Send her to the 'phone and I'll talk to _her_."

"She couldn't find her almanac and ran across to the neighbor's to get one."

"Call me when she gets back."

Ten minutes pa.s.sed and the call came.

"It's all right, Doctor, the signs says so."

A note of humor but of unmistakable relief vibrated in the voice.

"Come right out."

"All right, Jim, I'll be out as soon as I make my round here in town.

Tell your wife to have that almanac handy. I may learn something from it."

An hour or two later he was starting out to get into the buggy, with splints and other needful things when the 'phone called him back.

Hastily cramming them under the seat he went.

"h.e.l.lo."

"Is this Dr. Blank?"

"This is Millie Hastings. Do you remember me?"

"No-o--I don't believe I do."

"You doctored me."

"Yes, I've 'doctored' several people."

"I had typhoid fever two years ago up in the country at my uncle's."

"What's your uncle's name?"

"Henry Peters."

"Yes, I remember now."

"I wanted to find out what my bill is."

"Wait here a moment till I look at the book."

In a minute he had found it: Millie Hastings--so many visits at such and such a date, amounting to thirty-six dollars. He went back to the 'phone.

"Do you make your money by working by the week?"

"Yes, sir."

"Have you learned how to save it?"

"Yes, sir, I had to. I have to help mother."