Doctor Jones' Picnic Part 11

"Please restrain your dogs, sir, for our mission is a perfectly peaceful one," said Dr. Jones; and he smiled so blandly that the man seemed to dismiss his apprehensions. He gave a signal which summoned two men, to whom he consigned the dogs, and they were led away. He now invited them to enter, and gave them seats in an adjoining room.

"Gentlemen, I am Count Icanovich, and this is my castle. I welcome you to its hospitalities. You must excuse the reception we gave you, for I must confess that I have never been so startled in my life as when I saw your extraordinary ship come swooping down upon us a few moments ago.

Half my people are in fits, or hidden away in all sorts of holes and corners."

"I am exceedingly sorry, Count, to have come so abruptly and informally among you, but I a.s.sure you that we are here very much against our own wishes. We are bound for the North Pole, but this terrible gale from the north necessitated our anchoring for the present. But since fate has cast us among you, I am very happy to make the acquaintance of Count Icanovich. I am Dr. Jones of Washington City, United States, and this is Professor Gray, of Smithsonian Inst.i.tute, same city."

The Count shook hands with them very cordially, and asked, "How many are there of your party?" Upon being told, he immediately desired that they all be brought to the castle.

"We see but little of the world in this place," said he, "and we hail this break in the humdrum monotony of our life with extreme pleasure."

The two gentlemen returned appropriate acknowledgments of the Count's kindness, and arose to return to the globe for the company.

"Will you accompany us to the ship?" asked Dr. Jones.

"I thank you, but I am a victim of sciatic rheumatism, and can do but little walking," returned the Count. "I hope, however, before you leave us, to be able to inspect your wonderful air-ship."

"Is your sciatica of long standing?" inquired Dr. Jones, all the instincts of a good physician being aroused at the presence of suffering; and running over in his mind a list of remedies from force of long habit.

"About three years. I contracted it from getting wet when warm. I am incurable, and must grin and bear to the end."

"Do you feel better quiet, or when moving about?"

"Oh! I must move about. I usually put in hours at night hobbling up and down my room."

"The bed feels so hard that you cannot find an easy spot to lie on. You are always worse before storms. After sitting a little while you stiffen up, feeling much better after moving about. The tendons of your legs have a drawing sensation, and feel as if too short. There is more or less of numbness and paralysis, and a wooden sort of feeling of the leg when walking. You also have lightning-like shocks of pain through the limb, now and then. Your attacks come on every few weeks, and it is the left limb that is affected. You can be cured."

The doctor rattled these symptoms off with great volubility. The Count looked at him with open-eyed wonder. The professor was not less astonished at the positiveness with which Dr. Jones thus detailed the Count's symptoms without any previous knowledge of the case.

"Whether you be angel or devil, I do not know; but certain it is that you have told my symptoms better than I could have done myself. But you make a bold a.s.sertion when you say that I can be cured. Do you know, man, that I have had the best advice in Europe, and have spent a fortune seeking relief?"

"Are you taking medicine now, sir?"

"No. I have thrown physic to the dogs, and may G.o.d have mercy on the dogs. I am thoroughly disgusted with physic and physicians. And why should I not be? Several years since, I saw my wife die of pulmonary consumption. And now my only child lies in a chamber above, well advanced in the same terrible, wholly incurable disease. As if this were not enough, I myself am suffering the pangs of h--l with a lingering, incurable complaint. Why shouldn't I detest the whole lying, infernal business?" he roared, striking the floor savagely with his cane.

"Sure enough, sure enough," said the Doctor soothingly and sympathetically. "I do not blame you in the least. But we will see if something cannot be done for you, Count. I believe in my soul that I can cure you, and that right speedily. Let us now hasten back, for our people will be alarmed at our long absence."

They found them indeed wondering and anxious. All immediately descended and repaired to the castle. The Count met them at the door, and, after a formal introduction to each, led them to a large, quite modernly furnished drawing-room.

"Now," said the Count, "please make yourselves at home. I intend that you shall be my guests while you remain in this vicinity. You will be shown to your rooms in a few moments. You will please excuse me now, and I will see you at dinner, which will be at six o'clock."

He was about leaving the room, limping painfully, when Dr. Jones stepped up to him, and, pulling a small vial from his vest pocket, said: "Put out your tongue, Count; I wish to give you a dose of medicine that will cure your sciatica."

The Count looked at him suspiciously a moment, then sat down as requested, and put out his tongue. Dr. Jones shook a grain or two of powder upon it.

"You will suffer less to-night than you have done in a long time. It is very possible that this one dose will cure you perfectly and permanently."

"I tell you frankly, sir, that I have not a particle of faith in your minute, tasteless dose affecting me in the slightest," said the Count with a half angry glare in his deep-set black eyes.

"I do not care a fig for your faith, sir," replied Dr. Jones in his independent American manner. "Happily for you, this is not a Christian Science cure that I am performing. You have the indicated remedy in your circulation now; and with all due respect, believe what you please."

The company of friends were looking on anxiously, fearing that the Doctor was too brusque with the n.o.bleman. But that individual smiled, and really seemed quite pleased and amused at Dr. Jones' positive, straightforward way of doing business.

"Evidently _you_ are not deficient in the element of faith, Doctor, and I can but wish that your faith may not be in vain in this instance."

After the Count had withdrawn, Professor Gray said: "Dr. Jones, I do not at all understand how you could tell the Count his symptoms as you did, without any previous knowledge of the case. Does sciatic rheumatism always present just the same picture, or set of symptoms, that you should be able to so rapidly and correctly tell his purely subjective sensations?"

"Not by any means, Professor. A scientific prescription, like a stool, must have at least three legs to stand upon. You will remember that the Count had already told me that moving about, especially at night, mitigated his pains; that he contracted his ailment from getting wet; and I noticed that he favored the left leg in walking. These were the three legs for my stool, or prescription. I felt positive that the remedy indicated was Rhus Toxicodendron. So I merely mentioned the leading characteristics of that drug, and I was not mistaken. You see, then, that I did nothing marvelous nor supernatural. Now, any one of many other drugs might have been indicated if the symptoms had been different from what they were. The symptoms of the disease must always be the same as those that the indicated drug is capable of producing in crude doses. Rhus tox. will cure the Count because, in every case of poisoning by that drug, there will be produced the symptoms found in his case. Like cures like. This is a universal law of G.o.d. I feel quite sure that the Count will experience great benefit from the one dose I have given him."

"I shall watch this case with the greatest interest," said the Professor. "You will make a convert of me to your system if you perform a cure of so obstinate and painful a disease with an infinitesimal dose of medicine."

"All right, my dear sir. I always feel confident of a cure when the symptoms are clear cut as in this instance."

A general conversation was now entered into for a few moments, when servants entered and signaled them to follow, and each was conducted to a comfortable apartment. They shortly after a.s.sembled again in the drawing-room and awaited the announcement of dinner. Fred opened the piano, and he and the ladies sang a trio. They were glad when a servant appeared and signaled them to follow him to the dining-room. The Count was the only Russian present who could speak English. So he watched carefully and interpreted the wants of his guests to the servants, and but very little trouble was experienced. They found the cooking very palatable, and their mode of living aboard Silver Cloud in the frosty atmosphere of the Arctic region had sharpened their appet.i.tes enormously.

The Count talked with them about their journey, and was much interested in the graphic accounts given by the different members of the party of their experiences. Will explained the plan and construction of the globe. The Count was a good listener, and seemed deeply impressed with all that was said upon the subject.

"It seems to me incredible that you were so short a time ago in Washington City, U.S., and are now sitting at my dining table in the heart of Russia. And think of the circuitous route by which you came!

Still I am prepared to believe anything when I look at yonder wonderful silver globe, and remember how you dropped among us from the skies as you did to-day."

After dinner Will and Denison borrowed a lantern and went to see that Silver Cloud was all right for the night. The wind swayed the monster ball back and forward gently, and there seemed to be no great strain upon the cables.

"I think we had better get out the other two cables," said Will. "I do not feel quite safe. A heavy gust might tear it away, and that would be a calamity indeed."

So he ascended to the engine-room and pa.s.sed the cable ends to Denison, who made them securely fast to adjoining trees.

A very enjoyable evening was spent in the great drawing-room. Of course music const.i.tuted the chief source of pleasure. Fred brought his anthem and glee books from the cabin of Silver Cloud, and the old walls of the castle certainly seldom, if ever, rang with such music as was discoursed there that night. The domestics had so far recovered from their fright that they now crowded the adjoining hall to hear the singing. So ravishing was the harmony to their semi-barbaric ears that, conjoined with the marvelous manner of their coming among them, these poor creatures were ready to fall down and worship them as heavenly visitants. The Count himself seemed to enjoy the music exceedingly, and encored long and loudly. When they separated for the night, he shook hands cordially with each, and said:

"My good friends, I cannot sufficiently thank you for the pleasure you have afforded me this evening. You may be sure that my invalid daughter has enjoyed your delightful music. She desired that the door be opened so that she has heard it all. She was an accomplished vocal and instrumental musician before her illness. Perhaps she may feel well enough to see you in the drawing-room to-morrow evening."

Turning then to Dr. Jones, he said: "Well, Doctor, whether it be your medicine or music that has charmed away my pains, I do not know; but it is certain that I have not been so free from suffering for a long time.

I bid you all a very good night."

After a consultation it was thought best that two should sleep aboard Silver Cloud every night so long as the party remained with the Count.

So Will and Denison took upon themselves this duty, and immediately repaired to the cabin for the night.

CHAPTER XIII.

Beauty and the Beast.

On the following morning all were up early, and enjoyed a long walk before breakfast in the park. They did not see the Count until breakfast time. He was in a very pleasant mood, and, after inquiring how they had rested, turning to Dr. Jones he said:

"I have always made a point of rendering credit to whom credit is due. I slept eight consecutive hours last night, solidly and dreamlessly as the dead. I have had no such rest for years, and this morning, but for the stiffness of my limb, should be tempted to challenge you for a foot-race. If this be the effect of your medicine, you are the most wonderful healer I ever met."

"I am truly happy to hear that you feel so well this morning, Count Icanovich. But remember that you do not believe at all in my infinitesimal dose, and should not prematurely render me credit. Your present improvement may be but a simple coincidence," and the Doctor's eyes twinkled mischievously.