The Story of a Doctor's Telephone Part 36

"No, she won't have any more." The look on the patient's face said plainly, "We'll see about that." It did not escape the doctor.

"But in case you should see any signs of a spell coming on, and if she gets so she can't speak again, then you must--but come into the next room," he said in a low voice.

They went into an adjoining room, the doctor taking care to leave the door ajar. Then in a voice ostensibly low enough that the patient might not hear and yet so distinct that she could hear every word, he delivered his instructions: "Now, if she has any more spells she must be blistered all the way from her neck down to the end of her spine." The mother looked terrified. "And if she gets so she can't speak again, it will be necessary to put a seton through the back of her neck."

"What _is_ a seton?" faltered the woman.

"Oh, it's nothing but a big needle six or eight inches long, threaded with coa.r.s.e cord. It must be drawn through the flesh and left there for a while." Then in a tone so low that only the mother could hear, he said, "Don't pay much attention to her. She'll never have those spells unless there is somebody around to see her."

He walked into the other room and took up his hat and case.

"I left some powders on the table," he said to the mother. "You may give her one just before dinner and another tonight."

"Will it make any difference if she doesn't take it till tonight?"

"Not a bit."

"Pa's gone and I didn't 'low to git any dinner today."

At this announcement Mary heard something between a sigh and a groan and turning, saw a rosy-cheeked boy in the doorway. There was a look of resigned despair on his face and Mary smiled sympathetically at him as she went out. How many lads and la.s.sies could have sympathized with him too, having been victims to that widespread feeling among housewives that when "Pa" is gone no dinner need be got and sometimes not much supper.

As the doctor and his wife started down the walk they heard a voice say, "Ma, don't you ever send for that smart-aleck doctor agin. I won't _have_ him." The doctor shook with laughter as he untied the horse.

"They won't need to send for me 'agin.' I like to get hold of a fine case of hysterics once in a while--it makes things lively."

"The treatment you prescribed was certainly heroic enough," said Mary.

They had driven about a mile, when, in pa.s.sing a house a young man signaled the doctor to stop. "Mother has been bleeding at the nose a good deal," he said, coming down to the gate. "I wish you would stop and see her. She'll be glad to see you, too, Mrs. Blank."

They were met at the door by a little old woman in a rather short dress and in rather large ear-rings. Her husband, two grown daughters and three children sat and stood in the room.

"So you've been bleeding at the nose, Mrs. Haig?" said the doctor, looking at his patient who now sat down.

"Yes, sir, and it's a-gittin' me down. I've been in bed part of the day."

"It's been bleedin' off and on for two days and nights," said the husband.

"Did you try pretty hard to stop it?"

"Yes, sir, I tried everything I ever heerd tell of, and everything the neighbors wanted me to try, but it didn't do no good."

"Open the door and sit here where I can have a good light to examine your nose by," the doctor said to the patient. She brought her chair and the young man opened the door. As he did so there was a mad rush between the old man and his two daughters for the door opposite.

"Shet that door, quick!" the old man shouted, and it was instantly done.

Mary looked around with frightened eyes. Had some wild beast escaped from a pa.s.sing menagerie and was it coming in to devour the household?

There was a swirl of ashes and sparks from the big fireplace.

"This is the blamedest house that ever was built," said Mr. Haig.

"Who built it?" queried the doctor.

"I built it myself and like a derned fool went an' put the fireplace right between these two outside doors, so if you open one an' the other happens to be open the fire and ashes just flies."

The doctor took an instrument from his pocket and proceeded with his examination.

"But there's a house back here on the hill about a mile that beats this," said the old man.

"That is a queer-looking house," said Mary. "It has no front door at all."

"No side door, neither. When a feller wants to get in _that_ house there's just one of three ways: he has to go around and through the kitchen, or through a winder, or down the chimney."

"If he was little enough he might go through the cat-hole," suggested the young man, at which they all laughed.

"And what may that be?" asked the mystified Mary.

"It's a square hole cut in the bottom of the door for the cat to go in and out at. The man that owns the place said he believed in having things handy."

"Now, let me see your throat," said the doctor. The patient opened her mouth to such an amazing extent that the doctor said, "No, I will stand on the outside!" which made Mary ashamed of him, but the old couple laughed heartily. They had known this doctor a good many years.

"What have you been doing to stop the bleeding?" he asked.

"I've been a-tryin' charms and conjurin', mostly."

Mary saw that there was no smile on her face or on any other face in the room. She spoke in a sincere and matter-of-fact way. "Old Uncle Peter, down here a piece, has cured many a case of nose-bleed but he hain't 'peared to help mine."

"How does he go about it?" asked Mary.

"W'y, don't you know nothin' 'bout conjurin'?"

"Nothing at all."

"I thought you bein' a doctor's wife would know things like that."

"I don't believe my husband practises conjuring much."

"Well, Uncle Peter takes the Bible, and opens it, and says some words over it, and pretty soon the bleedin' stops."

"Which stops it, the Bible or the words?"

"W'y--both I reckon, but the words does the most of it. They're the charm and n.o.body knows 'em but him."

"Where did he learn them?"

"His father was a conjurer and when he died he tol' the words to Uncle Peter an' give the power to him."

"Did he come up here to conjure you?" asked the doctor.

"No, he says he can do it just as well at home."