"But what's the matter with me?" broke in Abe, by this time fairly white
with fear. The doctor had assured him that all his organs were sound,
so he could only conclude that he must have one of those unusual
diseases such as Miss Abigail was reading about in the paper yesterday.
Maybe, although his legs were so thin to-day, he was on the verge of an
attack of elephantiasis!

"What's the matter with me?" he repeated, his eyes growing wilder and
wilder.

What the doctor really replied would be difficult to tell; but out of
the confusion of his technicalities Abe caught the words, "nerves" and
"hysteria."

"Mother, yew hear that?" he cried. "I got narvous hysterics. I told yer
somethin' would happen ter me a-comin' to this here place. All them old
woman's diseases is ketchin'. Why on 'arth didn't yer let me go to the
poorhouse?"

He fell back on the pillow and drew the bedclothes up to his ears, while
Angy followed the doctor out into the hall to receive, as Abe supposed,
a more detailed description of his malady. He felt too weak, however, to
question Angy when she returned, and stubbornly kept his eyes closed
until he heard Mrs. Homan tiptoe into the room to announce in hushed
tones that Blossy and Samuel Darby were below, and Samuel wanted to know
if he might see the invalid.

Then Abe threw off the covers in a hurry and sat up. "Sam'l Darby?" he
asked, the strength coming back into his voice. "A man! Nary a woman
ner a doctor! Yes--yes, show him up!"