"I'll tell you."

And he told me.



V


"Odd thing," said Alpha, "that I should have been at Omega's just as I
was sickening for appendicitis. He's great on appendicitis, is Omega."

"Has he had it?"

"Not he! He's never had anything. But he informed me that before he
went to Mexico last year he took the precaution of having his appendix
removed, lest he might have acute appendicitis in some wild part of
the country where there might be no doctor just handy for an
operation. He's like that, you know. I believe if he had his way there
wouldn't be an appendix left in the entire family. He's inoculated
against everything. They're all inoculated against everything. And he
keeps an elaborate medicine-chest in his house, together with
elaborate typewritten instructions which he forced his doctor to give
him--in case anything awful should happen suddenly. Omega has only to
read those instructions, and he could stitch a horrible wound, tie up
a severed artery, or make an injection of morphia or salt water. He
has a thermometer in every room and one in each bath. Also
burglar-alarms at all doors and windows, and fire extinguishers on
every floor. But that's nothing. You should hear about his insurance.