done so quickly that Teether himself only nestled a bit closer with
a faint moan, and Miss Wingate looked up at the operator with
grateful eyes. She hugged the limp baby closer and started to speak,
but was interrupted by an anxious question from Eliza.

"Did you cut it?" she demanded.

"Yes," answered the Doctor non-committally.

"Well, Maw'll be mighty mad at you, for Mother Mayberry asked her
last night to let you cut it and she said she'd thimbled the rest of
us and she reckoned he could stand it too. If it was me, I'd let you
cut me wide open and sew me up again if you wanted to," and Eliza
beamed upon the Doctor with an affection that was the acme of
idealization. She had forgotten that only a few hours ago she had
renounced her loyalty at the memory of the oil, but Miss Wingate
smiled in appreciation of this display of further feminine
inconsistency.

"Shucks," said Billy, "you'd holler 'fore he could cut onct. I'm a-
going to let him fix my next stump toe and 'Lias Hoover have got two
warts he can cut off, if he gives him a piece of catgut string to
tie on fish hooks." And Billy looked as if he expected to see the
Doctor entirely overwhelmed at the prospect of so much practice so
easily obtained.

"Go take Martin Luther to show Mrs. Mayberry, Eliza," said Miss
Wingate with a laughing smile over the baby's head at the Doctor and
his practice. "I'll come on with the baby." And with Teether still
embraced she strolled up the walk with Doctor Mayberry at her side.