"'Add fifteen to that,' says he, 'and you have it. Eighty-five year
last Jenooary. You are under thirty, I reckon? Thought so! Well, I
was gettin' on for sixty year old when you was born. See?'

"I did see, but I wasn't going to give in yet. 'Did you ever study
medicine, Mr. Butters?' I said.

"'Study medicine? No, sir! but I've lived with my own bones and
insides till I know 'em consid'able well; and I've seen consid'able
of folks, them as doctored and them as didn't. My wives doctored,
all three of 'em. I buried two of 'em, and good ones, too; and, like
as not, I'll bury the third. She ain't none too rugged this summer,
though she ain't but seventy. But, what I say is, start well, and
stay well, and don't werry. You tell your patients that, and fust
thing you know you won't have any.'"

"A singularly ignorant person, this Mr. Butters!" said Miss Phoebe.

"I don't know!" said the young doctor. "I'm not so sure about that.
I know it would be a bad thing for the medical profession if his
ideas were generally taken up. Well, he went on over his pipe. I
wish you could have seen him, Miss Vesta. He looked like a veritable
patriarch come to life. Fancy Abraham with a T.D. pipe, and you have
Ithuriel Butters. Awfully sad for those poor old duffers not to have
tobacco. I beg your pardon, Miss Blyth.

"'Yes,' said the old fellow. 'I've seen folks as doctored, and I've
seen folks as fooled.'

"'Fooled?' said I.