"Do you love that scamp Buller?"
"Not on your life! That is,—not so you'd notice it."
"Yet you stood by him like a soldier, when Driggs and I took his hand off, last night. How's that?"
Martha pondered a moment. "Well, you see, sir, to tell the truth, I feel kind o' responsible for Buller. 'Twas me made'm mad in the first place, an' then, when he wanted to get back at me, 'twas our trap give'm the nip. Poor fella! You couldn't help be sorry for'm, he'll miss that strong right hand o' his so, which it used to be a reg'lar pretidigiagitator with the licka—— 'Now you see it an' now you don't effec'.'"
Dr. Ballard laughed. "His left hand's in training already. Between the whiskey and the ether, last night, I was almost anesthetized myself. But joking aside, I'm going to leave Buller in your care. I'll show you about the bandaging, so when Driggs gets through with the patient, you can take him up. I wouldn't like to trust to Mrs. Buller. She's a slipshod creature, sure to neglect. Dr. Driggs tells me, Buller dreads him like the mischief, so he won't go there any longer than he has to. May I trust you to keep your eye on him, follow him up, and let me know if there's any hitch in the healing?"
"Certaintly you may," said Martha.
"Another thing," Dr. Ballard paused. "I'd be glad to feel you are keeping an eye on—a—Crewesmere."
Mrs. Slawson nodded. "Certaintly, again. But you don't think—that is, you ain't in doubt about the ol' lady, are you? I'd hate to think she might have somethin' I ain't used to. I kinda got accustomed to strokes now, so's if she'd have any more, I'd know just how to take a-holt, but if she set about gettin' up somethin' new, it'd sorta rattle me, maybe. You never can tell."
"No, that's it! You never can tell. I can't tell."
"It ain't as if she didn't have a sympton to show you," pleaded Martha, "so's you'd be workin' in the dark. When ladies is that way, the doctors says to'mselves: 'Her color's good, an' her pulse is strong, which proves she's far from a well woman. While I'm waitin' for somethin' to happen, I'll remove her appendicitis.' Folks has such funny furbelows inside'm nowadays, I don't wonder the doctors is puzzled. What's the use o' adenoids now, an' appendicitises, I should like to know, if it's only to go to the trouble an' expense of havin' 'm cut out?"