“YES, it beat all,” said Mr. Atkins, “how he come in and begun looking around—”
“You mean th’ Doctor,” interrupted Deacon Blodgett, reaching over for a scrap of cheese to put on his cracker. He knew the story, having heard it a good dozen times, but he wanted some of the other ears to be introduced to it.
“Who am I a-talkin’ of, ef ’tain’t Doctor Fisher?” said Mr. Atkins irritably.
“Of course,” said the Deacon, helping himself to another cracker to top off the cheese.
It had just begun to drizzle, the light rain keeping customers within the store, and at such a time Mr. Atkins opened his cracker-box and laid out his cheese-knife. He was delighted at the chance of village gossip, and besides they would all more than make up by their orders for the price of the entertainment.
“Yes, he come in, and he looked around this way and that, an’ I kep’ still, for th’ Doctor, you all know, has a way of his own, an’ he would explain in good time, an’ pretty soon he says, ‘Ain’t any Pepper children around, hey?’
“An’ I says ‘No,’ an’ he took one more good look, for he says, ‘I’m not so sure about Joel, for he can get everywhere in just about a minute,’ an’ I says, ‘Yes, I know that, but Joel is to home, for he came tearin’ in here half an hour ago, an’ he said he must hurry an’ git some corn meal, for he’d got to help Polly.’ An’ I waited on him quick, I tell you, an’ he tore off.
“‘I guess I’m safe then—’ said Dr. Fisher. ‘Well, I want to see a stove.’
“‘A stove!’ says I.
“‘I said a stove,’ said Dr. Fisher, quite calm. ‘Come now, let’s see if you’ve got one to suit.’