“Surely we can’t keep them in the house!” cried Mrs. Clyde. “They would be certain to catch it from Charley.”
“By no means certain. Even if they did, that would not be the worst thing that could happen.”
“No? What would, then?” challenged Grandma Sharpless.
“That they should go out of this house, possibly carrying the poison with them into some other and defenseless community.” Dr. Strong spoke a little sternly.
Neither woman replied for a moment. When Mrs. Clyde spoke, it was with a changed voice. “Yes. You are right. I didn’t think. At least I thought only of my own children. It’s hard to learn to think like a mother of all children.”
“It’s as near to the divine as any human can come,” returned the Health Master gently. “However, I think I can promise you that, if the twins and Bettykin haven’t been touched with the poison already, they shan’t get it from Charley. We’ll organize a defense—provided only the enemy hasn’t established itself already. Now the question is, where did the poison come from? We’ll have Junkum in and see if she can help us find out.” Julia, the more efficient of the eleven-year-old twins, a shrewd and observing youngster, resembling, in many respects, her grandmother, came at the doctor’s summons and was told what had befallen Charley.
“Oh!” said Junkum. Then, “Can I nurse him?”
“I should think not!” burst out her mother and grandmother in a breath.
“Later on you can help,” said Dr. Strong. “In fact, I shall probably need your help. Now, Junkum, you remember I told you children a month ago that there was scarlet fever about and warned you to guard your mouths and noses with special care. Can you recall whether Charley has been careless?”
Miss Julia took the matter under consideration. “We’ve all been, I guess,” she said. “Clara Wingate gave a party last week and there was bobbing for apples, and everybody had their faces in the same tub of water.”