“What must he do, doctor?” he asked, unable to keep silent.
“Are you going to make him do it?” the doctor smiled.
“I am, or—or bust his old head,” Tom replied, with such heartfelt affection that both the men laughed.
“Do you sleep with your windows wide open at night?” the doctor asked Joe.
“Why—I—I can’t in winter, ’cause ma won’t let me; it makes the room too cold for the kid, she says.”
“What!” Dr. Meyer exclaimed. “Do you sleep with a small brother?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, the first thing you do is to stop that! You must sleep in a room by yourself. It’s not safe for your brother. You must sleep with the windows wide open.”
“Couldn’t he have my tent, and sleep outdoors?” Tom put in.
“Better still,” the doctor replied. “Now, I’m going to make up a list of what you are to eat and drink, and a schedule of how you are to rest, and how much you can walk around.”