Tillie: A Mennonite Maid

ged, rugged, unkempt little man known as "the Doc," and as the transient guests were very few and far

the day or before bedtime the subject of so much comment and wonder that, feeling it best to yield to the prejudice, she usua

-room, removed the chenille cover from the centre-table, uncorked the bottle of fluid sold at the village store as ink, but looking more like raspberryade, and se

ly painted wooden settee, a sewing-machine, and several uninviting wooden chairs. Margaret often yearned to pull the pieces of furniture out from their stiff,

did not notice the heavy footsteps which presentl

, she quickly turned in her chair, to find the other boarder, "the Doc," le

old his fat head in unabashed proximity to her own and to

her letter with a blotter, cork

dy?" asked

e prese

e oncet,

eyes as he drew from the pocket of his shab

portant dokiment, Teacher, concerning of wh

es

etch a chair and set aside of

eeling annoyed and disappointed at this interruption of her letter,

ear to her and sp

act-ag'in' my protest, mind you-compellin' doctors to fill out blanks answerin

It was soiled from contact with his coat and his hands, and Margaret, in

and keep so clean as what you do. It's weakenin'. That's why city folks ain't so hearty-they get right into them big, long tubs they have built in their houses up-stairs! I seen one oncet in at Doc Hess's in Lancaster. I says to him when I seen

iss Margaret abruptly as

rite the answers into. Now you can write better 'n me, Teacher; and if you'll just take and write in the answers fur me, why, I'll do a favor

sphemous man in America, but there seemed to be a sort of general impression

is offer of free medical services. "I'll

estion of the list. '"Where

paper, she looked at him in

e exclaimed. "I ain't ne

"Well, then, let us pass on to the next questi

o school right here in this here town-it

'To what School of MEDICINE do you belong?' Medicine, you

d learnt it by practisin' it. That there's the only way to learn any business. Do you suppose you could learn a boy carpenterin' by settin' him do

allopathy, homeopathy, hydropathy, osteopathy,-or, for ins

ally finds it out, and pretty gosh-hang quick too! When he gits a dose of my herb bitters he knows it good enough. Be sure, I don't give babies, and so forth, doses like them. All such I treat, still, according to home-o-pathy, and not like that

et, "you might be c

be sure, I know in a general way what a eclectic IS, and so forth. Bu

laims to adopt whatever is good and reject whate

claimed the doctor, delighted. "Write 'em d

ought Margaret-but she gravely repeated, "An e

cioning it! That is," he quickly corrected himself, in some confusion, "I haven't, so to speak, c

ry well indeed, but sh

ifficulty, and in a few minutes the paper wa

on her, "if ever you want a doctor, I ain't chargin' you nothin'; and leave me tell you somethin'," he said, emphasizing each word by a shake of his forefinger, "Jake Getz and Nathaniel Puntz they're the

hat would they ge

f you wanted to make 'em take time to learn their books at home when he wants 'em to work-or some such-he'd ge

ather's anger by telling him that Elviny Dinkleberger had lent her "Ivanhoe." "I suppose I had a narrow es

made a movement to rise-but the d

oo close-but what was you writin', now,

he question. She stared at the man for an

e [have luncheon] at the tavern,' I says. But no, he says I was to come eat along. So then I did. And his missus she was wonderful fashionable, but she acted just that nice and common with me as my own mother or my wife yet. And that was the first time I have eat what the noos-papers calls a course dinner. They was three courses. First they was soup and nothin' else settin' on the table, and then a colored young lady come in wi

s Margaret

other question to her. "W

parried, "wh

r a while I didn't take no interest in nothin' no more. When your wife dies, you don't feel fur nothin'. Yes, yes," he sighed, "people have often troubles! Oh," he granted, "I went to see other women since. But," shaking his head in

d fu'ther west, and I got out as fur as Utah yet. That's where they have more 'n one wife. I though

ha

like y

vely answered, "it'

eep your job than q

depe

the right side of the School Board. Unlest you'd ruther marry a town fellah and give up your job out here. Some thinks the women out here has to work too hard; but i

ate," said Miss Marg

s, no-wife-" he looked at her with an ingratiating smile. "Some says I'm better off

aid Miss

y of addicting to profane language. I sayed, still, I wisht, now, the good Lord would try posperity on me fur a while-fur adwersity certainly ain't makin' me a child of Gawd, I sayed. But now," he added, rubbing his knees with satisfaction, "I'm fixed nice. Besides my doctor's f

ss Margaret's q

the rooft-garden. That was high-toned music, you bet. No trash about that. Gimme somepin nice and ketchy. That's

nguished accomplishment

her into his confidence. "I don't mind if my wif

t could hardly mistake, the doctor fell back again in his chair,

the house at the kitchen door, and, having announced the object of his errand to the landlady, who, by the way, was his father's

o Tillie's illness, and his aunt, cousins, and uncle presently returned to their work in the

y you should hu

you this evening," he said regretfully to Miss Margaret. "But a doctor can't never make

, no; she leaves me let my shoes off near till it snows already. The teacher we had last year he used to do worse 'n that yet!-HE'D WASH HIS FEET IN THE WINTER-TIME!" said Sammy,

" she said wonderingly, "your front porches get a weekly bath in winter-do t

t get dirty in winter-time. Summer's the time the

id Miss

and a small mirror in the kitchen. Tooth-brushes, she had learned, were almost unknown in the neighborhood, nearly every one of more than seventeen years wearing "store-teeth." It was a matter of much

ht like what this is," he ruefully declared to Miss Margaret, "if I didn't feel it was serious; J

Tillie my love; and if she is not able to com