The Missing Link

less gaiety, the nimbleness, or any of the simple virtues of the young of the common goat. Kid was short for "kidder," a term that a

s, excepting in very special circumstances, when the opportunity made honesty almost an impertinence. The sobriquet coming from such a source acquires peculiar significance. The god-fathers of Nickie the Kid

Kid was partial to creature comforts, but was of great assistance to him in a profession in which it was often necessary to profess chronic sickness and touching physical decrepitud

fallen on evil days, was dusty and rusty, while the knees of Mr. Crips poked familiarly through a long slit in each leg of

what the doctors at the hospital had said about his peculiar

rs," said Nickie, in his sad, calm way. "The smallest excitement, the slightest strain, and

medical comforts, and it had two objects-to open the soul

ain sense of superiority was, never wanting in Nickie the Kid; the shabbiest clothes, a deplorable hat, fragmentary boots, shirtlessness, the most distressing situations all failed to wholly eliminate a touch of impudent dignity, a trace of rakish self-satisfaction which as a rule escaped the attention of his clients; but, here and there, a student of human nature found it delightfully whi

crocodile in pantomime and was long in the employ of a fashionable undertaker as second in command on the hearse. In this latter billet he had to keep his hair dyed a presentable black, but otherwise the dut

pered with conscience. Every man should be master of his own conscience, and the exactions of conscience should be subordinate to the needs of the body. That was a la

e bag full of small bottles. In the course of long experience as a beat, Nickie had learned the value of prompt a

hin', mister?" said t

e your piano this morning?" His manner was most courteous, h

an, "an' a good reason why-coz

ty, madam. No home should be without

the latter looked back over the gate, and said

Crips was seated in a secluded spot on the river bank, taking stock. He possessed one very second-hand black bag and four dozen four-ounce bottles. The Kid's intention in the first place had been to dispose of the loot at the nearest ma

d threepence worth of small corks. Back at the Yarra Nickie the Kid dissolved one of three gingernuts he had tak

asant sweep of sunny landscape at Tarra, with his trousers in his hands, carefully and systematically repairing and renovating the same. The frock coat had been "restored," the rag cap was abandoned in favour

and, prepared for the campaign. He had had a clean shave, and his face had a sort of calm dignity touched

leared his throat, as if about to commence an oration, and set off at

aracter and quality of dogs, no beat better, and he recognised this one as harml

. "I have taken the liberty of calling upon you to bring under your attention my celebrated medicine-Dr. Cri

ve, but by no means subservient. Nickie's voice was his most valuable possession; it had a note s

, "we ain't got any

e, lumbago, Bright's disease

othin' in the 'ouse but rhoomertism in me ole m

and producing another of exactly the same mixture. "Cures rheumatism in two hours. Gives instant rel

le, examined it closely

ooks

with quiet conviction. "No family should b

d and said, "I shall be back this way in a week, and shall do m

Crips over the fence, and ended by buying a bottle of his Infallible Hair Restorer, and payi

pocket he could afford luxuries. That night he slept in a bed at the Harrow Hotel, and next morning breakfasted on grilled

moving on before his customers had time to compare notes. Before noon, he sold six bottles of the Healing Mixture for in

a bottle, assuring her that it would convert brass spoons into real silver. A little mercury in a rag helped this trifling deception. On the third day

ging his bag and singing his tender lay, at peace with the world, and buoyed with

A man jumped down and advanced t

hat's selling the Rheumatic

t. His fair dreams fell from him, he sighed deeply, and philoso

fered, and Mr Crips expected none. They would come, he imagined, along with the familiar penalties. One of the yo

, his first customer. One young man ran in with the news, and presently reappeared in company w

c Balm, and she also fell upon Nickie, who put up a short prayer. But to the doctor's immense surprise he found presently th

ever forget yeh fer t

ave a bit to eat,"

and dumped him down at a loaded table. He was wai

said the farmer, with e

yer old dad. Gord

an that cured her dear pa, and all Nickie's happiness and his great content came back to him like r

m has set you up agai

k at this." The farmer

ne. I'll buy every drop

rought back. But sit d

n out under the elderberries. Out under the elderberries, for the edification of Millie Dickson, Nicholas Crips was a medical man of high attainments, but the victim of extraordinary vici

en window, and Nickie saw and heard things of no little interest to him professionally. Farme

ear his nibs sold me this ez

sure cure fer corns 'n' ingrowin

es," explained Coleman. "He said it

ture," he said. "It looks like it, tastes like, 'n' it smells like. Now I come t' think iv it, I ain't

-movin', but they're all bac

I gave the mixture to

down his spine. "I'm pretty certain the rheumatics 're comin' back,"

son remarked plaintive

blanky

rob

m up, 'n' 'ave

but already Nickie had begged to be excused, and passed into t

for rheumatism, sprains, corns, bruises and headaches, the cure for pigs, the wash for silvering spoons, and the hair-restorer were all the same mixture. Then a gre