"Well, go then," he said wildly. Kate started. Mrs. Holt blocked the doorway. "You just stop, Missy!" she cried. "You're away too smart, trying to get folks in here, and ruin my George's chances. You just stay where you are till I think what to do, to put the best face on this!" "He may not be really gone! The doctor might save him!" cried Kate. Mrs. Holt looked long at the man. "He's deader 'an a doornail," she said. "You stay where you are!" Kate picked her up by the shoulders, set her to one side, ran from the room and down the street as fast as possible. She found the doctor in his office with two patients. She had no time to think or temporize. "Get your case and come to our house quick, doctor," she cried. "An old man they call Peter Mines came to see George, and his heart has failed. Please hurry!" "Heart, eh?" said the doctor. "Well, wait a minute. No use to go about a bad heart without digitalis." He got up and put on his hat, told the men he would be back soon, and went to the nearest drug store. Kate followed. The men who had been in the office came also. "Doctor, hurry!" she panted. "I'm so frightened." "You go to some of the neighbours, and stay away from there," he said. "Hurry!" begged Kate. "Oh, do hurry!" She was beside him as they sped down the street, and at his shoulder as they entered the room. With one glance she lurched against the casing and then she plunged down the hall, entered her room, closed the door behind her, and threw herself on the bed. She had only a glance, but in that glance she had seen Peter Mines sitting fully clothed, his hat on his head, his stick in his hands, in her easy chair; the operating table folded and standing against the wall; Mrs. Holt holding the camphor bottle to Peter's nose, while George had one hand over Peter's heart, the other steadying his head. The doctor swung the table in place, and with George's help laid Peter on it, then began tearing open his clothes. As they worked the two men followed into the house to see if they could do anything and excited neighbours began to gather. George and his mother explained how Peter had exhausted himself walking two miles from the country that hot morning, how he had entered the office, tottering with fatigue, and had fallen in the chair in a fainting condition. Everything was plausible until a neighbour woman, eager to be the centre of attention for a second, cried: "Yes, we all see him come more'n an hour ago; and when he begin to let out the yells we says to each other, 'THERE! George has got his first patient, sure!' An' we all kind of waited to see if he'd come out better." The doctor looked at her sharply: "More than an hour ago?" he said. "You heard cries?" "Yes, more'n a good hour ago. Yes, we all heard him yell, jist once, good and loud!" she said. The doctor turned to George. Before he could speak his mother intervened.