Americans -- Italy -- Fiction; New England -- Fiction; Young women -- Fiction
The doctor interposed, "I don't think you're going to have a very bad
attack, this time, Mrs. Lander."
"Oh, thank you, thank you, docta! But you can undastand, can't you, how I
shall want to have somebody around that can undastand a little English?"
The doctor said, "Oh yes. And Miss Claxon and I can understand a good
deal, between us, and we're going to stay, and see how a little morphine
behaves with you."
Mrs. Lander protested, "Oh, I can't bea' mo'phine, docta."
"Did you ever try it?" he asked, preparing his little instrument to
imbibe the solution.
"No; but Mr. Landa did, and it 'most killed him; it made him sick."
"Well, you're about as sick as you can be, now, Mrs. Lander, and if you
don't die of this pin-prick"--he pushed the needle-point under the skin
of her massive fore-arm--"I guess you'll live through it."
She shrieked, but as the pain began to abate, she gathered courage, and
broke forth joyfully. "Why, it's beautiful, a'n't it? I declare it wo'ks
like a cha'm. Well, I shall always keep mo'phine around after this, and
when I feel one of these attacks comin' on--"
"Send for a physician, Mrs. Lander," said Dr. Welwright, "and he'll know
what to do."
"I an't so sure of that," returned Mrs. Lander fondly. "He would if you
was the one. I declare I believe I could get up and walk right off, I
feel so well."
"That's good. If you'll take a walk day after tomorrow it will help you a
great deal more."
"Well, I shall always say that you've saved my life, this time, doctor;
and Clementina she's stood by, nobly; I'll say that for her." She twisted
her big head round on the pillow to get sight of the girl. "I'm all
right, now; and don't you mind what I said. It's just my misery talkin';
I don't know what I did say; I felt so bad. But I'm fustrate, now, and I
believe I could drop off to sleep, this minute. Why don't you go to your
tea? You can, just as well as not!"
"Oh, I don't want to go, now, Mrs. Lander; I'd ratha stay."
"But there a'n't any more danger now, is the'e, docta?" Mrs. Lander
appealed.
"No. There wasn't any danger before. But when you're quite yourself, I
want to have a little talk with you, Mrs. Lander, about your diet. We
must look after that."
"Why, docta, that's what I do do, now. I eat all the healthy things I lay
my hands on, don't I, Clementina? And ha'n't you always at me about it?"
Clementina did not answer, and the doctor laughed. "Well, I should like to
know what more I could do!"
"Perhaps you could do less. We'll see about that. Better go to sleep,
now, if you feel like it."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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