Cassidy, Hopalong (Fictitious character) -- Fiction; Western stories
"Marshal!" cried the physician while yet a score of paces away,
"somebody burst down my door during my absence and took some drugs which
by their nature are not common out here and, consequently, hard to
obtain. I am formally reporting it, sir."
"Doctor," replied Tex, "when a patient comes to you for help you
naturally expect him to be frank and truthful. It is the same with a
peace officer, who endeavors to cure not the ills of a single unit of
society, but the ills of society as a whole. Here, as in your own
field, a refractory or diseased unit may, and generally does, affect the
body of which he is a part. So, as a social physician, I must ask of
you that frankness so valuable to a medico. First, what drugs did you
miss?"
"Your analogy, while clever, is sophistical and is entirely
unwarranted," retorted the physician, taken somewhat aback by the words
and attitude of a "cowhand," as he contemptuously characterized
punchers. "Leaving it out of the argument, except to say, in passing,
that your ’social physician’ does not exercise a corrective influence,
but rather a punitive one, I hardly see how the naming of the missing
drugs will give any enlightenment to a layman. There still exists the
forcible breaking into, and the unlawful entry of, my residence."
"For purposes of identification it might be well to know the drugs that
were stolen; but I’ll waive that. What time would you say this
occurred?" asked Tex with professional interest.
"Some time yesterday," answered the physician.
"You certainly are not very specific, Doctor," commented Tex. "I’m
afraid we must come closer to it than that. You say you were away at
the time?"
"Yes: I did not return until quite late."
"In body or in spirit, Doctor Horn?"
"Sir, I do not understand you!" retorted the complainant, flushing
slightly and gazing with great intensity into the marshal’s eyes.
"There have been many others who did not understand me," replied Tex,
calmly rolling and lighting a cigarette. "I’m mentioning that so you
won’t think you are an exotic variation of our large and interesting
species. The study of man is the greatest of all, Doctor. The words
were more of a joke than anything else. Have you ever suffered from
hallucinations, Doctor? I’ve heard it said that too close confinement,
too close an application to study, and too intimate relations with
chemicals, volatile and otherwise, operate that way in these altitudes.
Hothouse gardeners, for instance, notably those engaged in raising
poppies, have slight touches of mental aberration. You are certain that
your house was entered while you were away?"
The doctor, arms akimbo, was staring at this calm mind-reader as though
in a trance, too stunned to be insulted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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