"Me? No, I hain't been well. I been a complainin' ever sence Christmas, from the top o' my head to the sole o' my foot. I thenk I must have bile on the liver, I complain so much with a ketch in the back." "Mother used to use plasters for her back, sometimes," observed Miss Nancy. "These here Polish plasters, I reckon," volunteered Mrs. Doggett: "I've bought 'em too, but they never done _me_ no good. They's a new-fashioned kind o' plasters, I fergit the name. They writ on and wanted Marshall and Dock to be agents fer: I don't know how in the world they ever got holt o' their names. I been aimin' to try _them_, but a heap o' them remedies hain't nary bit o' count after you pay your money fer 'em. "Whenever I go up to Susy's, when the bell rings, me and her always takes down the receiver, and evedraps the tillephorm, and last time I wuz thar, I heerd Mrs. Fetter a 'phoamin' to Miss Maud Floss about Bottum's medicine a bein' good rheumatiz medicine, and I got a little bottle, and tuck hit jest as prompt as I could, and hit never done nary bit o' good. I tuck hit by the directions, too. I dunno what causes me to have the rheumatiz so, fer I always wear red flannel underwear next to my skin, bein's hit's so good fer the rheumatiz." Miss Nancy was not patient with Mrs. Doggett's health history. "I heard Jim'd been complainin'," she cited without comment. "Yes, Jim's been broke out all over his body. It tarrified him awful fer a while; he jest couldn't git nary minute o' rest ontel he got somethin' from the doctor fer hit. The doctor said his blood was out o' fix. "He hadn't never been so bad off sence he quit killin' cats! He used to love to kill cats, Miss Nancy, better'n _anytheng_! And he never had no luck at nothin'. He tuck stomach trouble, and jest drinneled away to nothin', and I jest made him quit killin' cats. Sence he's had this eruptive spell, though, he's been a workin' all the time jest the same! Seems like a body jest has to keep a goin', sick er well, ef they 'spect to have anytheng!" "That's what I tell Lucy," Miss Nancy commented briefly, with considerable emphasis. "I've got to do a big ir'nin' termorrer, fer though I wuzn't no ways able," explained Mrs. Doggett, "I done a big washin' the first o' the week. Ever' blessed theng wuz dirty. How many shirts you reckon I put out?" "I have no idy," acknowledged Miss Nancy. "Twenty-five white shirts, besides three apiece o' their ever'days!" "That's a mighty big washin'," observed Miss Nancy, stooping to pick up a piece of green cashmere.