I returned to the hotel with the Doctor's hat, cane, spectacles, and the wire bracket, which the irate woman declared she wouldn't give house-room to. The Doctor was in quite a critical condition. His head was badly swollen, several bruises were on his body from the fall down stairs, and a high fever had set in, compelling him to take to his bed. His first question, when I entered his room, was: "What did she say?" and the second was: "Did the landlady come on the train?" I answered both, and gave him all the aid and consolation in my power. Among other things, I promised if he ever recovered we would have his favorite pie and coffee every meal for two weeks. This pleased him greatly, for his appetite for apple pie and Java coffee was seldom if ever satisfied. He recovered in a few days, and said he was glad the landlady didn't return in the midst of that fracas. A few days later he came rushing into the hotel from up town, and said: "I just met an old friend and former patron, who used to live in the southern part of the State. He now lives five miles from here, and they are going to have a dance at his house next Friday night. He wants me to come out, and bring you with me, as I told him all about you, and whose daughter you married. He has always known John Higgins, your father-in-law. I told him we would be there, so you must make calculations to go." "All right, Doctor; we'll drive our horse out." "That's what we'll do, that's what we'll do," he laughingly remarked. If there was any one thing the Doctor prided himself in more than another, it was his gracefulness in "tripping the light fantastic toe." He talked of nothing else from that time till Friday, and made more preparations for the occasion than the average person would for his own wedding. When the hostler drove our rig to the front door, the Doctor with his highly polished boots, his heavy-checked skin-tight pants (then the height of fashion), his swallow-tailed coat--renovated and mended for the occasion, his low-cut vest, and his immaculate shirt-front with a large flaming red neck-tie, his face cleanly shaven, his ivory-white moustache waxed and twisted, his gold-headed cane and gold spectacles, and lastly, his newly ironed hat--standing there, as described, he certainly made a very striking appearance. On our way out he became very impatient to make faster time, and declared that we got cheated when we traded the jewelry for such an infernal horse, and wanted to sell his half to me. I told him I would buy him out if he would take his pay in board. He became excited at once, and said he would be an idiot to do that, as it was just the same as understood that I was to board him, if I got the hotel to run. "But suppose I should remain here for five years," said I, "what then?" "What then?" he quickly ejaculated, "why then I suppose you'd find me here to the end of that time. I started out with you, and I intend to stay with you."