CHAPTER XIV.
A DOSE FOR THE DOCTOR.
A look of displeasure crossed Mrs. Jones' face, but she handed Tommy the money.
"Get out of the house," she said, "and tell Dr. Slasher that I don't understand this conduct at all. He's no gentleman."
"I'll tell him, ma'am," answered Tommy, who was getting bewildered again, and away he posted home.
"Did you make that all right?" he asked.
"You can bet I did," answered Tommy, with a triumphant smile. "I'm the hunky-dory boy who can fix things."
"Well, what did she say?"
"She handed me a shilling for the flowers, which cost two-and-six, but I wasn't going to be beat that way."
"What?"
"She couldn't play that on me, sir, and I made her dub up the other eighteen pence, and she told me to get out of the house, and let you know that you were no gentleman. You see, she was mad because I tumbled to her little game."
The doctor's eyes flashed fire, and his cork leg seemed to quiver with indignation.
"You rascal!" he exclaimed. "Do you want to ruin me? Have you no knowledge of the usages of good society? Does a gentleman ever expect a lady to pay for the presents he makes her?"
"I did my best, sir."
"Did your worst, you mean. Sit in that chair while I get the leeches."
Tommy sank into the chair, and Dr. Slasher tied a piece of rope round him, which rendered it impossible for him to move.
In a glass vase were kept the leeches, a couple of which the doctor took out, putting one on each of the boy's cheeks.
Their clammy feel caused a thrill of horror to run through his frame, which increased when he felt a puncture of the skin.
The leeches were at their work, and drinking his blood.
"Oh, sir, take them off!" he screamed. "They'll kill me! They'll drain me dry, and I shall go about like a walking skeleton."
"They like boys' blood," the doctor remarked. "It seems to agree with them."
"Oh, sir, please, sir, take the beastly things away," pleaded Tommy.
The doctor was determined, and Tommy's pleadings did not move him in the least, so the leeches continued to suck until they were thoroughly gorged, when they dropped off and were carefully replaced in their vases.
"Now," said the doctor, "I shall expect you to be a smarter boy after this, for I have been at considerable pains to extract the bad blood from you."
Tommy was untied, and rubbing his cheeks, ran downstairs to find Bobsey, and get him to condole with him.
He found Bobsey sitting by the stove, all by himself. There was no other servant, as Miss Minks did all the work.
"What's up?" inquired Bobsey.
Tommy related what had happened.
"Oh, my heyes!" said Bobsey, "ain't that a shame! I never 'eard of such a rig as that."
"I'll be revenged."
"What'll yer do?"
"There's a big auger in the cellar, and I'll bore holes in the surgery floor, so that old Slasher will stick his leg in one. I'll have a big stone in the room underneath, and I'll fasten the stone to his leg so he can't move. That'll be bully."
"First-rate," replied Bobsey.
"Then," continued Tommy, warming with his subject, "I'll get a lancet and stab him all over. I'll physic him with a dose of salts and——"
"'Old on," interrupted Bobsey. "S'pose he takes and sacks you?"
"I won't let him loose till he promises to forgive me."
"You'll do, young one," Bobsey said. "I don't want to offend you."
Tommy was as good as his word, for he worked hard that night with the auger, and made at least a dozen holes in various parts of the surgery floor.
The next day Dr. Slasher had occasion to find fault with Tommy, who was not making the pills the proper shape.
"You've got the mold," said the doctor, "why don't you turn them out properly?"
"If you don't like my way, do it yourself," replied Tommy.
"What!" cried the doctor; "getting impudent, are you? I'll have to give you a dose of salts and senna, young man."
"If you catch me."
"That won't give me much trouble," replied Dr.Slasher, who proceeded to fill a glass with a nauseous-looking fluid.
When the dose was ready he called to Tommy to come and drink it.
"Not much," said Tommy.
"I order you to take it, and if you don't, I'll make you."
"You've got to spell able," was Tommy's reply, as he moved toward the door.
The doctor tried to intercept him, but as the boy had reckoned, he stuck his wooden leg into one of the holes, and was held fast.
Putting his finger to his nose, in token of derision, Tommy ran below and securely fastened the large stone to the end of the wooden leg.
"Now I've got him hard and fast," said Tommy to himself.
In vain the doctor tried to extricate himself; he was, as it were, rooted to the spot.
Returning to the room, Tommy seized the glass containing the salts and senna.
"Drink this," he ordered.
"I won't. Am I to be dictated to by a boy?" replied the doctor. "What on earth is the matter with my leg?"
"I've made it fast below. It's anchored."
"You scoundrel! I'll have you arrested. I'll give you six months. Go and undo my leg."
"Not yet. You've got to take your medicine. Your blood wants cooling off. I'll give you some leeches presently."
Tommy held the medicine to the doctor's lips, and forced him to drink the contents, which very soon had a griping effect.
"Oh!" he cried, putting his hands to his vest, "this is awful!"
"Will you ever put leeches on me again?" said Tommy.
"Never in the wide world. Let me go, there's a good boy. I'll make you a handsome present. I will indeed."
"Do you forgive me, and promise never to say a word about this?"
"Yes, yes."
"Then I'll undo the stone, but jest mind how you attack a poor boy another time. I'm my own best friend, if I am alone in a strange country."
"I'll be a father to you, Tommy."
"Yes, you will, over the left; but I'll let up on you this time, boss," said Tommy, who went downstairs and untied the stone.
Aided by Bobsey, he pulled the doctor out of the unpleasantpredicament in which he was placed, and set him down on a chair.
After a while the doctor said:
"Here's sixpence for you both. Run up to Mr. Garretson's with this medicine, and let me know how he is."
On arriving at Mr. Garretson's house, they were informed that the gentleman in question was dead.
"Could we see him, miss?" inquired Bobsey.
"The corpse is in that room on the left," replied the girl, pointing to a door. "You can go in, but I can't stay, as I've got my work to do downstairs."
The two boys entered the room where the dead body of Mr. Garretson was lying. He was a little man, about seventy, and had died of some internal complaint, which had defied the skill of his physician.
"The guv'ner would like to have that specimen," said Tommy.
"Yes," replied Bobsey. "I heard him say he'd give something for the body, to make a hexamination of it, but he didn't think as how the family would stand it."
"Let's wrap it up in a blanket, and take it down the road."
"What for?"
"So that the old man may have a show at it."
"Hi'm hagreeable," answered Bobsey, "only there'll be a jolly row about it, I hexpect."
The idea was no sooner conceived than executed.
Rolling a blanket round the body, the boys carried it out of the house without being perceived, and proceeded to the doctor's with their remarkable burden.
They had not been gone long when the only son of Mr. Garretson, who had been telegraphed for, arrived in a cab.
Sally opened the door, and recognizing him, at once said:
"He's gone at last, sir."
"So mother says in the dispatch. Where is mother now?"
"She's feeling bad, upstairs, sir."
"Then I won't disturb her at present. I'll take a look at it."
By "it" the son meant the corpse.
"It's in here, sir," said Sally, opening the door of the room, which the boys had so lately robbed of its contents.
"I don't see anything," remarked the son.
"Well, I never did! It was there just now!" cried Sally, in alarm.
Young Garretson looked sternly at her.
"There is something wrong about this!" he exclaimed; "explain it."
Sally began to cry, and put the corner of her apron to her eyes.
"Wretched girl!" he continued, shaking her arm, "what have you done with my father's body?"
"I ain't done nothing; but"—her face brightened—"it might have been those two young varmints."
"What two young varmints?"
"Them as come from the doctor."
"Dr. Slasher's boys?"
"Yes, sir."
"Have they been here?"
"A few minutes ago. I let them in to see the deceased, and I'll swear the corpse was all right then."
"Ha!" exclaimed the young man, "I see it all. This is an infamous plot on the part of the doctor to obtain the body of my esteemed and venerable parent for the purpose of dissection, but I'll frustrate it. Rouse the neighbors!"
Young Garretson himself ran into the street, and was fortunate enough to meet with a policeman, to whom he related his suspicions.
A crowd soon collected, and the news that the doctor had been stealing a body spread with great rapidity.
Tommy and Bobsey managed to reach the house without molestation, entered by the surgery door, and saw Dr. Slasher looking over the pages of a medical book.
"Well," said the doctor, "how is Mr. Garretson?"
"He's come to answer for himself," replied Tommy.
"Indeed! I wasn't aware that he would ever again be able to leave his bed," said the doctor, in astonishment.
"'Ere he is!" cried Bobsey, undoing the blanket.
"Why, what in the wide world is this?" asked the doctor, viewing the ghastly corpse.
"We thought you wanted it, sir, and brought it along without anyone seeing it," said Tommy.
"Dear me! This is a very complicated case, and I should like to anatomize it extremely, but the people are so prejudiced—I may say ignorant—that I am almost afraid you have done wrong."
"We can take it back when you're through with it, sir."
"I have a good mind to risk it."
Dr. Slasher eyed the corpse with an affectionate air.
Suddenly there was a noise in the street.
"What is all that?" he said, going to the window and looking out.
The uproar increased, and loud cries were raised, the doctor's name being easily distinguishable amid groans and hisses.
"They have found it out. The neighborhood is roused. The street is alive with people. I'm ruined!" exclaimed the doctor.
Bobsey and Tommy looked blankly at one another. No one spoke.
If the doctor was caught with the evidence of his guilt on the table before him, the people would believe him to be a body snatcher, and perhaps handle him roughly.
Tommy had made one of his charming blunders again. But an idea struck him.
"I'd know what I'd do, sir," he said.
"What?" eagerly demanded the doctor.
"I'd put the body in Miss Minks' bed."
"Happy thought; she's downstairs, and will suspect nothing. We'll do it," said the doctor.
"Good hagain! Brayvo for hour side! Who says we can't do it?" cried Bobsey.
"Hurry!" said the doctor. "They'll never think of looking in her bed for it, and at nighttime, when all is still, we'll get the body back to its own house."
Miss Minks slept on the floor where the surgery was, and all the boys had to do was to carry the body across the hall, from one room to the other.
They deposited it in the bed of the maiden lady, and covered it up carefully.
"All right?" asked the doctor, as they returned.
"Fixed it all up A 1," replied Tommy.
A heavy ringing was now heard at the surgery bell, and Miss Minks, proceeding from the lower regions, answered it.
Mr. Garretson, accompanied by the policeman and followed by an indignant crowd, appeared on the steps.
"What is your pleasure, gentlemen?" she asked.
"Where's Dr. Slasher?" asked the young man.
"In his surgery, where he will be pleased to see you, if you will step in," she replied.
"I will do so," returned Mr. Garretson.
The policeman kept back the surging crowd, and the young man in search of a father entered the doctor's surgery, where he was apparently calmly reading, the boys being engaged in compounding various medicines, and working away as if their lives depended upon their exertions.