her behind them, too. They were cured, and they stayed
cured. More than that, I sent more than one to her, myself!

"'Mrs. Mears,' I said, 'there's nothing the matter with these women
that I can see but pure, piggish, bone-idle selfishness. I haven't got
the courage to tell 'em so; if you have, and the long words you use
disguise the fact sufficiently, go ahead and cure 'em, and God bless
you!'

"'Thank you, doctor,' she said, and she cured 'em. They had no use for
me after that. No, indeed--they told my wife they'd found a higher law
and that calomel was sinful. But the poor old calomel wasn't so bad
for 'em, after all, maybe.

"Well, I met her on my rounds one day and I stopped and asked her if
she was satisfied with her house--I knew the neighbourhood was rather
running down, there--the darkies were creeping up. She admitted she
wasn't particularly, and, to make a long story short, I offered her
this house of mine for two-thirds the regular rental.

"'I want a good steady tenant, Mrs. Mears,' I said, 'and people may as
well get used to bringing their headaches over there--I may move out
there sometime.'

"So she moved in and I never gave the matter another thought--I knew
she wouldn't run off with anybody! No, she'd had her lesson, I take
it. No blue-eyed woman gets as sensible as that woman was without a
good, solid reason. And the reason is pretty certain to wear trousers.

"Well, sir, in a month she came to see me. I can see her now: a firm,
stocky woman, long body and short legs and big head--the efficient
type. She had the smooth pink cheeks and smooth forehead and straight
eyes those healer-women have when they're first class of their
kind--oh, there's a lot in it--a lot! We fight 'em and get the law on
'em and absorb 'em, finally, as we've fought every advance in medicine.
It seems to be the only way in this world...

"She always looked so clean and taut, that woman, never a loose end
anywhere.

"'Doctor,' says she, 'you must get a new tenant. I'm leaving
to-morrow. How much will it cost me, giving no notice?'

"'Why, what's the matter?' I began. 'Anything I can attend to?'

"'Not a thing,' she answered promptly, 'and we won't discuss it, if you
please. The van is there, by this time.'

"'Why, see here, Mrs. Mears,' I said seriously. 'This--this is hardly
professional, it seems to me. If there's anything wrong with my
property, I want to know it. Of course I know your theories-