and night.--
His wuz the hand, through dark and dawn,
'at bound their wownds, and laid
As soft as their own mother's on
their forreds when they prayed....

XC

His wuz the face they saw the first--
all dim, but smilin' bright,
As they come to and knowed the worst,
yit saw the old _Red-White-
And-Blue_ where Doc had fixed it where
they'd see it _wavin'_ still,
Out through the open tent-flap there,
er 'cros't the winder-sill.

XCI

And some's a-limpin' round here yit--
a-waitin' Last Review,--
'U'd give the pensions 'at they git,
and pawn their crutches, too,
To he'p Doc out, ef he wuz pressed
financial'--same as he
Has _allus_ he'pped them when distressed--
ner never tuk a fee.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

XCII

Doc never wuz much hand to pay
attention to _p'tence_
And fuss-and-feathers and display
in men o' prominence:
"A railly _great_ man," Sifers 'lows,
"is not the out'ard dressed--
All uniform, salutes and bows,
and swellin' out his chest.

XCIII

"I _met_ a great man onc't," Doc says,
"and shuk his hand," says he,
"And _he_ come 'bout in _one_, I guess,
o' disapp'intin' _me_--
He talked so common-like, and brought
his mind so cle'r in view
And simple-like, I purt'-nigh thought,
'_I'm_ best man o' the two!'"

XCIV

Yes-_sir_! Doc's got convictions and
old-fashioned kind o' ways
And idies 'bout this glorious Land
o' Freedom; and he'll raise
His hat clean off, no matter where,
jes ever' time he sees
The Stars and Stripes a-floatin' there
and flappin' in the breeze.

[Illustration]

XCV

And tunes like old "Red, White and Blue"
'll fairly drive him wild,
Played on the brass band, marchin' through
the streets! Jes like a child
I've saw that man, his smile jes set,
all kind o' pale and white,
Bare-headed, and his eyes all wet,
yit dancin' with delight!

XCVI

And yit, that very man we see
all trimbly, pale and wann,
Give him a case o' _surgery_,
we'll see another man!--
_We_'ll do the trimblin' then, and _we_'ll
git white around the gills--
He'll show us _nerve_ o' nerves, and he 'ull
show us _skill_ o' skills!