s much as it would be to HER," the father said, a rough
tenderness in his voice, and something else which Tillie vaguely felt
to be a note of pain.

"Are you havin' the Doc in fur her, then?" his wife asked.

"I guess I better, mebbe," the man hesitated. His thrifty mind shrank
at the thought of the expense.

He turned again to Tillie and bent over her.

"Can't you tell pop what's hurtin' you, Tillie?"

"No--sir."

Mr. Getz looked doubtfully and rather helplessly at his wife. "It's a
bad sign, ain't, when they can't tell what's hurtin' 'em?"

"I don't know what fur sign that is when they don't feel nothin'," she
stoically answered, as she dished up her Frankfort sausages.

"If a person would just know oncet!" he exclaimed anxiously. "Anyhow,
she's pretty much sick--she looks it so! I guess I better mebbe not
take no risks. I'll send fur Doc over. Sammy can go, then."

"All right. Supper's ready now. You can come eat."

She went to the door to call the children in front the porch and the
lawn; and Mr. Getz again bent over the child.

"Can you eat along, Tillie?"

Tillie weakly shook her head.

"Don't you feel fur your wittles?"

"No--sir."

"Well, well. I'll send fur the Doc, then, and he can mebbe give you
some pills, or what, to make you feel some better; ain't?" he said,
again passing his rough hand over her forehead and cheek, with a touch
as nearly like a caress as anything Tillie had ever known from him. The
tears welled up in her eyes and slowly rolled over her white face, as
she felt this unwonted expression of affection.

Her father turned away quickly and went to the table, about which the
children were gathering.

"Where's Sammy?" he asked his wife. "I'm sendin' him fur the Doc after
supper."

"Where? I guess over," she motioned with her head as she lifted the
youngest, a one-year-old boy, into his high chair. "Over" was the
family designation for the pump, at which every child of a suitable age
was required to wash his face and hands before coming to the table.

While waiting for the arrival of the doctor, after supper, Getz
ineffectually tried to force Tillie to eat something. In his genuine
anxiety about her and his eagerness for "the Doc's" arrival, he quite
forgot about the fee which would have to be paid for the visit.

IV

"THE DOC" COMBINES BUSINESS AND PLEASURE

Miss Margaret boarded at the "hotel" of New Canaan. As the only other
regular boarder was the middle-age