opt whatever
is good and reject whatever is bad in every system or school of
medicine."

"If that ain't a description of me yet!" exclaimed the doctor,
delighted. "Write 'em down, Teacher! I'm a--now what d'you call 'em?"

"You certainly are a what-do-you-call-'em!" thought Margaret--but she
gravely repeated, "An eclectic," and wrote the name in the blank space.

"And here I've been practisin' that there style of medicine fur fifteen
years without oncet suspicioning it! That is," he quickly corrected
himself, in some confusion, "I haven't, so to speak, called it pretty
often a eclectic, you see, gosh hang it! and--YOU understand, don't
you, Teacher?"

Margaret understood very well indeed, but she put the question by.

The rest of the blank was filled with less difficulty, and in a few
minutes the paper was folded and returned to the doctor's pocket.

"I'm much obliged to you, Teacher," he said heartily. "And mind, now,"
he added, leaning far back in his chair, crossing his legs, thrusting
his thumbs into his vest pockets, and letting his eyes rest upon her,
"if ever you want a doctor, I ain't chargin' you nothin'; and leave me
tell you somethin'," he said, emphasizing each word by a shake of his
forefinger, "Jake Getz and Nathaniel Puntz they're the two school
directors that 'most always makes trouble fur the teacher. And I pass
you my word that if they get down on you any, and want to chase you off
your job, I'm standin' by you--I pass you my word!"

"Thank you. But what would they get down on me for?"

"Well, if Jake Getz saw you standin' up for his childern against his
lickin' 'em or makin' 'em work hard; or if you wanted to make 'em take
time to learn their books at home when he wants 'em to work--or some
such--he'd get awful down on you. And Nathaniel Puntz he 's just the
conTRARY--he wants his n' spoiled--he's got but the one."

Miss Margaret recalled with a little thrill the loyalty with which
Tillie had tried to save her from her father's anger by telling him
that Elviny Dinkleberger had lent her "Ivanhoe." "I suppose I had a
narrow escape there," she thought. "Poor little Tillie! She is so
conscientious--I can fancy what that lie cost her!"

Gathering up her stationery, she made a movement to rise--but the
doctor checked her with a question.

"Say! Not that I want to ast questions too close--but what was you
writin', now, in that letter of yourn, about Jake Getz?"

Miss Margaret was scarcely prepa