FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133  
134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   >>   >|  
o wipe his eyes with the backs of his hands, so full of mirth seemed the thought of discomfiting the tyrant who had hectored over him so long; and Bracy lay looking at him till he calmed down again. "You don't believe in all this being involuntary, Gedge?" he said at last. "Didn't at first, sir. I thought it was your larks, or else you were off your head. But I believe it all now, every bit, and I can't get over it. Just to be able to hit your sooperior officer, and no court-martial. Then the Doctor. Just to be able to make him feel a bit, after what he has made us squirm over." "Then you do believe me now?" "Of course, sir. And I tell yer it's grand to have a complaint like that. I mean for such as me. No punishment-drill, no lines, no prison, no nothing at all, for bowling your sooperior officer over like a skittle." Bracy turned his head wearily. "Ah, Gedge, you can't realise what it all means, to be a hopeless cripple, always in pain." "Wuth it, sir, every twinge; and as to being a hopeless cripple, what's that so long as there's plenty o' crutches to be had? Pst! Some un coming, sir." Gedge was right, for directly after the Doctor entered the room, signed to Gedge to go, and then detained him. "How has Mr Bracy been?" he said sharply. "Bit low-sperrited, sir." "Yes; but has he exhibited any of those peculiar phenomena?" Gedge passed his hand over his chin and stared. "Bah! Has he kicked at you, or struck you, or done anything of that kind?" "No, sir; not a bit." "That's right. Well, Bracy, you quite startled me, my lad; I was taken by surprise, and I looked at it from the commonplace point of view. I've had time to think of it now from the scientific side. Tell me, can you control yourself when those fits come on? I mean, this involuntary nerve and muscular action!" "Do you think that I should let it go on if I could, Doctor?" said Bracy sadly. "No, of course not, my dear fellow. Pardon me for asking you." "Tell me, then: can you cure it? Can you stop these terrible contractions?" "Yes, with Nature's help, my dear boy." "Ha!" sighed Bracy: "then may it come. But why is it? I never heard of such a thing before." "Naturally; and I never encountered such a case. It is all due to the irritation of the spinal nerves, and until we can get rid of the cause we cannot arrive at the cure." "But, Doctor--" "Patience, my dear boy--patience." "Can you
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133  
134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Doctor

 

officer

 

hopeless

 

sooperior

 

cripple

 

involuntary

 

thought

 

control

 
discomfiting
 

scientific


action

 

muscular

 
startled
 
hectored
 

commonplace

 

tyrant

 

surprise

 

looked

 

encountered

 

Naturally


irritation
 

spinal

 

arrive

 
Patience
 

patience

 

nerves

 

struck

 

Pardon

 

fellow

 

terrible


sighed

 

contractions

 

Nature

 
punishment
 

complaint

 
prison
 

realise

 
wearily
 
bowling
 

skittle


turned
 

martial

 
squirm
 

sperrited

 

sharply

 

exhibited

 

stared

 

peculiar

 
phenomena
 

passed