sharpened my tools, moulded my pills, drank a toast to disease,
but waited in vain for patronage. As this became monotonous," continued
the Doctor, taking another pull at the brandy bottle, then wiping the
mouth and passing it to Mr. Bangs, who excused himself, "I glided into a
'specialist.' It required too much money to advertise, and the papers
slashed me villainously besides. _Then_ I became a Spiritualist--it's
the record of every one of us. You can see," and the Doctor waved his
hand towards the cosy appointments in a satisfied way, "I am pretty
comfortable now."

"Yes, quite comfortable," said Bangs, wondering what the Doctor was
driving at.

"So I am an enthusiastic Spiritualist," resumed the happy physician,
"for its profession has provided me with necessities, comforts, and even
luxuries."

"Do you really effect any of the marvellous cures you advertise?"

"Most assuredly," he replied.

"And may I ask how?" interrogated Mr. Bangs.

"In the good old-fashioned way--salts, senna, calomel, and the
blue-pill," said the Doctor, laughing heartily.

"And is not the aid of the spirits essential to your cures?"

"A belief, or _faith_, that such an agency is used, does the whole
thing, Professor."

"And is there no such thing?" persisted Bangs.

"Just as much of it as there is faith in it; no more and no less."

"Then the whole thing's a humbug, as you say?"

"Just as thoroughly as is that woman," said the Doctor stoutly, pointing
to Mrs. Winslow, who at that moment was seen in the street below, being
driven towards the suburbs in a neat phaeton.

Bangs, becoming suddenly interested, though repressing himself,
carelessly asked, "Who is she?"

Here the Doctor executed a grimace which might mean a good deal, or
nothing at all, and said tersely: "She's a bouncer; don't you know her?"

"No."

"Why, that's Mrs. Winslow, old Lyons' soothing syrup; and old Lyon's
one of the children--'teething,'" added the Doctor with a hearty laugh.
"But she's a tigress!"

Mr. Bangs leaned out of the window, took a good look at the tigress, and
then, as if endeavoring to recollect some former occurrence, said: "I
believe I have seen her somewhere before."

"Quite so, quite so; undoubtedly you have."

"And I think in the West, too," replied Mr. Bangs, trying hard to
remember, and handing the doctor a fresh cigar.

"Exactly--Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville--everywhere, in
fact. One might call her a social flo