ctor,' sez 'e, 'is them
toes buried, if I might be so bold?' 'Cawn't say,' sez the doctor quite
hindifferent, though 'e must 'a' knowed. 'Well, my opinion is,' sez
father, ''e'll feel them toes till they're took an' buried an'
rotted away in the ground.' An' then 'e tells 'bout 'is sister's boy.
'Nonsense,' sez the doctor, 'tain't 'is toes at all. 'Is toes 'as
nothin' to do with it.' 'W'at then?' asks father quite polite. 'It's the
feelin' of 'is toes 'e's feelin'.' ''Ow can 'e 'ave any feelin' of 'is
toes if 'e hain't got no toes?' 'Well,' sez the doctor, ''is feelin's
hain't in 'is toes at all.' 'Well, that's w'ere mine is,' sez father.
'W'en I 'urts my toes it's in my toes I feel 'em. W'en I 'urts my 'and,
it's my 'and.' 'My dear sir,' sez the doctor calm-like, 'it hain't in
yer 'and, nor yet in yer toes, but in yer brain, in yer mind, yeh feel
the pain.' 'P'raps,' sez Ben quite short again. My! 'e WAS short! 'But
the feelin' in my mind is that my toes is 'urtin' most orful, an' I'd
like to 'ave 'em buried if it's goin' to 'elp any.' 'Oh, come, Benny,
that's all nonsense, yeh know,' sez the doctor, puttin' 'im off. But
father is terr'ble persistent, an' 'e keeps on an' sez, 'Don't 'is mind
know 'e hain't got no toes, doctor? 'Ow can 'is mind feel 'is toes 'urt
w'en 'is mind knows 'e hain't got no toes to 'urt?' 'It hain't 'is toes,
I tell yeh,' sez the doctor quite short, 'jest the feelin' of 'is toes
in 'is mind.' 'The feelin' of 'is toes in 'is mind?' sez father. 'But
'e hain't got no toes to give 'im the feelin' of 'is toes in 'is mind
or henywheres else.' 'Dummed old fool!' sez the doctor, quite losin'
'is temper, fer father is terr'ble provokin'. 'It's the feelin' 'is toes
used to give 'im, an' that same feelin' of toes keeps up after 'is toes
is gone.' 'Well,' sez father, an' me tryin' to ketch 'is eye to make 'im
stop, 'I don't git no feelin' of toes till me toes is 'urt. If I don't
'urt 'em, I don't git no feelin' of toes. 'Ow are yeh goin' to start
that ther' toe feelin' 'thout no toes to start it?' 'Yeh don't need
no toes to start it,' sez the doctor, 'it's the old feelin' of toes
a-keepin' up.' 'Ther' hain't no--' 'Look 'ere,' sez 'e, 'I tell yeh it
hain't toes, it's the nerves of the toes reachin' up to the brain. Don't
yeh see? W'en the toes are 'urt the nerves sends word up to the brain
jest like the telegraph.' Then father 'e ponders aw'ile. 'W'ere's them
nerves, doctor?' sez 'e. 'In the toes.' 'In the t