nterrupted the patient by hastily correcting him as to there
being any turpentine in the liniment.

"I know there was, I've worked with turpentine too long not to know the
smell of it," persisted Alfred.

Lin also declared the whole house smelled so of turpentine she was
compelled to change the bed clothes. "Ye kan't tell what a man thet
drinks licker like water mought take intu his hed to rub ontu a body. I
wanted tu hist him when he fust kum, but no, Jim Mann sent him an' he
mus' stay."

"Where's that bottle of liniment I sent here," demanded the doctor.

Lin opened the closet door and handed out two bottles. One of them
contained a few drops of an amber colored fluid. "This is the lotion I
prescribed," said the doctor, and he poured a few drops of the liquid in
the hollow of his hand. Rubbing his hands briskly he held both palms
over his nostrils. Sniffing it he drew his hands back, his eyes
watering. "There's no turpentine in that mixture." He held his hands
over Lin's nostrils and triumphantly asked if she could detect the odor
of turpentine. Lin admitted that it had no scent of turpentine. The
doctor held his hands over Alfred's face: "Where's your turpentine?
You're a good judge of turpentine and you work in it every day and
cannot detect the odor of it from alcohol, wintergreen and chloroform."
The doctor laughed as he seldom laughed.

Calling the mother the doctor laughingly poked a great deal of fun at
Lin: "I wouldn't want Alfred or Lin to buy turpentine for me." He kept
the fun going by reminding Alfred that Jeffries (the father's
competitor) was probably correct when he spread the report that the
father used benzine in his paint instead of turpentine. This was a
center shot at Alfred. The report had been circulated that his father
used benzine to mix his paint with. During the war the price of
turpentine was almost prohibitive and benzine was used by many painters.
It was not a good substitute and it was a common thing for one
contractor to injure another by circulating the report that his
competitor used benzine.

Raising himself up in bed Alfred stoutly reiterated that it was
turpentine he smelled in the liniment.

Lin said: "Durned ef ye kin fool me in the smell uf enything; my snoot
nevur lies. I not only smelt hit but ye kud taste hit."

The mother added her observations to Alfred's and Lin's insisting the
room smelled as strongly of turpentine as though it had just been
painted. "I was compe