ng a good thing. If you'd only bought the house before you
lost the money!"

"You're determined to saddle the loss of that money on me," the doctor
said smiling.

"Well, who lost it if you didn't?"

"I'm sure I can't say."

"Of course you can't. You might as well say that black isn't black as
that you didn't lose that money."

"I'll acknowledge, once for all, that I lost the money if you'll let the
subject drop," said he wearily. "It's wasting time and breath to talk
about it. There," he continued soothingly, "try to forget, and go to
sleep."

"It's wasting time and breath telling me to go to sleep," replied the
wife.

"Hurrah! here's a cigar!" said the doctor, producing one from his
pocket. "Now, if I only had a match to light it!"

"For patience' sake, you needn't be at a loss for a light for a cigar
when all this universe is afire. Go and light it at that headboard over
there, and then sit down and take your comfort while I'm starving. Why
in the world doesn't it rain? I don't see why the Lord should have such
a spite against Chicago: we ain't any worse than other people."

And thus the woman continued to run on all night. Up to two o'clock she
complained because it didn't rain, and after that she shivered and
moaned because it did.

With the morning, water-carts and bakers' wagons began to arrive on the
ground. These were quickly emptied among the hungry, thirsty people. Dr.
Lively spent his five dollars to within fifty cents for the relief of
the sufferers about him. Mrs. Lively obstinately refused to take
anything.

"I won't eat bread at twenty-five cents a loaf, and I won't drink water
at ten cents a quart. I'll die first!" she declared.

"I want you to take me to the West Division," Dr. Lively said to one of
the bakers. He had already tried a dozen times to make terms with
teamsters to this end. "I have a wife and child."

"I'll do it for five dollars apiece," replied the man.

"I haven't any money. Will you take a set of silver forks in pawn?"

"He sha'n't have my forks," said Mrs. Lively violently.--"How dare you
speculate on our calamities?" she demanded of the baker. "You sha'n't
have my forks: I'll stay here and starve first. I mean to stand this
siege of extortion to the last gasp."

"But, my dear," remonstrated the doctor, "there are people here who are
already near their last gasp. There are the sick and infirm and little
children. There are women now on this desolate ground in the p