will be better soon, Bob," she said, as the boy climbed up and
obtained the little stoppered bottle from the top shelf.

"That's good stuff for it, Miss," said the boy. "Bottle's quite clean.
I dusted all on 'em yesterday. Here, I know! let me put some on."

"You, Bob?" said Rich.

"Yes, Miss; I know. I've seen the doctor do it twiced to gals as come
and wanted him to pull out their teeth, and he wouldn't. I'll show
yer."

Bob ran to a drawer and took out a camel-hair pencil, and operated with
it dry upon his own face.

"I'll show yer," he cried. "You begins just in front o' the ear and
makes a round spot, and then yer goes on right down the cheek and along
yer chin, just as if you was trying to paint whiskers. Let me do it,
Miss."

Rich hesitated for a moment, and then sat down and held her face on one
side, while the boy carefully painted the place with the tincture,
frowning the while and balancing himself upon the tips of his toes.

"Stop a moment, Miss," cried Bob. "Then he dropped two drops out o'
this here blue bottle on a bit o' glass, and finished off with it just
as you does with gum when you paint a picture."

Rich watched the boy anxiously as he took down a bottle labelled
"Chloroform," but smiled and submitted patiently as the painting
operation was completed.

"Feel better, Miss?" said the boy.

"Not yet, Bob; but I daresay this will do it good. Now put back those
bottles, and don't meddle with them, mind."

"As if I didn't know, Miss! Why, I'm up to all the doctor's dodges now.
There ain't a bottle on any o' them shelves I ain't smelled; and look
at them things in sperrits," he continued, pointing to the various
preparations standing upon one shelf, the relics of the doctor's
lecturing days. "I knows 'em all by heart. I had to fill 'em with
fresh sperrit once."

Rich turned and smiled at the boy as she reached the door; and then once
more the young student was left alone, to go and peep through the
keyhole to see if the doctor was fast asleep, and this being so, he ran
to the door by the street, turned suddenly with his head on one side,
raised his hands with the helpless, appealing gesture of the sick, and
walked feebly to the cushioned chest, upon which he sank, with a low
moan.

It was a clever piece of acting, studied from nature, and sinking back,
he lay for a moment or two sufficiently long for the supposed patient to
compose himself, before he assumed another part.

Le