urse, Rose is not strong yet; but she is
gaining strength every day, and we have Dr. Flower's directions. Indeed,
we don't need any doctor."

Cousin Wealthy smiled. She enjoyed a little joke as much as any one, and
Dr. Abernethy was one of her standing jokes.

"I think, my dear," she said, "that you will be very glad to avail
yourself of the Doctor's services when once you know him. Indeed, I
shall make a point of your seeing him once a day, as a rule." Then,
seeing that both girls were thoroughly mystified, she added: "Dr.
Abernethy is a very distinguished physician. He gives no medicine, his
invariable prescription being a little gentle exercise. He lives--in
the stable, my dears, and he has four legs and a tail."

"Oh! oh! Cousin Wealthy, how could you frighten us so!" cried
Hildegarde. "You must be kissed immediately, as a punishment." She flew
around the table, and kissed the soft cheek, like a crumpled blush rose.
"A horse! How delightful! Rose, we were wishing that we might drive,
weren't we? And what a funny, nice name! Dr. Abernethy! He was a great
English doctor, wasn't he? And I was wondering if some stupid country
doctor had stolen his name."

"I had rather a severe illness a few years ago," said Miss Wealthy, "and
when I was recovering from it my physician advised me to try driving
regularly, saying that he should resign in favor of Dr. Horse. So I
bought this excellent beast, and named him Dr. Abernethy, after the
famous physician, whom I had seen once in London, when I was a little
girl."

"It was he who used to do such queer things, wasn't it?" said
Hildegarde. "Did he do anything strange when you saw him, Cousin
Wealthy?"

"Nothing really strange," said Miss Wealthy, "though it seemed so to me
then. He came to see my mother, who was ill, and bolted first into the
room where I sat playing with my doll.

"'Who's this? who's this?' he said, in a very gruff voice. 'Little girl!
Humph! Tooth-ache, little girl?'

"'No, sir,' I answered faintly, being frightened nearly out of my wits.

"'Head-ache, little girl?'

"'No, sir.'

"'Stomach-ache, little girl?'

"'Oh, no, sir!'

"'Then take that!' and he thrust a little paper of chocolate drops into
my hand, and stumped out of the room as quickly as he had come in. I
thought he was an ogre at first; for I was only seven years old, and had
just been reading 'Jack and the Beanstalk;' but the chocolate drops
reassured me."

"What an extraordinary ma