and renewed the appeal he had been making
for nearly five minutes.

"Ain't no one goin' to drive me out to de Patriarch's?"

"Horses are all busy in the fields," said a voice, uncompromisingly.

"Yes," said the Flopper, with bitter irony, "drivin' each other around,
while youse are here starin' at me an' won't help."

His eyes caught Doc Madison's from the veranda and held an instant to
read a message and interpret the almost imperceptible, but significant,
movement of Madison's head.

"Gee!" said the Flopper to himself, as his eyes swept the faces around
him again. "Dis is a nice game de Doc's planted on me--he wants me to
do de wiggle out dere fer de rubes! Ain't dey a peachy lot--look at de
saucer eyes on de kids!"

Mrs. Thornton, in her wheel-chair on the inner edge of the circle,
turned to her husband.

"It's very strange that no one seems willing to drive him," she said.

"Oh, not very," responded Thornton, with a short laugh. "I don't blame
them--they don't want this healer of theirs made a monkey of."

"If no one will drive him, he shall have my wheel-chair," announced Mrs.
Thornton impulsively. "I think it is a perfect shame--the poor man!"

"Nonsense!" said Thornton gruffly. "You'll do nothing of the kind."

"Yes, Robert, I will," declared Mrs. Thornton with determination. She
leaned forward and called to the Flopper. "Mr. Coogan," she said
anxiously, "if you can't find any other way of getting out there, I want
you to take this chair of mine--you'll be able to manage with it, I am
sure."

The Flopper looked at her with gratitude--but shook his head--mindful of
Doc Madison.

"T'anks, mum," he said, "but I couldn't t'ink of it--you needs it more'n
me."

"Please do," she insisted.

"T'anks, mum," said the Flopper again, "but I couldn't. You needs it,
an' I can get along widout it. Dey're stallin' on me, but I can get dere
by myself if any one'll show me de way."

"I'll show you, mister," piped a shrill voice--and young Holmes on his
crutch hopped into the circle. "I'll show you, mister--an' 'tain't fur,
neither."

"Swipe me!" muttered the Flopper, as he surveyed the lad. "Dis is de
limit fer fair!" Perturbed and uncertain what to do, he tried to catch
Doc Madison's eye again, but a movement in the crowd had hidden Madison.

Some one in the crowd, the lingerie drummer, getting the grim humor of
the situation, laughed--and the laugh came like a challenge, taunting
the quick-tempered, turbule