climbing on a chair to bite your forehead, too, my
friend?" he asked with humorous gravity, while a loud guffaw went up
from the crowd.

"Well," he continued soothingly, "whether you did it or not, just let me
rub a little of this b-b-balm upon it, and by to-morrow morning it will
be well. There! that's right. One dollar is all it costs. You don't want
it? What the d-d-deuce did you let me open the b-b-bottle for? I'll
leave it to the crowd if that is fair? There, that is right. Pay for it
like a man. It's worth double its price. Thank you. By to-morrow noon
you will b-b-be sending me a testimonial to its value. Do you want to
hear some of my testimonials, gentlemen?"

The crowd shuffled and stood over on its other foot. The doctor, putting
an enormous pair of spectacles upon his nose, took up a piece of paper
and pretended to read slowly and carefully to avoid stammering:

"'Dr. Aesculapius.

"'Dear Sir: I was wounded in the Mexican war. I have been unable to walk
without crutches for many years; but after using your liniment, I ran
for office!' Think of it, gentlemen, the day of miracles has not passed.
'I lost my eyesight four years ago, but used a bottle of your "wash" and
saw wood.' Saw wood, gentlemen, what do you think of that? He saw wood!
'Some time ago I lost the use of both arms; but a kind friend furnished
me with a box of your pills, and the next day I struck a man for ten
dollars.' There is a triumph of the medical art, my friends. And yet
even this is surpassed by the following: 'I had been deaf for many
years, stone deaf; but after using your ointment, I heard that my aunt
had died and left me ten thousand dollars.' Think of it, gentlemen, ten
thousand dollars! And a written guarantee goes with every bottle, that
the first thing a stone-deaf man will hear after using this medicine
will be that his aunt has died and left him ten thousand dollars."

During all these varied operations, David had never taken his eyes from
the face of the quack. Even his quick wit had often been baffled by the
almost superhuman adroitness of this past grandmaster of his art.

The novelty of the scene, the skill of the principal actor, the rapid
growth of the piles of coin and bills, the frantic desire of the people
to be gulled, all served to obscure those elements which were calculated
to appeal to the Quaker's conscience. He felt like one awakened from a
dream. While he was still in the half dazed condition of such an