. The show people grasping the situation, broke open the back
door. The damp straw, the old stove, the two men and the hand organ were
dragged from the smoking wagon. Grady's attempt to rival John Robinson
was the joke of the circus world.

Alfred had quite a little difficulty in collecting the printing bill,
which was grudgingly paid him.

The circus people tore up Harrison's order for payment for the tickets
given. The treasurer said something about the paper being a "wolf."

When Alfred returned Harrison endeavored to spread the impression by
insinuations that he had collected for the tickets and not made returns
to him as yet. He was cornered, it was his only way to square himself
with those who were pressing him for a settlement. Although Alfred knew
full well that Harrison did not intend to injure him, the reports became
so annoying and the insinuations so galling that Alfred took Harrison to
account.

Harrison flew into a rage and threw a small shovel at Alfred. Things got
lively for Harrison in a moment. No telling where it would have ended
had not the entire Hurd family rushed into the room and separated the
combatants. Harrison was much the worse for the encounter. To drown his
grief he started the rounds but Jim Bench, the town watchman, locked him
up. When he sobered up he shook the dust of Brownsville from his feet
forever more.

Years afterward Alfred met Harrison in a far western city, leading the
same life.

The mother entreated Alfred to forever give up the idea of becoming a
newspaper man. She had cherished the hope that the boy would yet turn to
the study of medicine. Old Doctor Playford, Bob's father, informed
Alfred's uncle that if the boy were so inclined he would take him into
his office and see what there was _in him_.

The Doctor had three good horses, his son Bob had a large pack of
hounds. Alfred's duties did not keep him in the office very steadily. He
was on horseback a greater part of the time, by day delivering medicine,
by night fox or coon hunting.

It was a part of Alfred's work to compound medicines in the small
laboratory in the doctor's residence. A copy of materia-medica and a
Latin dictionary were the only guides to the beginner of a medical
career in those days. There were no prescriptions sent to the drug
store, every doctor filled his own prescriptions. Alfred became very
quick at compounding prescriptions.

A dose of medicine was prepared for Mr. Hare. This particula