M.D."

"Well," said the assistant as he rode back to his office, "I don't know
whether Wise will get the stuff to the train in time, or whether Mills
will wait for him, but at any rate I've done my part. I hope breakfast
is ready, I'm hungry."

Mr. Wise, of "The People's Drug Store," had exactly two minutes in which
to cover the three-quarters of a mile to the station. As a matter of
course, he was late. Inquiring for Conductor Mills, he was met by a
red-faced man in uniform, who, watch in hand, demanded what in the vale
of eternal torment he meant by keeping him waiting eight minutes.

"Do you realize," demanded the red-faced man, "that I'm liable to lose
my job? I'll have you to understand that if any other man than Doc.
Morgan asked me to hold up the Cape Cod express, I'd tell him to go
right plumb to--"

Here Mr. Wise interrupted to hand over the package and explain that it
was a matter of life and death. Conductor Mills only grunted as he swung
aboard the train.

"Hump her, Jim," he said to the engineer; "she's got to make up those
eight minutes."

And Jim did.

And so it happened that on the morning of the Fourth of July,
Dusenberry's birthday, Captain Hiram Baker and his wife sat together in
the sitting room, with very happy faces. The Captain had in his hands
the "truly boat with sails," which the little first mate had so ardently
wished for.

She was a wonder, that boat. Red hull, real lead on the keel, brass
rings on the masts, reef points on the main and fore sail, jib,
flying jib and topsails, all complete. And on the stern was the name,
"Dusenberry. East Harniss."

Captain Hiram set her down in front of him on the floor.

"Gee!" he exclaimed, "won't his eyes stick out when he sees that
rig, hey? Wisht he would be well enough to see it to-day, same as we
planned."

"Well, Hiram," said Sophrony, "we hadn't ought to complain. We'd ought
to be thankful he's goin' to get well at all. Dr. Morgan says, thanks to
that blessed toxing stuff, he'll be up and around in a couple of weeks."

"Sophrony," said her husband, "we'll have a special birthday celebration
for him when he gets all well. You can bake the frosted cake and we'll
have some of the other children in. I TOLD you God wouldn't be cruel
enough to take him away."

And this is how Fate and the medical profession and the O. C. and C.
C. Railroad combined to give little Hiram Joash Baker his birthday, and
explains why, as he strolled down M