Part 26 (1/2)
”You ain't sick, are you, Drusilla?”
”Oh, money gives you lots of diseases that you didn't know you had till you could afford 'em.”
The doctor laughed.
”Miss Doane'll never be sick in her life, Mr. Brierly. She's good for twenty-five years of hard work yet.”
”Don't speak that word to me, Dr. Eaton. I don't like the word _work_. It's stuck closer to me than a brother for too many years.”
”Oh, but there's work and work. But am I interrupting your visit with Mr. Brierly?”
”No; I just been tellin' him about a visitor I had who comes from Adams, where we used to live when we was young. I wanted John to come and see him, but the man couldn't wait. He had to catch a train.”
”Was it an old friend? It's nice to see old friends.”
”No, he wasn't exactly an old friend, but he knowed a lot of people I knowed once. Poor man, he was in a lot of trouble. He had his pocket picked and couldn't get home and his wife was sick--”
The doctor looked up quickly.
”Did you lend him money, Miss Doane?”
”Yes; I felt so sorry for him. He was so worried I let him have fifteen dollars. He'll send it back to me to-morrow. He was so grateful. It must be awful to be in a big city and know no one and have no money.”
”Yes; it must,” the doctor remarked dryly.
Drusilla looked at him quickly.
”What you speakin' in that tone of voice for?”
The doctor laughed rather hesitatingly.
”I'm afraid, Miss Doane, that you're what the small boys call 'stung.'”
”Stung? What do you mean?”
”I rather imagine that was a little confidence game.”
”What is a confidence game?”
”Oh, a man gets money from people on false pretenses. They work a lot of games. One of them is to go to people whom they have looked up, and claim to be a relation or from their home town.”
”But he knowed lots of names I knowed.”
”Yes; he might have found them in a local paper from the place.”
Drusilla sat back in her chair.
”Well, do tell!” Then, after a moment's pause, ”But I don't believe he's dishonest. He looked honest. He looked like a man from the country.”
”That's where they're clever. But don't worry; you can stand the touch--it wasn't much. You got off easy.”