Match as a Fakir; or, The Pumpkinville County Fair — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

\ ge ae : ee : > . Te 4 Bah. t ta “Mw. 4%, . ees ue from it, and imploring me to ge blue he would never touch a drop ee a hie ee 29 m . ae ‘7 ~ “a i ot tiv? «6 Fa » iA . : Cee, . 2 a ~~, heard of a number of such cases,” —_— — ~ Vibes ae a —SPFTRIS a, US oe ee ~~ a ee ‘errs. —-— wt . «% _—~ s oe ha ; ‘ : > . » ‘ | rey ot | - “ Pian 8 tet eee ; + ’ oN “~") r ~ 7 nd ‘Ss )> bee Se >» >s x a Santee | ry . + | % La. : 1 . a ee he es ‘eM: Pe ot ae crn a > : + : : ' » 4 ‘ 8 Fe Se sd NR. Cake, ite Oe , VLUMAM 2 ee ~ toy & 4 4 =). 34a ..& oe + as : ; ‘ ‘, 5 ‘! : a. “ . oe : : __¥ 4, gl +h 7 be a" * a % 4 . ~ ia . “, 7 : . ' ‘ . + ." VD = % aN 1 we “ 4 , : h * .! ele he Le a Ok > ye -* A“ ‘a club, and vowing black and a Seligaor in, and thie acted like a wild man, until I deftly secured the num 44 t te break, and slipped it in my pocket, when he 8 OEP abies Jhausted, and sat down on an ash-box the picture 0 misery. | | “Jim, what is the matter?” I implored. He closed his eyes and threw back his head. “Match, I’ve got ‘’em—got ‘em bad,” he groaned. “Got what, Jim?” “Snakes!” “Oh, Jim!” “7 have!” “Tt’s impossible!” “So I always thoug ? ht, but I’ye got em, and the worst kind, you're dreaming. We hayen’t been near 4 snake to- | undred of ’em since I come out Pat rogue ator was full of them; they big one was slashing “T reckon “T know it. of that saloon. ‘The picture-store window crawled all over your hand, and Just now & ' around my shoe tops!”” His voice began fo quiver. my time has come to die!” ‘Jim, you need a doctor.” ‘Do you think so?” “T really do. Come along.” At first he demurred; said he not listen, telling him I would didn’t come along. So he finally consented, and I waltzed him along until I came +> a house where a doctor and a chiropodist had their offices. “T’ll go in and see if the doctor 1s at home,’ I said. ‘Just wait outside for me.” Ringing the bell brought a sleepy boy to the door. ‘Is the corn-doctor in?” I asked, | “Doctor Slicem is in, sir,”’ replied the youth. “Then just trot me along to him,” I went on. ‘Tell him Con- gresman Snipper’s son wishes to see him at once.” re a The title did the business. In two minutes I was reclining in an easy-chair in a private office, an d Dr. Slicem entered. ‘‘Very, very glad to meet you, Mr. Snipper,” he warbled, in s fine-as-silk tone of voice. ‘May I ask why you have honored me?” “-Tt’s a serious case,” I replied. ‘‘A very dear friend of mine is afflicted with a strange malady. He imagines that he has what is commonly called snakes, and that these snakes grow out of a number of imaginary corns on his feet. Now if you will help me to get him over his hallucination it will be a good case for you, both financially and for reputation.” “Ah, [ understand.”’ “Of course you will have to delude him strongly,” I went on, “otherwise he will not believe he is cured. You may even have to cut him.”’ ‘Trust me,” replied this corn-extractor, sweetly. let him go until he is once more in his sound mind. When will you bring him?’ “At once. He is now at a friend’s around the corner. Of course I will have to leave him with you. If I remained, he might suspect some trick was being played; he is very sus- picious.” “I see. Very well, just bring him in; [’ll fix him,” replied Dr. Slicem, and he began to get out his instruments of torture. “we I went to Jim, who looked just as bad as when I had left “Come ahead, old man,” I said. ‘The doctor says he can cure you in ten minutes.”’ ‘‘Cure—in ten minutes?” he ejaculated. “Exactly. Hehasa patent process. But he says he won’t have me in the room while he is working.” “Oh, Match, don’t leave me!” ge s only for ten minutes, Jim. I'll wait outside the door for With a groan, he followed me into ere met es with open arms. rae vaae pe cm aerer DE ‘Ah, my dear sir, I can soon cure ’” ‘6 into my private aces you!” he cried. ‘Just come nd he took him into the office, while I slipped out and then rare toa back room where I could see and hear all that took “T suppose, doctor, you know what's th i ” Sosoen J ap 90 he — into a chair. Se uamenee with mie? ‘Yes, my dear sir. You are bothered wi i iles.”? “T've got snakes!” cried Jim, ‘‘and (ripen Sty WP tiles. “Exactly, sir; and they come late i on your feet. Ihave Pari nt on the doctor, glibl at hima with mouth wide open. “Only last weak felt better already; but I would dissolye the partnership if he ‘*T will not res Pat Sy cy! we -s 4 - a 'd * t ° - a? ’ LJ Sn “bs oe” * - - « > : . a * re - we oe ww 4 wat &4 7 ’ - . sz Ad — om " bm, m a = ive _ 7 4 » af rn ey s 4 : a det A* *, k wy -“, ‘ “ ws : , ; i 4 ~~ ‘iy’ . * rr A 2 4 a ¢ ay - «ae a i _- ax é is Soy ie ays 7s L - ' 4 >= - ’ os “<- ; tc 4 noe | <n “i * 1 | f ~ og ioe pad . -, 4 ‘ 4 “ ’ & “Aes 2 / +" he ha! we) Tee ts } * 4p" se * >! ste ee ~ es A! 2 ue fe r f PN Pe a7 ¥ a ~ se + hes ‘vif ee Py f, ig a alt es 7 ~~ ‘x *) & Ae o AX ¥ ge TofS 4 at < P e" - b. 7 ‘ we Oe _ a , es . i vail — , een + be Bd pf ow ce er eet fT on Pao ee el Nt eos Ae Le? oe ee ‘te b of as + at 7S 4 tug aad , r r : ° Ver 7 4 a! ,. Y wll “oe oe AP pee . ‘Ve v< Wage © a* A ** ay Tit d aN mo : if iw ore P. Ss , ‘ * ra gO ee ; elt Oe Pa ‘ "hi o 2 ©, : : , r j — ae. te) ( rel a oF * e i “a ei , ‘oC ww s 4 oe : “ , ae Fre w2 » > + « Pa) er a a ee duced a rattlesnake five fect long. ok “Great Soott!” gasped JM) Bk Ore ae foot!” girl eried the astonished doctor oe) + ae TY a snakes—— as: eoLw eerie ks “You are mistaken—they come hisk ” eas Site ; hat L drank was corn Wis Y> OID ee ‘Now, my dear sir, don’t get excited, P 7) an doctor. utting corns?” roared “Who ever heard of treating cA OS : aa rie Jim. ‘I reckon you're & double-disulied : Bis “Sir!” ing out of a cor “That's what I said. A rattlesnake grown . . (90 You're the worst fraud I’ve struck 1n three ye pew ee This was too much for Dr. Slicem. He grew ae Alera Ge “A fraud, am 1?” he screamed. ‘you overgrow 5 t= out of the house, before 1 kick you out!”’ yet Fe ee nit seit looked as if a cyclone had struck that | In exactly one minu “ieee ortheo I skipped, and took my stand on the sidewalk in front of | the house. A second later the front cannon-ball, sliding down pavement with ern eae A ARPES ‘Aye you cured, Jim?” I asked, ru 1p. ae, hd} aot foe I am,” he replied, meekly. ‘‘Hither that or else Tm dead.” ; CHAPTER VIII. THE REAPING-MACHINE AGENTS. It was now getting on toward noon, and I suggeste have our dinners before starting for the fair grounds, f To this, Jim, who was all but a wreck, quickly agreed. | ; The hotel was full of all sorts of people, most of them on the way to the Pumpkinville County Fair, Among them were a ing machinery agents, and the way they were number of farm1 ere blowing among themselves as to what this and that machine could do, was a caution. I thowpht it was a shame to let them waste their breath on ‘‘g desert air,” so 1 beckoned one of them aside. _ o “You have reapers to sell, I believe,’ began. ( ‘Yes, sir. The Wizard Reaper; the finest machine in the mar- ket for the money. Made of superior material, latest patent—a perfect gem. I can sell you——"" ‘Never mind,” I interrupted. that a friend of mine from the West wants to buy—— “Where is he?” put in the Wizard man, eagerly. | “He wants two machines, but he doesn’t know what kind, and——”’ “Wizard is the only kind fit to examine,” put in the agen hastily. ‘Just give me your friend’s address, and I will soon fix him up.” “T want you to understand the case before you do anything,’ I explained. ‘My friend is a very peculiar chap. He imagine nearly every agent is a thief, and if you approach him openly, : you did me, you will scare him off at once.” ‘Ah, I understand. Iam to get acquainted, and broach th subject gradually. Is that the racket?” ‘‘Exactly,” Ireplied. ‘I came to you because I know th Wizard is a good machine, although I wouldn’t dare venture m opinion to my friend, because he doesn’t believe I know a thin about machines.”’ ‘‘Where is your friend now?” ‘Just getting dressed for dinner. I'll go and get him, an then introduce you. Let’s see, what’s the name?” ‘‘Binder—William Binder.” I ambled down to where Jim was to his toilet. “Match, how do I look now?” he asked, as he put an ext bit of soap on the tips of his fiery mustache. ‘ puenee dude, Jim; all the girls will fallin love with yot ut say. I just met an old friend of mine in the parlor, and want to introduce you.” : . uae is it?” | ‘‘His name is Billy Bi only a little queer.” ee fe aah , “Yes. His father was an i ‘saan f with reapers on the eae Billy t : c Pte sean oan oy ‘a every once in a while he talks fo eee the seme/malady, 'G “Got them bad?” Tay es “Oh, no. Only you must humor him, abt, 4 e _ 7 ’ ® < ss med. ha y 7 2 % ‘ fr \ A Da poe : ‘ “At Ass re) = wo ih ee) joor opened and Jim shot out like a the aie on his back and hitting the — , d: thatewas “T wanted to mention to you ” ; putting the finishing touche He’s a splended fellow, Jit don’t he 8 ae fo _- SA ’ . = e\ ~ : ” y ~ . uy Ly a4 4 “? om rn . bt Py : ’ ass Vd fed Vo oth “« 7 . 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