Book account

All this happened six weeks prior to Christmas Eve, and they were six
long, trying weeks for the two Bingles. The old man was sick two-
thirds of the time and had to have a physician. He insisted on having
the now famous Dr. Fiddler, one of the most expensive practitioners in
New York, obstinately refusing to listen to reason. Fiddler had been
the Hooper family physician years ago and that was all there was to be
said. He WOULD have him. So poor Tom Bingle sent for the great man,
who came and prescribed for his old friend and client. After a week
the Bingles began to count the number of visits, and grew lean and
gaunt-faced over the prospect ahead of them. Fiddler's fee was ten
dollars a visit--to a friend, he explained, in accounting for the
ridiculously low figure--and he came twice a day for nearly two weeks.
The Bingles did not complain. As Mr. Bingle said, they took their
medicine, even as Uncle Joe took his--only he thrived on it and they
withered. Dr. Fiddler was very nice about it, however. He assured Mr.
Bingle that he was in no hurry for his money.


Pages:
32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56