Rewards and Fairies - Penn State University

young Copper? Is that person better or worse?”
Rudyard Kipling
‘“A word with you, Laennec,” said Doctor Break. “Jerry has
‘“Better—for time that is,” said Rene. He meant for the been practising some devilry or other on these poor wretches,
time being, but I never could teach him some phrases. and they’ve asked me to be arbiter.”
‘“I thought so too,” said Jerry. “But how about time to ‘“Whatever that means, I reckon it’s safer than asking you
come?”
to be doctor,” said Jerry, and Tom Dunch, one of our carters,
Rene shook his head, and then he blew his nose. You don’t laughed.
know how odd a man looks blowing his nose when you are ‘“That ain’t right feeling of you, Tom,” Jerry said, “seeing
sitting directly above him.
how clever Doctor Break put away your thorn in the flesh
I’ve thought that too,” said Jerry. He rumbled so deep I last winter.” Tom’s wife had died at Christmas, though Doc-
could scarcely catch. “It don’t make much odds to me, betor Break bled her twice a week. Doctor Break danced with
cause I’m old. But you’re young, Mosheur—you’re young,” rage.
and he put his hand on Rene’s knee, and Rene covered it with ‘“This is all beside the mark,” he said. “These good people
his hand. I didn’t know they were such friends.
are willing to testify that you’ve been impudently prying into
‘“Thank you, mon ami,” said Rene. “I am much oblige. God’s secrets by means of some papistical contrivance which
Let us return to our trumpet-making. But I forget” —he stood this person” —he pointed to poor Rene— “has furnished you
up— “it appears that you receive this afternoon!”
with. Why, here are the things themselves!” Rene was holding
‘You can’t see into Gamm’s Lane from the oak, but the gate a trumpet in his hand.
opened, and fat little Doctor Break stumped in, mopping his ‘Then all the men talked at once. They said old Gaffer
head, and half-a-dozen of our people following him, very Macklin was dying from stitches in his side where Jerry had
drunk.
put the trumpet—they called it the devil’s ear-piece; and they
‘You ought to have seen Rene bow; he does it beautifully. said it left round red witch-marks on people’s skins, and dried
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