"Look here, boy," he said turning to Sam, "what made you give me this?"
"You walked as if you"d got corns," said Sam, honestly. "Walk right up, and Dr. Graham will cure "em in a jiffy."
"Perhaps you"ll tell me what is to become of this young lady while I go up, Johnny?"
"Maybe she"s got corns too," said Sam. "She can go up too."
Both the lady and gentleman laughed convulsively, considerably to Sam"s surprise, for he was not aware that he had said anything unusual or funny.
"Shall we go up, Eliza?" asked the young man.
The only answer was a laugh, and they pa.s.sed on.
The next one who attracted Sam"s attention was an elderly maiden lady.
"Have you got corns, ma"am?" asked Sam, eagerly.
Now it so happened that the lady was a little deaf, and did not understand Sam"s question. Unfortunately for herself, she stopped short, and inquired, "What did you say?"
"I guess she"s hard of hearing," Sam concluded, and raising his voice loud enough to be heard across the street, he repeated his question: "HAVE YOU GOT CORNS, MA"AM?"
At the same time he thrust a circular into the hand of the astonished and mortified lady.
Two school-girls, just behind, heard the question, and laughed heartily. The offended lady dropped the paper as if it were contamination, and sailed by, her sallow face red with anger.
"That"s funny," thought Sam. "I don"t know what"s got into all the people. Seems to me they"re ashamed of havin" corns."
The next half-dozen took circulars, mechanically glanced at them, and dropped them indifferently.
"Guess they aint got corns," thought the observing Sam.
By and by a countryman came along, and into his hand Sam put the circular.
"What"s this?" he asked.
"It"s corns. Just go upstairs, and the doctor"ll cure "em less"n no time."
"Wal, I have got two," said the countryman. "They hurt like time too.
What does this doctor charge?"
Sam did not know, but he was not the boy to allow his ignorance to appear.
"Ten cents apiece," he answered.
"That"s cheap enough, anyway," said he. "I"ve got a good mind to go up. Where is it?"
"Come along. I"ll show you," said Sam, promptly.
"I guess I may as well. Are you sure he can cure "em?"
"I ought to know," said Sam. "I had one about as big as a marble on my big toe. The doctor, he cured it in a minute."
"You don"t say! He must be pooty good."
"You bet! He"s the great Dr. Graham. Everybody"s heard of him."
By such convincing a.s.surances the man"s faith was increased. He followed Sam into the doctor"s office.
"Here," said Sam, "I"ve brought you a customer, Dr. Graham. I told him you could cure his corns in a jiffy."
The doctor smiled approvingly.
"You are right there. My friend, sit down in this chair."
"You won"t hurt, will you, doctor?" asked the customer, glancing with a little alarm at the table with its instruments.
"Oh, no, you"ll scarcely feel it."
Sam returned to his post, and began to distribute handbills once more.
About quarter of an hour later he was a.s.sailed by an angry voice.
Looking up, he saw the customer he had sent upstairs.
"Look here, boy," he said, angrily; "you told me a lie."
"How did I?" asked Sam.
"You told me the doctor only charged ten cents for each corn.
Jerusalem! he made me fork out a dollar."
Sam was rather surprised himself at the price.
"I guess they was tough ones, mister," he said. "He cured "em, didn"t he?"
"Ye--es."
"Then it"s worth the money. You don"t want "em back, do you?"
"No," admitted the other; "but it"s a thunderin" sight to pay;" and he went off grumbling.
"Don"t the doctor make money, though?" thought Sam. "He"d orter give me a commission on them two dollars."
CHAPTER XXI.
SAM OBTAINS A PLACE.