96 THE ITINERANT HORSE PHYSICIAN 



tioned only in the dark, and that a rowel must be 

 inserted to cure the "aterphy." 



When the seton was in place the farmer wanted 

 to know how much his bill came to. "Five dol- 

 lars," said Dr. Asa. 



"Five dollars!" yelled the farmer. "Smoking 

 cat-fish, five dollars for a little job like that? 

 Why, man, I could done that just as well myself 

 if I only had the tools." 



"Look a here, Mister," says Dr. Asa, "Don't 

 you start no rough talk around here, 'cause I'm 

 perfessional, and I won't stand for it. My part- 

 ner here (meaning me) is a scientific graduate, 

 and he can tell you that I done you a scientific 

 piece of work. Your bill is five dollars and you 

 got to pay it. And what's more, you got to pay 

 it right now" 



I began to look around for a place to duck 

 under ; in those days, in that country, arguments 

 of that sort usually were dangerous for the "inno- 

 cent bystander." 



"I'll be hung before I pay you five dollars for 

 that job," says the farmer. 'You can sue me for 

 it, and see if you get it." With that he began 

 to walk away with the mule. 



"Hold on there, you skinner," yells old Doc 

 Asa, and at the same time he makes a jump for 

 the mule's head. He had a knife in his hand and 

 I feared I was going to witness a cutting match. 

 But I was wrong; the old fellow's program was 

 entirely different. With a quick slash he had cut 

 through the seton and with the same movement 

 jerked it out. 



