I THE TRICK-DOCTOR By Thomas Nelson Page ILLUSTRATIONS T was some years ago, before the old relation between the 'white folks" and their old "servants" in Virginia had so changed as it has of late, and yet when the change had already begun. In the late afternoon of a spring day, Doctor Hunter had just come in from his rounds about the neighborhood, and had laid his hat and gloves on the old piano in the sitting-room, and placed his worn riding-whip beside them in a wilderness of books, flowers, and nondescript articles, when the door opened and his wife entered. She appeared always to know by some instinct when her husband arrived. "I did not see you ride up," she said, as if she had failed in some duty. "You didn't get to see Jane?" "No," said her husband, "I did not get down in the direction of The Bend-I was detained that child was so sick. I will go there the first chance I have-I don't suppose there is much the matter with her except malaria.” Mrs. Hunter looked sympathetic. Jane had been a favorite servant, and now she was ill. "I am afraid she is in rather a bad way. Old Moses was here to-day and he reports her as very badly off. He seems to be in great trouble about her. He was very anxious to see you. He says there is a man up here from the city-a sort of preacher who is turning the people against himwants to be the preacher at Mt. Hagar, himself." The Doctor grunted-"I heard down the road that there was a young city negro up here stirring them up. I must look into it." "He was very much disturbed about Jane," said Mrs. Hunter, "I will see if he has gone." She left the room. "Hysteria, probably-" mused the old physician. "She may be mad." VOL. L.-26 BY WALTER BIGGS A few moments later there was a knock on the door, and a tall, elderly negro man, very black and with bushy white hair, entered. His white collar gleamed high against his black skin. In his hand he carried an old and much battered beaver hat, which he deposited carefully on the floor. "Good-evenin', master." "Howdy do, Moses? How is everything with you?" inquired the Doctor. "Tollerble, master-tollerble, suh-ev'ything is tollerble, thankee, suh-Yes, suh—. How is you, master?" It was the old form of salutation. "I'm pretty well, thank you. How is Jane? Your mistress tells me that she has been ailing?" The Doctor spoke as if the old man had not replied at all. "Yes, suh-Jane-she's tollerble poly. I'se right smart troubled about her, suh— yes, suh." "What is the matter with her?" "Well, suh, I don't rightly know. Some folks thinks she's been-" He shambled and hesitated, and glanced around the room-"some folks thinks as how she mus' 'a been tricked," he added with conviction. "Ah! Tricked? I thought, Moses, you had more sense." "Well, suh, I don't edzactly say as I thinks so; but some folks thinks so-her mammy thinks so-and she certainly do act mighty irresponsible—yes, suh, she certainly do." The Doctor reflected. "Who says she's been tricked? How long has this been going on?" The old man laid one long, black forefinger in the horny palm of the other hand and began to count-"Dthat young man have been here five Sundays-or, maybe, hit's six-I disremembers which it is rightly and she was tooken just about de second week after he come." "What young man?" The Doctor was interested. 273 "He's a young colored man-from Richmond-he says he's a sort of doctor"A doctor! I thought he was a enough to do that, I hope?" preacher?" "Ah! I see I thought so-" muttered the Doctor. "Well, you are not fool "Yes, suh, dthat too; but he's a sort o' doctor-not a doctor like you, masterbut a sort o' sperits doctor "A spirit doctor? What sort of doctor is that? What sort of things does he do?" "Well, suh, he ken show you a thing in de hand, dat you ken see dyes as plain as dat dyah book on dat table, an' nex' minute it ain' dyah, an' you'll fine it jis as likely as not in you' hat or in yo' pocket." "Ah! I see," said the Doctor, with a nod of satisfaction. His scepticism was not lost on the old darky. "An' dat ain' all," he continued. "He done fin' things dthat no one else ain' know nothin' about-dat's what I air talkin' about. Why, he fin' de trick-charm sewed up in her baid-sewed up in it-'way in de middle o' de shucks!" "Ah!" "Yes, suh, he did dat thing-I see him wid my two eyes. And dthat ain' all!" he added, seeing a look of amused incredulity come over his old master's face. "He went out and found another trick-bag in de middle of a hollow tree right by de spring-in de very middle-cause I see him when he put he han' in and fin' it right whar he tol' me to cut." "Why, he had it in his hand all the time," ejaculated the Doctor. "Nor, suh, he didn't-cause he had done roll up he sleeves to git his arm in de holler and he striched he hands wide openHe illustrated with outstretched hands, palms down. The Doctor chuckled. "Der is de skorripins and things dthat dee conjure wid-you never see nothin' like dem things dats in em-hyah-and finger-nails-and tacks an' dried insecks, and worms, an' bat-wings, and I don' know what all- Dee is de things dee done set against Jane to destroy her health, and los' her soul. And he says he kin cure her." The Doctor nodded with satisfaction. "And what does he want for this cure?" "Dyah tis!" said Moses briefly. "He say he ken cure Jane; but he got to have de deed to my place to do it--he cyan do nothin' tell he stan' in my shoes" "Nor, suh-I'se mighty pestered-I done offer him bofe my pigs and de chickens; but he say he got to have land-cause she come from de dust and she got to go to de dust agin-dat de cuss is in de lan'-or dem whar own it. An' he ain' got de power to help her long as I got de lan'." He pondered deeply. "Sometimes dat man talk mighty curisom-you might think I had done trick her de way he talk. I hear he tol' some of de elders dat it was somebody mighty nigh to her what bring dat trouble pon her and dat he's got to give up all he's got and stan' befo' Gord naked befo' he kin meck de 'tonement. I thought, maybe, 'twas her mammy; but he said hit was somebody dats versed in de Scriptures—and you know Rea cyarn even read her Bible-not very good-so it mus' be me he's signifyin' "I see- I seepreacher?" You say he's a "He done meck 'em tu'n me out, suh." The Doctor wheeled and faced him— "It isn't possible!" "Yes, suh- Nex' Sunday is de las' time I is to preach at Mt. Hagar." "Well, it's an outrage!" protested the Doctor. "Yes, suh, 'tis!" said the old man simply. The Doctor reflected. "We must see about this. I shall look into it—” "I sho❜ly wish you would, suh, cause dat man done tu'n me out o' my pulpit and tryin' to tu'n me out o' my place." The Doctor came very near swearing. It manifestly encouraged the old darky to be more confidential. "You don' know what a bad man dat is." He lowered his voice and approached him slowly, with his tall figure bent forward. "He says de ain' no sich place as hell!" He spoke in a horrified tone hardly louder than a whisper. "Says there is no such place as hell!" exclaimed the Doctor, subduing the twinkle in his eyes- "Why, I never heard of such a thing! Why it's it's positively outrageous! Why, in a month I sha'n't have a sheep left on my place!" "Nor, suh, dthat you wouldn't!" exclaimed the old man in a tone of sympathy and of conviction. He stood slowly shak ing his head in an attitude of deep dejection. "I'll tell you de fac', master, if dyah ain' no mo' hell, I don' want to live no longer!" "Well, there ought to be one if there isn't," agreed the Doctor, "for just such gentry as he. What is his name?" "He call hisself 'Doctor Simon.' say he name is Dr. Simon Jambers He "Ah! Well, he ought to be a sorcerer with those two names-Janes and Jambres seem to be still contending with Moses -ah?" ly was a conglomerate array of bottles of every size and hue, while behind the other, partly veiled by the remains of an old green curtain, was an old and very shaky skeleton which might have been the victim of some of the ingredients the bottles contained. The old negro, as he entered the sanctum, insensibly moved on tiptoe, and his face assumed an expression of undisguised awe as his eyes roved around the apartment and finally rested on the glimmering white bones behind the glass door of the The old darky was listening attentive- press. The old Doctor was quite oblivi "Ah! well, if it's in Timothy, I ken fin' it I'members de name very well—" The Doctor rose and walked over to the door of the wing-room which he used as an office. As he opened it he turned solemnly and said, "I will give you a little physic for Jane. I must come down and see her -and, meantime, I will give you something to give her which will take the trick off. Come this way." An expression of mingled relief and hope came over the old man's face as he stepped forward. "Yes, suh Yes, suh- I'se mighty obleeged to you- I'll gin 't to her, shoDat's des what I wants her to have." The room which they entered was one that certainly looked as if it might have. been the workshop of some old practitioner of the black art. The floor was bare, except for an old worn deerskin or two; the black mahogany furniture with carved heads and wings had been originally covered with horsehair, but now it was broken and worn in places and the springs stuck up. The table was covered with books, papers, and bottles in what others might have considered a litter; which the Doctor, however, always declared the perfection of order. A bookcase, filled with medical books and what the Doctor termed generically "apparatus," lined one side of the room and on the other was a large double press with glass doors; behind one of which ous of his presence. The effort required to open the drawer shook the press sufficiently to set the skeleton to shaking, and one of the arms slipped from the pin on which it rested and was falling forward when the Doctor caught it. "Ah! old man, you are getting tired of standing there, are you?" he said, as he replaced the arm carefully. "Wait a little longer. Don't be in a hurry to come down-I may have further use for you. There's a young man who maybe will have some work for you to do. Good-evening-" He shut the door softly and turned to the table where his glass stood. He was talking of his son who was beginning to study medicine and he was not aware of the effect of his words on his companion. But old Moses' eyes were bulging, his bushy white hair was standing on his head. He interpreted the Doctor's words literally as applied to the case of his daughter and the young trick-doctor. It gave him at once a new feeling of awe and of infinite respect for his former master. This was increased when the Doctor, after much mashing and mixing of a blue substance on the bottom of a plate, rolled up two bluish pills, and, putting them with a number of white ones in a small round box with a skull and bones on the top, held the box out to him with a solemn injunction to give his daughter both the blue pills that night, and six of the white ones next morning-following them up with spoonfuls of the liquid from the phial. Moses was about to take the box when he observed that on it was a red picture of a skull and cross-bones, and he started back with an exclamation: "Lord, master, what is dat?" "Take it," said the Doctor sternly "I am trying to save your daughter, and this will do it if you do as I tell you." The old man took it, trembling, holding it much as if it were a coal of fire. "Yes, suh. Yes, suh, I'm gwine do jest like you say on'y I'se sort o' skeered o' dem things "Your daughter will be one of them soon if you don't follow my instructions," Isaid the Doctor. "Yes, suh, I'm gwine to foller 'em, sho," faltered the old negro. "Nor, suh, he ain' gwine know nuttin' 'tall about it. I ain' gwine to say a word to nobody "And if you can keep that rascal away from there, so much the better-in fact, you must keep him away-"” "Yes, suh, I am gwine to do dat tooef I kin," he added with a touch of pathos "Well, if you can't, I can," said the Doctor, "and, maybe, it would be just as well to let him be there when I come; but don't let him know I am coming, you hear" "Nor suh-I won't do dat," said Moses. II THE road which the Doctor took next day lay through a low-lying district of swamps and "mashes" in the bend of the river from which it took its name, "The Bend." Here the negroes in the first flush of freedom had established a settlement, where they lived to themselves. ment. When the Doctor arrived at the old preacher's house, he was impressed by the fact that it was the best of the score or more of homes that composed the colored settleMost of them were ordinary cabins with little clearings of an acre or two about them and a rickety out-building or two near by. But Moses' home was a two-story, frame structure with a little porch, and the out-buildings were in good shape, while the fields about the place showed the care of a good and industrious farmer. "Naboth's Vineyard," reflected the Doctor, as he cast his eye over the signs of thrift. His gaze rested on a buggy, with a scrawny horse hitched to it, standing near the door, and an expression of speculation came into his mild eyes. The woman groaned and there was a buzz within from some one else. “I felt sure of it-all the signs related it— As I told you, you must put yourself in my hands before I can help you. Do that and I can cure you-otherwise you have not long to live." "If your father will sign the paper I can cure you-if not, I am powerless- The malign influence is too strong The power of evil that keeps him from helping me to take away the spell on you, keeps you in misery and will sink you in torment There was a moan of fear attended by the low expostulation of some one. "Now, I will show you- Although I removed two days ago the conjure-bag that your enemy put in your bed, I will show you that another one has been placed there since You will all see The buzz within grew louder-and at that moment the Doctor walked up, and pushing the door wide open, stepped inside. The apparition brought the proceedings within to a sudden halt. In In the little room which was partly darkened by a thin red curtain hung over the single window were a half-dozen persons, most of them seated around the fire. a corner the patient, a young woman, very black, but now ashy with terror, lay in bed, her eyes now drooping, now fastened on the man who stood above her. At the foot of the bed sat an old woman with arms folded, rocking backward and forward in mingled fear and grief, two or three young slatterns sat a little further away, their expression divided between apprehension and curiosity, while over the bed of the terrified patient bent a young, slim mulatto dressed in a long, loose, black coat. |