Slocum's Snake Oil by Jake Logan

Author:Jake Logan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2010-03-10T00:00:00+00:00

11

“Now, you settle down, Miz Mallory. It’s not that bad,” Dr. Wilson said, coming from his office. He mopped his forehead with a dirty bandanna and looked around, as if hunting for men who might take a shot at him. Slocum knew there were some around town.

“But he’s no better. He’s shaking and crying out!”

“I gave him too much of the medicine,” Wilson said, chewing on his lower lip. He looked hard at Slocum. “We’ve got to ration it since there’s only so much that Josiah Jerrold brought, but it’ll be enough.”

“He’s not better!”

Slocum went to the woman and took her aside. “Let the doctor work. He’s been doing the best he can with the potion.”

“He gave Frank some and it didn’t do anything. It . . . it made him worse!”

“That’s a far cry from it killing him. You made it sound like Frank was dying because of the medicine.”

“He jerked all around. He wasn’t doing that before. It’s got to be the medicine. There’s something wrong with it.”

“Let me talk to the doctor,” Slocum said, easing Meghan down into the shade where she could sit and fret. He motioned for Dr. Wilson to go inside. Wilson followed, sopping up sweat the whole way.

“I declare, if it gets any hotter, we’ll all be dying of the heat and not diphtheria,” he said once inside.

Slocum went to Frank Mallory’s side. The boy looked paler than before. The color had drained from his cheeks and sweat beaded his forehead. Slocum put his hand there and felt the boy burning with fever. He looked up. Wilson shrugged.

“Don’t know what happened. The boy was doing fine, then the fever came back. That happens. The course of a disease—any disease—is never in a straight line.”

“Except when it’s downhill and straight into a grave,” Slocum said. He saw that two other patients in the room had died. “You give them Jerrold’s elixir?”

“Some, not much. There wasn’t much to go around considering how many patients I have. I wish he hadn’t high-tailed it like he did.”

“Didn’t he give you the formula?”

“Got it right here,” Wilson said, rapping his knuckle on his desk. A slip of paper fluttered as he moved. “I don’t have much of the leaves that seem to be a major ingredient.”

“I can get more. I picked two bags’ worth.”

“Yeah, Jerrold told me. You were out on the Thompson ranch. Jerrold told me how old man Thompson tried to kill you and how you brought in Tom Junior.”

“How’s the boy doing?”

“Not so good. Might be he should have let you pick more of the plant.”

“I’ll get more, if you can use it to make more medicine.”

“I’ll run out of what I have by tomorrow. I cut back on how much I’m giving. Wish I knew the proper dosage. Will a little work or do I have to give each patient a gallon?”

“It didn’t take much of the original batch,” Slocum said, remembering how a couple teaspoons of the vile liquid had perked up Frank Mallory.

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