This afternoon, Mr. Harvey drafted a letter and sent copies to City Hall, Bucket of Blood, and Gangplank via the most dependable urchin couriers available at this time of day.
“Mister Mayor Mosseveno Tenk,
care of New Babbage City Hall
care of Bucket of Blood Public House
care of Gangplank Public House
As administrator of the Sir William Wilde Public Hospital at #1 Wilde-Huxley Complex, Vernian Sea, New Babbage, I request that you check yourself in at Wilde Hospital at once for treatment. Reports have come in to me describing your symptoms, and I regret to inform you that you may in fact not have mere Tuberculosis but may in fact have contracted Yellow Fever, Breakbone Fever, or Scarlet Fever.
As you know, these are serious infectious diseases and a single case could imperil many other citizens. Please come to the hospital at once for diagnosis and treatment.
Sincerely,
Mr. Blackberry Harvey
Hospital Administrator”
doc berithos said whiskey and leeches and i’ll be fine.
*orders a whiskey*
Wonders how you’ll be preparing your leeches. I understand they’re nice in a butter sauce.
*Arnold looks over Harvey’s note*
You don’t ‘merely’ have
tuberculosis? Are you aware that it’s pretty much a very contagious
death sentence? More people have died of it this century than…you know what…nevermind. Considering everything else I’ve seen here I’ll just assume New Babbage cured it fifty years ago and the rest of the world had no idea.
*Arnold finds out what the Mayor’s response has been and shrugs, he’d pretty much expected it*
Well,
I was going to talk to him again either way…and judging by how well
our last two conversations have gone, and what I already know I’m going
to do, I might as well be setting fire to City Hall while I’m at it.
More whiskey, Mr. Tenk! If your liver doesn’t hurt, you’re not drinking enough.
An urchin warily entered the Bucket of Blood, and peeked around the corner at Mr Underby smoking a pipe while perusing an old tome. The urchin tossed the letter onto the bar, then ran out quickly.
Underby picked up the letter, opened and read it, then crumpled it up and dropped it in a nearby dust bin.
Underby yawned, and refilled his pipe.