The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-08-29
MISCELLANY.
A DOSE; OR WHAT DID SHE TAKE?
BY T. MOOD
ELLEN, you have been out"
"Well, know | have"

mo, John, no. Butno matter. You'll
be troubled no more with my drinking"
"What do you mean %
81 mean what say, John" replied tn,
wife, looking very serious, and speaking
very solemnly and deliberately, with
strong emphasis on every word, "You-
Observation-Disclosures with
my-drinking. l have took it at last"
81 knew it % exclaimed the wretchet
husband, desperately tossing his arms aloft
as when all is lost. 81 knew it !" anC
leaving one coat flap in the hands Of hi.
wife, who vainly attempted to detain him
he rushed from the room-sprang down
three stairs at time-ran along the pas
sage-and, without his hat or stick, dash
ed out at the street door, sweeping from
the step two ragged little girls, quartern
loaf, basin of treacle, and baby. But
he never stopped to see if the children
were hurt, or even 10 see if the infant
dripped with gore or molasses Away he
ran like rabid dog, straight forward down
the street, needless alike of porter's load
baker basket, and butchers tray.
do that again, 'growled placard man,
as he recovered the pole and board which
had been knocked from his shoulder.
Mind where you're goin," bawled a
hawker, as he picked up his scattered
wares, while dandy, suddenly thrust in
to a kennel, launched after the runner
one of those verbal missiles, which are
said to return, like the boomerang to
those who launched them.
But on, on scanpered the teetotaIIer.
needless of all impediments-en he scour>
ed, like he Camilla, to The shop num>
bered 240, with the reds5lue and green
bottles in the window-the chemist and
druggist-into which he darted, up TO the
little bald man at the desk, with barely
breath enough to gasp out
My wife A! poison pump
"Vegetable or mineral 2" inquired the
surgeon apothecary, with the utmost pro-
lessional GOODNESS.
"Both-all sorts-laudanum arsenic
oxalic acid-corrosive subIimty"-and
the teetotaller was about to add pine apple
rum among the poisons, when the doctor
stopped him.
mo"
But remembering the symptoms over
night, the teeto;aller ventured to say, on
the strength of his dream, that she was
turning all sorts of colors, like a rainbow,
and swelling almost as big as house.
'There is not moment to lose," said
Esculapius, and accordingly clapping on
his hat, and arming himself with the nee
essary apparatus-a sort of elephant syr-
inge, with very long trunk-he set off on
a trot, guided by the teetotaller, to unpoi-
son the rash aud ill>fated bacchanalian,
Mrs. Burrage.
Now when the teetotaller, with the
medical man al his heels, arrived at his
own house, Mrs. Burrage was still in her
bedroom, which was Il great inconven>
fence, fer before she could account for the
intrusion Of stranger-nay. without
knowing how ii was done, she found her.
self seated in the easy chair; and when
she attempted to expostulate, she felt her
self choking with the tube of something,
which was certainly neither maccaroni
nor stick licorice, nor yet peppermint.
To account for this precipitancy, the
exaggerated representation of her hus>
band must be borne in mind and if his
wife did not exhibit all the dying dolphin
like colors he had described-if she was
net quite so blue, green, yellow or black
as he had painted her. the apothecary
made sure she would soon be, and conse>
quently went to work without delay, where
delays were SO dangerous.
Mrs. Burrage, however, was not a wo-
man to submit quietly to disagreeable
operation against her own consent so,
with vigorous kick and push at the same
time, she contrived to rid herself at once
of the doctor and his instrument, and in
dignantly demanded to know the meaning
of the assault upon her.
cts to save your life, Ellen" said the
teetotaller very seriously.
''it's to empty the stomach, ma'am, -
said the doctor.
empty a fiddle" retorted Mrs. B.,
who would have added 'stick - but the
doctor. watching his opportunity, had dex-
terously popped the tube again into her
mouth-not without fresh scufile from
the patient.
"For the Lords sake, Ellen" contin>
ued the husband, combining her hand, "do,
do, pray do sit quiet
"Pon-wob wobble," said Ellen. Hub
- -bub-bubble. attempting in vain
to speak with another pipe in her throat
besides her windpipe.
81 WON'T" shouted Mrs. Burrage, hav-
ing again released herself from the instru-
ment by desperate struggle. "What am
| to be pumped out for p
30, Ellen, Ellen, you know what you
have taken"
Corrosive salts and narcotics" put III
the doctor.
"Arsenic and corrosive sublimity," said
the teetotaller.
"Oxalic acid and tincture of opium,
added the doctor.
ely water and laurel water said Mr.
| Rurrara