Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1851-12-04

l.
among salts, earihs, and minerals, insiea,
lpf the roots and herbs Of creation. Ma
lure was wise. and proyidsnt, ant. per.
feet, and being acquainted with all dis
e-ses, had no, neglected so important D
matter ms a specific, and Of course j, wa,
vegetable--of course il was!
Well. the doctor came. counted The
heads Of the complaining ones---all h,
wanted was the number. the prescrip
iioD was The same, stereotyped edition
of The same ar,ic'es--and he stepped IL,
his drugs accordingly And such mess!
Such quan,i,y of boiling roots, and
weeds. and leaves! worthy the analhemas
Of Basil Valentine, and fiji subject foe lhe
pions exliortaiions Of ,lla, re, erend falh.
er Of mineral medicine, preaching from
his .Triumphal Car Of An,imon,r'
Smith was encouraged. The doctor
promised wonders niracles--in the
way OF cure and sudden restoration 10
perfect health. The bowl went round;
each one lock The allotted draugh,. and
the dnclor stayed 10 see the operation.
And such an operation! Shades OF
boneset and lobelia! mandrake roots and
sanguinaria cani,leHsis! Such a quail
ing Of the vital powets--such qnaIms--
such spasms Of The diaphragm ami lurn.
ed upside down ana, inside on, Of all
the digestive apparalns--snch groans and
sighs and npheavings of The troubled
waters, mixed with bile! Poor Mrs.
Smith. She piled her mp in vain.--
Pals and wash-bowls were of no avail;
the cabin floor was drenched, and she
gave up in despair and the necessity oi
attending to the more urgent requislilons
Of nature around her. Such sight; il
could oLiy be equal;ed by The deck Of an
emigrant ship in rough sea. when al,
on board were rocked into an universal
nausea, and yield % the impulses Of ma
ture -sick--sick--Oh,
But they all lived through it--and so
did the disease! The doctor was dismis-
sed, and Smith abandoned himself TO
cursing, in his heart. the country. The wa.
ter. the disease. and 10 following the adj
vice Of his friends, who ihop.h, il al
ways best to "wear sit out" Weeks
passed on, aud found the Smiths still
shaking, and wearing out the disease. Ii
was 4 pi,ifi sight 80 see the little Smi,hs,
during The intermissi.,n of the maliady.
ioddling round, with their abdominal re-
gions vastly enlargrd with ..ague-c cake"
cheeks sallow as withered pumpkin
rinds, eyes injected full Of bile, yellos
as tie '.harsest moon''-all hungry. raw
enous as crows, aud scarcely any thing
To eat.
la The evening, Smith would draw
himself To the cabin door, aud rest his
head upon his hands, braced upm his
knees--and The soft moonlight, unrival-
ed in lis dreamy lovellaess and mcllow
lin.s. would fall e,rnIly through 'he burr
oak boughs. and restsas Sooiiinsly up,n
his uncom5,d Iycks. ana cas-, sympa.
lhising shadow on The door sill by, as il
il felt for all his disaproinsnenis. and
his woes. and would offer consola,iun!--
But nature now had no attractions for
Lafaye,ie, nor any nf. the lesser Smiths;
the crickel's ceaseless chirrnp in his
mud-buhtjams, and The rough old bark
Of snouldcring logs;the plaintise Voice
OF myriad whlppoprwilis, close round
his cabin walls. Even The
Katydids, disputiag some high breach
Vi iassct vlrtus,
tha! kept the whole grove vocal with de-
bate the live long night, we're annoyance
10 the spirit ot our ague shook aud fever
tortured .iciini!
The winter Came, and Smith. satisfied
that there was nothing 10 be made at far,
ming in this country, delermiued to sell
oui, anl he did sell--scld his claim for
wild Cat funds, aud was bound To 90
back, as soon as sErlrg opened, TO the
stormy hills aud healthy springs Of sold
Hrrkimer." Though ne knew he new
er could make any Thing there at farming,
he coui'i have health, and that was a
prize be, ond price!
But before spring came. Sinhh's funds
were wor.hless--worse than rags, and
he had no means 10 return! But the
disease had Icft him. he had "worn i,
ou."-he felt nearly well--his family
hadrecoyered, and.he spring came bound
ing on, so joyous, SO glad. and SD lMxu-
RANT, that Indeed. Smith would have
been 10th 10 leave The land !! what should
he dot He had lost his claim. and The
best localities were al occupied BY the
press Of emigra.ion! One summer he
worked Out by the day-bu, didn't
make any thing at that! The next. he
rented Of = nsighbor, but certainly, he
said al the close II the season, no man
could make any thing al farming on the
shares--thal my body might know. and
he could demonstrate. The truth was.
q man must own the soil 10 make any
thing al farming--,hat was tile secret Of
success, aud the reason he never had
made any Thing! Smith acted upon this
aud succeeded in pre.emp.-
ing eighty acres which had hssn aban-
doned by some one, still more discoura-
ged and unfortunate than Smith. and 10
Gated again for permanent, Improvements.
But it wac an up hill business oil the
way. and ditticuil for any one but Smith
70 account for.
Ask Smith, in answer 10 his assertion
4 has the ..,o. he s,.a<to 81