The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-08-12
The Doctors Prescription.

in which the summer heat burnt and the
summer sun shone before the green leaves
had draped the trees, and the squares of
grass and wisteria vines and potted gera-
NUNS which had come so blessedly popular
in New York, had lent its summer fresh
ness.
What shall do, DOCTOR" he said to
the white-headed physician. You say
nothing ails me, but can tell my feelings
better than you can. know shall be
down with something soon. / rode in the
car with half dozen boys the other day,
going to the smallpox hospital-very red
and nasty looking, all of them; and while 1
was buying something in store the other
day. a horrid old woman begged of me be-
cause her husband was sick of typhoid.
No doubt have caught both diseases, and
it's the complication that puzzles you.
Couldn't relish my coffee this morning;
left my milk toast untouched. Hateful
life, that of bachelor at hotel. Oh,
dear me ~ .I
"Why don't you marry?" said the doc
tor.
"They need so much courting," said
Mr.. Patterson. "You spend six months
or so, at least, dangling at womans
apron strings You must go to the theatre
and opera if she is gay, and to church
meeting if she is pious. At fifty man
likes his slippers and dressing gown and
easy chair evenings. If it was just step
ping over to the clergyman's and getting
married-put a ring on her finger, and
saying or nodding yes two Or three
times, why, I wouldn't mind it, you
know"
Well, courting is the fun of it all, in
my opinion" said the old doctor, "but
every one to his taste. And my advice to
you is to go into the country
"To another hotel and more mercenary
waiters?' said Mr.. Patterson.
"No,' said the doctor, ego to nice
private house. know one--a motherly
widow lady who cooks dinner fit for a
king. River before the house, woods be-
hind it, orchard to the left, kitchen garden
to the right no fever and ague; no mosqui-
toes. Heavenly! / am going up there to-
morrow, and I'll see if she'll take you"
"yery well," said Mr.. Patterson, 81
think I'll try it."
and eat plenty of nice homemade bread, "
said the doctor.
eyes, will," said Mr.. Patterson, over
joyed at last, at hearing something that
sounded like prescription. "And you
would advise milk ?'
"Quart of it every day." said the doc
tor.
"I'll make note of it," said Mr.. Pat
terson. "aEI
"And if should be very i'll she'll nurse
ME P'' -
"Splendidly," said the doctor, and went
his way.
Mr.. Patterson thought the matter over,
and thought better of it every day, and
when the little note, informing him that
the widow would take him in and do foI
him. reached him, he had his trunk and
portmanteau already packed, and was all
ready to start that afternoon. AS for her
boarder's peculiarities, thus: Nice fellow
plenty of money thinks himself i'll but
ism L; ought to be married; told him so, but
hates the idea of counting; marry off some
day, no doubt; Will you have me ?''
eyes" Call in clergyman. Over. Very
peculiar old bachelor; but then old bach
elors are peculiar generally"
The widow was what Yankees call an
amazingly smart woman. She had mar.
have washing over when other people were
hanging out theirs. Her bread always
rose, her cake was ALWAYS good, and her
butter was always sweet AT forty-f
she had married off all her daughters, and
was we'll to do buxom and happy.
Her son and his wife boarded with her,
and she added to her plentiful savings by
taking summer boarder or two if they
happened to offer.
"Fifty and bachelor, y said Mrs. Nun.
tie, looking in the glass. " Well it seems
to be pity; but then when elderly gentle
men marry, it is generally some hitytity
girl that leads them terrible life, and
likely it's for the best.
Then she looked in the glass again, fol
the widow was but a woman after all.
Mr.. Patterson came to the widows and
obeyed the Doctors prescription carefully
He ate bread and drank milk, robbed the
orchards like schoolboys, and declaimed
over the strawberry short-cake after q
fashion that would have made his reputa