Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-07-15
THE HOUSEHOLD.
An Old Fashioned Remedy.
WORK VERSUS HERB TEA.
ny p. THoRNE.

..n All aummer she had been in q PALE LAM
81 gnid balf-alive condition, with no strength, no
ennetite no interest in anything.
Mrs Whitaker, having never sufficiently
+ pratlhed passion for docoring, had at first rath-
or enioyed this opportunity of trying the virtees
of the various roots and herbs that hung IN dry,
dusty bundles from the garrett rafters' susan's
4 life had been made burden to her by doses OF
thoroughWOrt pennyr0yal tansv, dandelion and
bnriock There was always big bowl OF black
bitter berb-tea standisg in the pantry, which it
was equally the object Of Mrs. Whitaker's lifo to
induce Susan to take, and the object OF Susan
to escape
And still Susan lay aroundthe house in an ex-
csedngy limp state. reading novels with Ian
puid interest. studying her symptomS In the
Family Advertiser, and cutting out such
scraps of poetry from the newspaper a. dwelt
on the hollowness of the world unapprecated
q ioyehness and early death.
Ned Whitaker, Susan's younger brother, was
decidedly skeptical on the subject Of her illness.
"Its enough to make any one sick to do as sue
docs, said he, energetieally. "It she'd get up
earlier in the morning and do little housework
rho'd get we'll twice as quick as she will now,
dosing and cOddling."
"A great deal you know about it," retorted
z Susan, with considerable vigOr for an invalid /;
Il like to hear boys talk. They know 30 much
8 in their own estimation"
see here, Sue What IL that interesting
8 Young school-mastsr should hear you speak 30
8 to yOur dear brother! II don't sound very AL
s golic,"
sue said nothing, only blushed little, and as
g snmed that plAintive, meeliy injured look, which
says plainly, you'll bo sorry for this when I'm
Fudge, Sue ?" said Ned, quite unimpressed.
Don't look 80 spooney,' and of he went, whist
3 litg and banging the door.
3 Ii was a fact that there had been good-look-
ing young school-master, the previous winter
school master who had not loved, but tlirted and
s rode away" Perhaps Susan having nothing
olse to do, had pleased herself by fancYing she
was ia love with this gay doceiver. girl must
9 do something. Mrs. Whitaker was one Of those
interchangeable, irropressible wemen. scrupu-
lousy neat and exact housekeeper, who loved
work only for it, own -ake, and didn't want
any one bothering round"
At one time Susan had quite mania for cook
ing, but Mrs Whitaker after witnessing her
awkward struggles with tho bread dough, said
Come. let me take it, It's easier for me to
do it myself than to SOC you. II you'll keep the
sitting room in order, and take care OF your own
room, it's all I'll ask
And now Mrs. Whitaker thought Susan so
delicate sho relieved her of oven these light du-
ties, aud with nothing to do but realize, in her
own experience, the truth Of the saying;
"a milestone and the human heard ara ever driV-
lit1ey have nothing e'se 10 grind. they muIt
them selyes be ground"
to know all the weariness OF an empty, aimless
4 life
September came and yet Susun remained in
80 stare OI ulsCUhEhbnlb dDoht-tho-sdLuoLbHh
Mrs Whitaker thought she would drive over
aud consult Aunt Debbe Dunb;r.
4 Amt Debbe WAS woman of vast experience
in sickness. She had brought large family of
Iher own successfully through all the mumps,
meaees, and other ills infant flesh il heir to,
and was now experimenting on yearly increas-
sing circle of grandchildren, besides acting as
adviser general for the whole neighborhood.
What Aunt Debbis didn't know about doctoring
was generally considered not worth knowing at
ali
As Mrs Whitaker drove up she desoriei Aunt
Debbies ample form ont in the garden, bending
over the sage bed, At the sound Of Wheels. she
Rraghtensl up, pushed her sun-bonnet back
who was going BY.
we'll, never !" sho exclaimed as Mrs Whit
5nker drove into the yard AT it ant you, Miss
Nhtaker | was Jest thinkin' abont you. How
Dew le do ? Seems as il hadn't seen you for
fn ngo Cum right along in, and Ktahll put
yOur horse ont"
IL Thank you, but I've only come for CALI
canf stop long
well, how dye all dew at homer" asked Aunt
Delbie, after she had ushered her visitor into
he stting-room. rolled up one green paper cur
tsiu, and settled down to her knitting. Aunt
Debble could always talk castor with her knitting
4NOrk in hand
4 Pretty we'll, thank you, except Susan.
came partly TO sec you about her. She don't
seom TO got along as l should like to have her"
"Nliss Haskell tellin' me, last Sunday, how
4 IN SUSAN Deu, IllA fullltntT- HTOm WIat
Miss Haskell said should think she's a good
deal my Melissa was live years ago. / cured
Melissa with boneset"
"Slsan'a bsen taking that mora or less, all
summer"
Does she cough any ?"
NO"
because il she did, colt foot tea s grand
thing. Amt she bilious p
Il shouldn't wonder il sho was"
We'll, now il she was nv girl should give
her a good 1Osa of lluA mill hapin with aud
follow it out with smart course Of castor oil or
salts. | should keep right on with the b1nesot
three times a day tis very strengthenin'-and
I'd have her take a raw egg in half glass OF
cider every mornin' before breakfast. That's
ono Of the best things | know of for weakly
folks. Is phe narvous about sleepn?"
Yes, she is, rather
There is nothin' 80 good for nervousness as
hop tea. Give her some every night, the last
thing before she goes to bod, and make her
hop pillow. guess If you follow her up thor
oughy. you'll bring her out all right, There's
nothin' like bein' thorough" said Aunt Debbie
with the emphatic air of long experience.
After much further advice, Mrs. Whitaker set
out for home, burning with zeal to follow up"
SnsRn with all Aunt Debbies prescriptions
What the consequences wnud have been to Door
SUSAN one shudiers to think. Fortunately ftte
Kindly interpreted in her behalf
II seems clear case of one "born in the
woods to be scared at all owl, that the old
Whitaker horse should take into his ancieut
head to be frightened at moving machine. But
such was actually the fact. As he wss jogging
along head down, apparently lost in memories
Of his far-away YOUTH he came suddenly upon
Deacon Foskett's rattling, Gathering moving
machine. Up went his head, one snort, one
jump sideways, and away he plunged down the
hill. lwitching the reins from Mrs, Whtaker's
hand by the suddenness of this unexpected start.
A big rut at the foot OF the hill-over goes the
wagon on top of Mrs. Whitaker-an Deacon
Fo-kett and his hired man ran down the hill to
tud Mrs. Whitaker with one leg broken,a sprain-
ed shoulder, and any amount OF bruises and
wrenchings.
What was to become OF the Whitakers, now
that tho main spoke OF the domestic wheel was
useless? They hire a girl, OF course, suggests
the intelligent reader. But hiring girl in Tully
was no such trifiDg matter. A small factory in
the village absorbed all the American girls Of
the vicinity, who would otherwise have worked
IN families, and there being no Catholic church
within 10 miles. the Irish girl that could be in
duced to live on a farm was a rdrd dUls indeed.
Mr.. Whitaker DEVOTED a week to driving over
the hills in different directions in pursuit of vari
GUS myths of possible girls that vanished into
thin air on closer inspection. Now Mrs Haskell
had heard OF a very nice girl over in Benham,
Franklin Testers wife's sister. who was anxious
to secure place. By the time Mr.. Whitaker
reached Benham the nice girl had engaged to
teach district school, Arrived at homo he
found Mrs. Goodman had sung to Susan the
praises Of a certan" widow woman" on Stony Hill.
Ar Whitaker HES him to Stony Hill to find the
widow gone to keep house for her brother.
4 u