Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-05-08
An d-FashiOned Remedy
BY =. TIIORNE.

MIS-. w nllaKer WdS nlucll troubled
about Susan. All summer she ha(
been in a pale, languid, half alive con
dition, with no strength, no appetite
no interest in anything.
Mrs. Whitaker, having never-sufli
GENTLY gratilied passion for doctoring
had at first rather enjoyed this oppor
tunity of trying the virtues of the vari
Gus roots and herbs that hung in dry
dusty bundles from the galret rafters
Susan's life had been a burden to hel
with doses Of fthoroughwort, pennyroy
al, tansy, dandelion and burdock
There was always a-big bowl of black
bitter herb-tea standing in the pantry
which it was equally the object Of
Mrs. Whitaker's life to induce Susan
to take, and the object of Susan's to
escape.
And still Susan lay around the house
in an exceedingly limp state, reading
novels with a languid interest, study
ing her symptoms in the "Family
Adviser" and cutting out such scraps
Of poetry as dwelt on the hollowness
of the world, unappreciated loveliness
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 does" said he, energetically. "lt
she'd get up earlier in the morning
and do a little housework she'd get
well twice as quick as she will now,
dosing and coddling."
"a great deal you know about it, "
retorted Susan, with considerable vigor
for an invalid; 81 like to hear boys
talk. They know so much-in their
own eStimation.'
"!See here, Sue! What it that in
teresting young school master should
hear you speak so to your dear brother!
1t don't sound very angelic"
Sue said nothing, only blushed a
little, and assumed that plaintive,
meekly injured look, which says plain
ly, you'll be sorry for this when I'm
gone"
"Fudge, Sue." said Ned, quite unim-
pressed. 'Don't look so spoony," and
off he went, whistling and banging the
door.
1t was a fact that there had been a
young school-master, the previous win
ter, a school-master who had not low
ed, but hirted and erode away" Per-
haps Susan, having nothing else to do,
had pleased herself by fancying she
was in love with this gay deceiver. A
girl must do something. Mrs. Whit
aker was one of those indefatigable,
irrepressible women, scrupulously
neat and exact housekeeper, who lov-
ed hard work for its own sake, and
"didnt want any one bothering
round"
AT one time Sue had quite mania
for cooking, but Mrs. Whitaker, after
witnessing her awkward struggles with
the bread dough, said:
"Come, let me take it. It's easier
for me to do it myself than to see you.
If you'll keep the sitting room in Or
der, and take care of your own room,
its all LII ask.
And now Mrs. Whitaker thought
Susan so delicate she relieved her of
even these light duties, and left her
with nothing to do but realize, in her
own experience, the truth of the say
ing,
"a milestone and the human heart are ever
driven round,
If they have nothing else to grind, they must
themselves be ground -
to know all the WEAKNESS of an empty,
aimless life.
September came, and yet Susan re-
manned in state of disco lraging
about-the-sameness. Mrs. Whitaker
thought she would drive over and con-
suit Aunt Debbie Dunbar.