Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1875-07-29
A Nebraska Relief Agent
Meets q Sympathiser.

Meets a Sympathiser.
He was from the lower Platte
valley. He had eaten nothing
but grasshoppers since the 4th OF
July, 1874, and his stomach was
in an awful conditlon-it was full
of grasshoppers! He could feel
them jumping about, and trying
to find their way out, but their
toe nails scratched bis alimentary
canal, and spasmodic movement
of the muscles of his thoraX forced
them back into the cavity before
they reached the root of his
tongue. lie had left a wife and
nine famished children at home,
aud gone to Omaha to collect
funds to save his neighbors from
starvation. He had not been sue
cessful, perhaps because his "sre-
dentials" had not been strong
enough. And now, if the har-
keeper would accommodate him
with spoonful of whisky-it
was the only thing that would
keep the grasshoppers quiet in his
stomach; it kinder stupsfed them
and caused them to be dormant
for several hours, but as soon as
they sobered up they became as
lively as crickets, and played leap
frog in the pit of his stomach. He
had killed good many of them
with whisky, but their eggs were
all the time Matching, and he be-
lieved there were ten thousand
live ones occupying the space
designed by nature for the labora-
tory OF bread and meat, and such
things. He had no money, but if
the barkeeper would trust him for
few drops of crowfoot, he would
remunerate him out of his first
collections for the sufferers. By
adding a little peppermint and a
few grains of sugar to the liquor,
the medicine would be made more
potent; but if there was no pep
permint convenient, a drop Of
ginger would do as well.
The barkeeper deeply sympa-
thized with the grasshopper-strick-
en- people of Nebraska. He pitied
any man who had grasshoppers in
his stomach. II Whiskey, pepper
mint, or anything else his bar
afforded wouh relieve him, he
was welcome to paItake. He could
not accept thanks for so small a
favor was only sorry he didn't
have whiskey and peppermint
enough to kill all the grasshop-
pers in Nebraska. \
The barkeeper poured two table,
5poonsful of Jamaica ginger into
tumbler, added an equal quantity
Of pepper.sauce, shook in a thim-
bleGul of cayenne pepper, emptied
a small vial of sulphuric acid ON
top, and then sprinkled a few
drops of tangieioot over fhe mix
iure, and handing the tumbler to
he Nebraskian, told him to "swal-
low it Quick" The grasshopper-
plagued stranger W tied tor no
second invitation, but poured the .
lecoction down his throat at one
lell swallow.
"How do you like il?' asked
the barkeeper.
The grasshopper individual
made no reply. His eyes rolled
in their sockets and the tears ran
lut of them IN streams. His
aouth was opened wide enough
to swallow the barkeeper and all
lis decanters. He placed both
lands over his stomach and cast
m imploring glance toward the
yater pitcher.
do you feel EN- crawl?' asked
he barkeeper, in the anxious tone
If sick nurse.
The stranger made no reply,
out continued TO press his stomach
md water the floor with his tears.
"rake some of this horse-rad-
sh," said the barkeeper, sit will
10 you good"
The stranger still made no re-
,ly, but gradually his mouth
rev smaller, and his lips con-
racted, and the air rushed in his
hroat with whistling sound, like
he winter wind through a bro.
zen window pane. At length
he barkeeper took compassion up
N his writhing customer and
ave him a glass of ice water to-
ool his throat. When the stran-
,er was able to speak he Looked re-
'roachfully at the medicine man
nd said:
"See here, stranger, if that's the
ind Of stuff you give a man for
rasshorpers, I'd like to know
ghat you'd give feller if he had
tape-worm?
H., s1o1I