Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-10-18
, COUNTY. IOWA, OCTOBER l8. 1875.
A silent Benefactor.

last winter from rheumatism In hit
breast, and HE wife was badly fright.
ened about Il for fear 1t would end
In consumption. Cooley could not
be induced to try any rornedy for the
trouble, and Mrs. Cooley was nearly
worried to death about it. At last
ahe determined to try strategy. She
made up dry mustard plarter, and
one night while he was sound asleer
she sewed It upon the inside of hfs
undershirt, 90 that 1t would justaboui
cover the rheumatic place. Cooley
dresaeed himself In the morning
wholly unsuspicious of the presence
Of the plaster, and went down stairs
At the breakfast table, while he wal
talking to his wife, he suddenly
lstopped, looked cross-eycd, and
spasm Of pain passed over his face
Then he took mp the thread Of the
conversAtion and went ON. He was
In tho midst Of On explanation Of the
political situAtion, whom ell at once
hs ceased again, grow red in the face
and exclaimed ::
~ wonder what IN the-no, it cant
be anything wrong"
| Nrs. Cooley asked him what was
the matter, and Cooley said,-
9Oh, its that internal old rheunia-
tism Agnin-come back awful. But
II never felt Il exactly the same way
before. Kinder stings me.n
Mrs. Cooley said she was sorry.
Then NJ. Cooley began again and
was just Allowing her how the raw
ages Of the grasshopp6rs in the West
last aummer and the potato bng in
tho East would affect the political re-
suit next fall by making the people
dtscontcntod, and 80 likely TO strike
ct the party In power, when he sud-
denly dropped the subject, and jump
ing mp, said:
"Thunder and lightning, what's
that? Ouchl O Moses feels if /
had . shoveifnl Of hot Goals insid nv
shirt
"Hust b. that rheumatism getting
WORSE said Mrs. Cooley, sympathet-
ically.
"Oh, gracious, no! It's something
worsothan rheumatism. Feels like
6re burning into my skin. Ouch! /!
Ow-wow-wow. It's awful. l can't
stand 1t . minute. / believe It's chol-
die"
.Do try TO be calm, Mr.. Cooley"
"Calm! How can . man be calm
with volcano under his shirt. Get
ont Of the way, quick, while go up
stairs and undress. Murder.r.r.r-r.
but 1t hurts. Lot me get out quick ,
Then be rushed up to the bedroom
and atripped OF his clothes. His
chest was the color of 4 boiled lob
ster; but he couldn't for the life of
him tell what was the matter. Then
his eyes rested upon something white
ON his shirt. He picked up the gar
mont and examined 1t. Ten minutes
later he came slowly down stairs with
dry mustard plaster In his hand.
whil0 thunder clothed his brow.
Going up to Mrs. Cooley he shook
the plaster under her nose, and said
In : suppressed voice.
clothes
II did 1t for the best, Mr.. Cooley" !"
she said. "I thought
;'Oh, never mind what you thought,
you idiotl Never mind what Won
thought You've taken the skin
clear OF my bosom, SO that I'm az
raw - . sirloin steak, and I'll proba-
bly, never be well again AZ long as 1
live. That lets you out. You play
any more tricks like that on me, and
I'll put you in the coal-bin and keep
you there till you starve to death.
Now mind me-"
Then he slammed the door. and
went out. Mrs. Cooley doesn't know
to this day what effect the grasshop-
pers are going to have on the fall
elections.