Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-03-18


Penelope coughed twice In her sleep.
"Ob, why don't tho doctor come I
Mortimer, this room Ia too warm. This
room L. certainly too warm. Turn on
the register-quick !"
I shut IL of, glancing at the thermom-
eter at the same time, and wondering to
myself il seventy was too warm for q
sick child.
The ooachman arrived from down
town now with the news that our ply
sician WAS i'll and confined TO bis bed.
Mrs. MoWilliams turned Q dead eye
upon me, and said in q dead voice
"There Ia Providence in II. 1t is foro-
ordained. He never was sick before.
Never. We have not been living q we
ought to live. Mortimer, time and time
again have told you 30. Now you see
the result. Our child will never get
we'll. Be thankful II you can forgive
yourself. I never can forgive myself"
I said, without intent to hurt, but
with needless choice OF words. that I
could not see that we had been living
such an abandoned life.
"Mortimeri Do you want TO bring
the judgment upon the baby, toof"
Then she began to cry, but suddenly
exclaimed
"The doctor must have sent medi-
cines |"
I said:
"Certainly they are here. was
only waiting for you to give me
chance"
"Well, do give them to mel Don't
you know that every moment is precious
now9 But what was the use in senoing
medicines when he knows that the
disease is incurablef"
I said that while there was life there
was hope.
"Hopel Mortimer, you know no
more what you are talking about than
the child unborn. If you would As
l live, the directions say give one tea
spoonful once al hour Once an hour
as il we had whole year before us to
save the child ini Mortimer, please
hurry. Give the poor, perishing thing
q tablespoonful, and try to be quick !"
"Why, my dear, tablespoonful
might "Don't drive me frantic
There, there, there. my
precious, my own; it's nasty, bitter
stuff, but it's good for Nelly-good for
mothers precious darling; and it will
make her we'll. There, there, there
put the little head on mammals breast,
and go to sleep, and pretty soon- Oh,
know she can't live till morning |!
Mortimer. a tablespoonful every half
hour will Oh, the child needs bella
donna, too; I know she does and
aconite. Get them, Mortimer. Now
do let me have my way. You know
nothing about these matters"
We now went to bed, placing the crib
close to my wife's pillow. All this tur-
moil had worn upon me, and within two
| minutes I was something more than
half asleep. Mrs. McWilliams reused
mo:
Darling. is that register turned ONT"
"No."
ct thought as much. Please turn 1t I
on at once. This room is cold."
I turned it on, and presently fell
asleep again. was aroused once more. |
"Dealie. would you mind moving |
nearer the register"
I moved it, but had collision with
the rug and woke up the child. dozed
off once more, while my wife quieted
the sufferer. But in little while these
words came murmuring remotely
through the fog Of my drowsiness
"Mortimer, if we only had some
goose grease. Will you ringf"
I climbed drearily out, and stepped
OH cat, which responded with pro-
test, and would have got q convincing
kick for it if a.chair had not got it in
stead.
"Now, Mortimer, why do you want
to turn up the gas and wake up the child
again ?"
because want to see how much I
am hurt, Caroline"
"Woll, look at the chair, too. I have
no doubt it is ruined. Poor cat, sup
pose you had -
"Now I am not going to suppose any
thing about the cat. It never would
have occurred il Maria had been allow.
ed to remain here and attend to these
duties, which are in her line and are not
in mine."
"Now, Mortimer, I should think you
would be ashamed to make remark
like that. It is q pity if you cannot do
tho few little things that ask of you at
such an awful time as this, when our
Child
"There, there; I will do anything
you want. But I can't raise anybody
with this bell. They're all gone to bed.
Where is the goose greasea"
"On the mantelpiece in the nursery.
If you will step there and speak to
Maria
I brought the goose grease and went
to sleep again. Once more was
called.
"Mortimer, so hate to disturb you,
but the room is still too cold for me to
try to apply this stuff. Would you mind
lighting the fire1 It is all ready to
touch a match to-"
I dragged myself out and Lit the fire,
and then sat down, disconsolate.
Mortimer, don't sit there and catch
your death of cold. Come to bed"
As was stepping in, she said:
"But wait moment. Please give
the child some more of the medicine"
Which I did. It was a medicine
which made child more or less lively;
so my wife made use of its waking in.
terval to strip it and grease it all over
with the goose oil. I was soon asleep
once more, but once more had to get
up.
"Mortimer, feel draught. feel
it distinctly. There is nothing so bad I
for this disease as a draught. Please
move the crib in front of the fire."
1 did it and collided with the rug
again, which threw into the fire. Mrs.
McWilliams sprane out of bed and res
cued it, and we had some words. had '
another trifing interval of sleep and
then got up, by request, and construct
ed a faxseed poultice. This was placed
upon the child's breast and left there to
do it's healing work.
A wood fire is not permanent thing.
I got up every twenty minutes and re-
newed ours, and this gave Mrs. McWl- !
liams an opportunity to shorten the
times of giving the medicines BY ten
minutes, which was great satisfaction
to her. Now and then, between times,
I reorganized the Aaxseed poultices, and
applied sinapisms and othor blisters {
where unoccupied places could be found
upon the child. Well, toward morning