The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1876-03-08
MEMBRANOUS GROUP.

tndJ lTiBuJlul ana lncuThOle disease,
membranous Group, was ravaging the
town aud driving all mothers mad
with terror, called Mrs. McWilliims'
attention to little Penelope and said
t"Darling, l wouldn't let that child
be chewing that pine stick, if | we're
you"
Precious, where is the harm 10 it ?"
said she, but at the same time prepar-
ing to take away the stick-for wo-
men cannot receive even the most pal
pably judicious suggestion without ar
guing il; that is, married women.
"Love, il is notorious that pine is
the least nutritious wood that q child
can eat"
My wife's hand paused, in the act of
taking the stick. and returned itself to
her lap. She brindled perceptibly,
and said:
Hubby, you know better than that.
You know you do. Doctors all say
that turpentine in pine wood ia good
for weak back and the kidneys"
"Ahl / was under o misapprehen.
sion. ] did not know that the child's
kidneys and spine were affected, and
that the family physician had recon.
mended-"
"Who said that the child's spine
and kidneys were affected ?"
"My love, you intimated it."
"The idea! | never intimated any
thing of the kind"
why, my dear, il hasn't been two
minutes since you said"
Bother what said ] don't care
what l did say. There isn't any harm
in the child's chewing a bit of pine
stick if she wants to, and you know
it perfectly we'll. And she shall chew
it, too! So there, noww
Say no more, my dear. 1 now see
the force Of your reasoning, and l will
go and order two or three cords of the
best pine wood to-day. No child of
mine shall want while /"
"Oh, please go along to you office,
and let me have some peace. A body
can never make the simplest remark
but you must take it up and 60 to ar
guing, and arguing, and arguing till
you don't know what you are talking
about, and you never do"
"Very well, it shall be as you say.
But there is want of logic in your
last remark which"
However she was gone with -four.
ish before l could finish, and had taken
the child with her. That night at din
ner she confronted me with a face as
white as sheet.
20 Mortimer, there's another! Lit
tie George Gordon is taken"
"Membranous croup?"
"Membranous Group"
"Is there any hope for him ?"
"None in the wide world. Oh, what
is to become of usf"
BY and by our nurse brought in our
Penelope to say goodnight and offer
the customary prayer at the mothers
knee. In the midst of "Now I lay
me down to sleep" she gave a slight
cough. My wife fell back like one
stricken with death. But the next
moment she was up and running away
with the activeness which terror in
spires.
She commanded that the child's
crib be removed from the nursery to
our bedroom and she went along to
see the order executed. She took me
with her. of course. We got matters
arranged with speed. A cot bed was
put up in my wife's dressing room for
the nurse. But now Mrs. McWilliams
said we were too far away from the
other baby, and what if he were to
have the symptoms in the highland
she blanched again, poor thing.
We then restored the crib and the
nurse to the nursery, and put up bed
for ourselves in room adjoining.
Presently, however, Mrs. McWill-
Jams said, suppose the baby should
catch it from PenelopeH This thought
struck new panic to her heart, and
the tribe of us could not get the crib
out of the nursery again fast enough
to satisfy my wife, though she assisted
in her own person and well-nigh pull
ed the crib to pieces in her frantic
hurry.
We moved downstairs, but there
was no place to stow the nurse. and
Mrs. McWilliams said the nurses ex-
perience would be an inestimable help.
So we returned, bag and baggage, to
our own bedrooms once more, and
felt great gladness, like buffet
ed birds that have found their nest
again.
Mrs. McWilliams sped to the nur-
sery to see how things were going on
there. She was back in a moment
with new dread. She said: