Union and American. [volume] (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1875-1877, 1876-03-16


time as this, when our child"
There, there. / will do anything
you want. But can't raise any
body with this bell. They re all
gone to bed. Where is the goose
greaseT
"On the mantlepiece in the
nursery. fyou'll step there and
speak to Maria
/ fetched the goose grease, and
went to sleep agaln. Once more l
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 mindaighting the fire?
1t is all ready TO touch a match to-
/ / dragged myself out and lit the
fire, and then sat down disconso-
late.
"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 medi-
cine"
Which / did. 1t was a medicine
which made child more or less
lively; so my wife made use of its
waking interval to strip it end
grease il all over with the goose
oil. was soon asleep once more,
but once more | bad to get up.
"Mortimer, | feel q draft feel
it distinctly. There is nothing so
had for this disease as a draft.
Please move the cnb in front of
the fire.
/ did it, and collided with the
rug again, which ! threw into the
fire. Mrs. McWilliams sprang out
of bed and rescued it, and we had
some words. / had another trifiing
interval of sleep, and then got up,
Ly request, and constructed flax:
seed poultice. This was placed
upon the chld's breast and left
there to do its healing work.
A wood fire is not a permanent
thing. / got up every twenty
minutes and renewed ours, and
this gave Mrs. McWillams an OPP
portunity to shorten the times of
giving the medicines by ten min
utes, which was great satisfac
tion to her. Now and then, be.
tween times, reorganized the flax
seed poutices, and applied sinap
Isms and other blisters where I'M
occupied places could be found up
on the child.
Well, toward morning the wood
gave out, and my wife wanted me
to 90 down cellar and get some
more. | said: my dear, it is Il
laborious job, and the child must
be nearly warm enough, with her
extra clothing. Now, mightnt we
put on another layer Of poultices,
and"-
/ did not finish, because / was
interrupted. ! lugged wood up
from below for some little time,
and then turned in and fell to
snoring as only a man can whose
strength is all gone and whose
soul is worn out.
Last, at broad daylight, I felt a
grip on my shoulder that brought
me to my senses suddenly. Ny
wife was glaring down on me and
gasping. As soon as she could
command her tongue, she said, ut
is all over! All over! The child's
perspiring! What shall we do?'
"Mercy, how you terrify me! I
don't know what we ought to do.
Maybe if we scraped her and put
her in the draft again--"
90, idiot! There is not a moment
TO lose. Go for the doctor. Go
yourself. Tell him he must come,
dead or alive.
dragged that poor sick man
from his bed and brought HIM.
He looked at the child, and said
she was not dying. This was Joy
unspeakable to me, but it made
my wife as mad as if he had offered
a personal affront. Then he said
the child's cough was only caused
by some trifling irritation or other
in the throat, At this I thought
my wife had a mind to show him
the door. Now, the doctor said
he would make the child cough
harder and dislodge the trouble.
So he gave her something that
sent her into a spasm of coughing,
and presently up came a little
wood splinter or so,
This child has no membranous
Group" SAID he. "She has been
chewing bit of pine shingle or
something of the kind, and got
some little slivers in her throat.
They won't do her any hurt"
NO" said l. 81 can we'll be-
lieve that. Indeed, the turpentine
that is in them is very good for
certain diseases that are peculiar
to children. My wife will tell you
So"
But she did not. She turned
away in disdain and left the room:
and since that time there is one
episode in our life which we never
refer to. Hence the tide of our
days flows by in deep and untroub.
led serenity.