The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-10-30

{
ing fever. The Captain got out his big
book, unlocked the medicine chest, and
was going to prescribe big dose of
Epson salts-they always give 'em
board of ship. If man falls from the
masthead, it's salts. Ii he has the
toothache, same medicine. But the skip
per's wife took me in tow and stopped
that nonsense pretty quick. Her
father was a land doctor and she had
picked up something better for fevers
than salts. She dived into the medicine
chest and brought out number seven;
that's the only name knew it by; gave
me some of seven; opened can OF
mustard, got tub of hot water from
the cooks galley, and made Inc take a
mustard bath, until you could wiring
water enough out of the sheets / had
around me to float a whale-boat. She
didn't stop there, however, but toastedand
! tea'd me Just like a mother. The Cap
tain hadn't word to say, but just let
her have things her own way; and what
with doctoring, nursing and watching
me o. nights, she fetched me through
until | was entered on the log-bOok cured
but we had to get number seven filled
up when we got into Valparaiso.
"The cabin-boy he also had a touch
of something-might have been home
sickness much as any thing-but she
took him in tow and in four or five days
set him right side up with care.
4" We had been out going on nigh to
three years, with 700 barrels in the hold
and 500 that we had sent home by the
Hector, when | noticed that the skipper
wore a troubled look. Besides, his wife
didn't come on deck so often. One
evening, just as the dog-watch was on,
he comes up to me, and says, 'Ben'-he
always called me Ben when none of the
men were around-'Ben,' says he, my
wife's sick
"'What's the matter with her, Cap
tain?' says /.
"'Why, blame it, man'-that's the
only cuss word he ever used-'can't you
guess what's the matter? And here we
are 400 miles away from main land
Don't get low-spirited, Captain
says l perhaps we can run in before
she needs a DOCTOR
"'No, we can't; and I'm fool"
says he.
"' Whatever you do, don't finger once
that big book and medicine-chest,' |
said; for | had EPSON salts in my mind,
do you see?
"'No, l won't, Ben; but what is to be
dOne?'
"'Well, We'll square away, any how,
and do the best we can
''But it was no use; she grew worse.
The George and Susan pitched and
rolled so heavily that it made her suffer
all the more. We broke two casks of
oil and dashed them over the rail,
knocked out the bungS and let the oil
adrift. 1t smOothed down the water
little, but it did not last long. If the
skipper thought it would have done any
good he would have emptied every cask
on board to save his wife.
"The next night, while | was on
watch, the old man came bouncing out
of his cabin. Ben, for heavens sake,
come down! Rouse out Mr.. Hedge to
stand your watch, he sung out.
81 reused out the Third Mate and
followed the Captain. When 1 reached
the cabin could hear his poor wife cry
ing, and tell YOU it went all over me.
90 Captain says l, my good moth
er has told me some things that might
be of service, and I'll give it to
you straight as / can So | told him
how to proceed, babe him God speed,
and he went in, while / stood sentry at
the scuttle.
1.-THE crew by this time had got wind
that something was up, seeing as Mr..
Hedge had changed places with me, and
harr of " ~,
hear the good or bad news.
"Pretty soon little low, wailing cry
came drifting up the cabin gangway,
and then we knew that another hand
had been added to our crew.
1.-The men noiselessly went for'ard
whispering among themselves, for they
all liked the shippers wife and remem-
bered the extra socks and tobacco she
brought out of the cabin, which were
not put down agin 'em on the bill book.
But perhaps you don't want to hear any
more
"Oh, yes, 90 on; let me hear the
whole of it. I'm all ears"
"Well, the baby lived, and the moth
er died just one hundred and eighty
miles from Valdiyia, Chill, by the
quadrant What the mother did for me
l did my best to do for the baby. got
out two or three cans of condensed milk,
mixed some in warm water and fed it as
carefully as if | were feeding hum
ming-bird. When we ran into Valdivia,
the broken-hearted skipper got couple
of Portuguese doctors to embalm the
body of his wife, after which he had it
put into metallic case and placed in
his cabin, So he could have her near him
even in DEATH
''What about the baby?"
"Oh, she got along, and weathered
the remainder of the voyage. Took her
condensed milk regular and chung to me
just as if she was my own.
al saw her few weeks ago, but she |
amt much of a baby now. l went
down to Nantucket, where the old man
lives-he don't go to sea any more; has |
enough to live on and to spare.
"When l called at the house | saw a
young man about your age, who seemed |
to be paying his attentions around that |
domicile But that didn't hinder her /
from throwing her arms around nv |
neck, if she is 16 years of age.
NO, SIT u WAS II young llldn NY
self l think my chances would be as good
as the next one, for she don't forget old .
Ben and the many times he has carried |
her in his arms. Only cables length |
from the house, is her mothers grvae,
and it looks as fresh, green and bloom
ing-all done by her hands--as a regu-
lar garden. hope whoever marries
the baby, as | took care of, will think as
much of her as do. God bless her for |
4 IN II If hn,. ,nnnf hn1. -