Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-09-15

Me and Sam.
Bette Morris asks me what is good for
II bad cold. Well, if the cold is taken il
the first stage-say the first evening after
you have taken it-creep close up to the
stove with shawl over your shoulders,
drink cup of tea, and take IL sweat. Go
TO bed while warm, and the cold will gen
orally break aud you will be relieved by
the next morning. But if it is settled,
slight cathartic taken at late bedtime, anG
careful attention to diet will bring ia.
vorable change as soon as anything We
know of.
People are SO careless about guarding
against colds. 1t is common to see them
sitting with their backs up against win
dow, or as near as they can get; sitting
in the draught of an open door or window
taking off an extra garment when over
heated, or Immediately after coming into
the house, loosening collar when too
warm, or changing the clothing through
the day. This latter should be done only
on rising in the morning, when the text
ure of the clothing varies much. And as
to laying off underwear, don't you do it,
Bette, before the fourth of July-that's
sensible girl.
Now my Sam tries my patience terribly
sometimes. He will strip in the spring as
soon rs he hears the MARBLE of the first
frog, unless watch him. Along in Feb
ruary the winds blew soft one night from
the south, and Sam painted like II hippota
mus, and threatened that if the warm snap
hn ehnuIl IiSlnJnn hic
shirt. | told him the breeze was treacher
Gus, and that any man who committed so
heinous an act would pay for his hilarity
but the very next morning, there, hanging
on the what not, | found my partners
article of wearing apparel. | scolded and
reprimanded, and upbraided. | was
vexed because he had taken it off and en-
dangered his precious health, and | was
mad at him for putting 1t on my beautiful
what-not, right among all my lovely
knicknacks. lie said ne thought it wa,
as sensible rs the little green glass milk
maid, and the Chinese god, and the button
Off Grants breaches, and the knob of the
bureau that my great-great grandmother
brought over in the Mayhower. Some
men havu'ta grain of aspiration in their
solid natures. Now that what-not WAS
my pride; it was loaded down with nice
thing, and when my incense was at its
height, that man just sat aud laughed. and
laug hed, and murmured. "Oh, come
now Becky, let's be friends" Well,
worse cold Samuel never had than the
one he took in pay for his temerity. 1t
settled in his jaws. and his nose swelled
up as big as IL Merino potato, and he
begged OF me to do something for him.
suggested that he 60 without eating Tor
three or four meals, but he shook his head
and growled out Never! I'll have the
best the house affords now while l am
Frustrated and almost demented. Just
bring on your preserves and two or three
kinds of jelly, and treat me well, for may
be I'll not be with you very long.
That melted me, for his voice quivered,
like, and cooked good square meals, and
he attacked the jelies manfully. He
could trim out Il glass as speedily as u
hungry boy could eat buckwheat cake.
Nothing brings me to terms quicker than
Maybe you won't be troubled with me
long" Ali could do, couldn't get him
TO put on his warm underwear again. He
invariably said, when | say thing I
mean it: don't eat my words" When
man hides behind such barrioade as
this sort of talk, be may be set down rs
very mulish indeed. We mean no in
sinuations-it is our pardner, Samuel, Of
whom we write. After that he b, d boils,
one of the results of hanging his shirt in
playful mood on Becky's what-not, and
partly because he eats more and heartier
food than is good for him. We doctored
him ourself. We take equal parts of
cream of tarter, salts, and puverized sui
phur, mix together, and for dose, take
early in the morning one heaping tea
spoonful. Take three mornings, then
miss three! then take three, then miss
three; then take three, SO that they are
taken for nine mornings. Then after nine
days 60 through the same again. This
cleanses the blood. We make poultce
of light bread and milk with haxseed or
slippery elm bark in it, and little lump
of saleratus; put it on as warm as can be
borne and change frequently, letting the
boil take its own course and its own time,
assisted by this poultice. After it is
opened, and relief comes, lay over it a
soft rag wrung out of hot water, keeping
it moist all the time.
We don't dare suggest sweat to Sam
any more. He don't like to hear about it,
He minds the time that he was taking
one, holding coffee-pot spout in his
mouth filled with boiling water, He was
doubled up and had quilt thrown all
over him, you mind, some of you. when
he fell into doze and the pot tipped over
into his lap and scaded his good combi-
nation trousers inside and out. ., he
pranced like young hart upon the noun
tsins! Now for burn, say when one
hand touches the hot stove, the best and
most convenient remedy is either to GOV.
er it over with apple butter or soft SOAP
Immediately, No pain will be felt, and
no other attention is required unless the
burn be severe, and then second appli-
cation will he needed. Samuels cure for
any painful cut or sore; especially when
cold has settled in it, is to put on thin
slice of fat pork-the older the better.
This soothes and comforts amazingly.
He said his dead mother-she who came
to her death falling from a cherry tree
used to relieve all his stone bruises and
sore toes, and snagged flesh wounds, this
way.
Samuel and me find good deal of
enjoyment in our welded life, tho some-
times we spat little, and my pard tries
my temper with his obtuseness, still, we
find more of sunshine than shadow.
1t is the way with all things here
Some days dark and some days drear.
All have their ups and all their downs
Some wear crosses. some bear crowns;
And all the self same story tell
As Becky and her Samuel.
Mrs. S. Starkey, in Ohio Farmer,