Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-06-21
BY ANNETTE l.. NOBLE.

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assaf0etida and green and yellow
mixture for his circuit around the coun,
try. Before he put them in his ole
leather saddle-bag he looked over an
other wallet that made shivers run uI
Niah'sspine. Here were nippers, pinch.
ers, cutters, clashers, scissors, tooth. pul.
lers and Dose- -wringers. Remembering
q certain poor tooth in his possession,
Niah now arose and 'melted into thu
distance" as artists say.
The little girl sat still until grandpa
went away. When his big horse, Thun'
der, had kicked up q cloud of dust and
hid his long legs in it, Rachel Winches
ter, the small Puritan, whose ancestor
came over in the "May Flower" )" forgot
all the good in both catechisms anG
said:
"Margery Campbell, letus 90 in ~
but your gran 'ther said we mustn't. .
"That's just why 1 want to. What il
the use of always behaving well? Let's
peek around o'little 6it-Niah's out Of
the way"
Margery consented. In they went
First they opened queer little drawers
alum. Then they took hold Of handa
and took respectful view Of the skull.
"What IL In the inside of it when it u
inside of us 2" whispered Margery.
"Why, nothing! The skin and hair
cover its outside and then it Is hollow
that is why your head rings when you
get your ears boxed" said Rachel.
~Where do your brains be?" asked
Margery.
"Oh-why-in our eyes, certainly. AS
soon as you see something you begin to
think-your thinker is your brains, you
know. Grandfather explains such
things to our family"
1--WE haven't got any grandfather.
"Oh, well, knew this without mine, /"
said Rachel arrogantly.
They pOked their fingers into every
thing sweet, sour, sticky, or in any way
mysterious. They smelt of various pol
sons, and, for a wonder, did not taste
they put their tongues, however, to q
laudanum bottle and then sputtered
wildly into the air. At last they found
a nice clean vial full of pretty white
pills. They examined it with delight.
"Now, just let's take the tin cup of
WATER" said the enterprising Rachel,
land swallow first one of these, and
then q drink and then a nuthes', and see
which can swallow the most !"
Margery agreed, and at it they went
a pill-a drink-a pill-a drink-a pill
"a pill-a pill-until the vial was
empty. Now you have often heard that
our Puritan forefathers were very tho
rough-well, so were our little foremoth-
ers.
Perhaps if these children had not TAX
en- SO many, might have had to end
my story with q dreadful account of
their funerals as it was they overdid
the matter, and their folly saved them.
Margery had not once WINGED; but
Rachel did not take time to wink, and
80 came out three pills and choke a.
head of her friend. When all were
down they went out and sat down In q
vacant lot near the house. It was cool
and pleasant under the fence, and they
began to tell Indian stories. Suddenly
in the middle of one Margery exclaim-
ed:
"Oh! I feel as I did coming from
Scotland, when the ship turned over ~
"What ails yom 3" said Rachel slowly.
"I guess it's the s0edther-Tve been feel
ing sort of-lonesomei in my stummick. !"
In minute she knew exactly how
Margery felt coming over seas, for her
lonesomeness increased and she rapidly
lost "snap.".
Margery, growing white and whittier.
slid down flat on the grass, then with q
groan that seemed to come from her lit.
tie pegged shoes, became dreadfully sick,
and Miss Winchester followed suit.
If they had swallowed the whole con-
tents of the DOCTORS saddle bags they
could scarcely have suffered more
When it seemed as if they must have
thrown up not only the pills, but the
coast of their stomaehs and all their
original sin, they got up and staggered
along by the fence; but were soon forced
to drop again.
"I'm a dyin!" said Margery. "And
I am afraid-I want my mother"
"Ain't it awful?" grOaned Rachel
"I've committed sin lately and I'm
scared tool broke china cup and hid
it up the chimney"
"Yes, we're both of us wicked as we're
SICK" moaned Margery. II made faces
at my mother behind the door, when she
wouldn't let me take her gold ring"
"Hello down there! What You O.
doin'? cried Zephaniah, his shock head
coming over the top rail of the fence,
ana ne seeming W uauS tneTo ny LIS
chin.
30 Niah, we're goin' to die !" answer
ed Rachel dismally.
What for?" he asked, not seeing thu
least use in 1t.
"We've killed ourselves" returned
Rachel family. She must talk while
breath remained SO she gave her broth
er the facts of the case. His face, dur
ing the story, showed disgust at theil
present wilted condition, mingled will
admiration for their daring exploit.
'.Phu, Rachel, 1 wouldn't die-yor
can't see 'em bile maple sap next year
"How can we help it?" gasped blue
eyed Margery.
"Oh, I'll stiffen you up!" and Mai
suddenly unlocked himself from thu
top rail and disappeared. They though
he had gone to tell Of them, and did NO