The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-02-26
THE STOLEN PILLS.

SMALL Miss Rachel Winchester was q
snapping-eyed Puritan of seven years.
She knew the shorter catechism and the
longer catechism; and if there had been
any middlesized catechism, like the
middle-sized bear" you know, she
would have had that at her tongue S
end. She meant to be q pretty good
girl only the catechisms had not had
time to strike in. Her brother Nah, as
all called him, did not know even a
"kittenchism," and was not bit
ashamed of it. Rachel and Zephaniah
lived with their grandfather, doctor
in Albany. ~G
Rachel had a friend, Scotch Margery,
with wide-open blse eyes. One dav
she came to see Rachel, who could not
play until she finished her ''stint:" five
rows OF knitting around sock. .
Then they went around to grandfath-
ers office to see him get ready to go
away. Being forbidden ever to enter
without permission. they sat down on
the doorsteps with Zephaniah and
looked in.
1t was a charming place. A dusty,
hollow-eyed skull sat on a shelf, and in
the corner was chest holding-no-
body knew whatwhich was awful, you
know. Grandfather was making up
powders, getting ready "blue mass"
assafGtida and "green and Yellow
mixtures for his circuit around the coun-
try. Before he put them into his old
leather saddle-bags he looked over an
other wallet that made shivers run up
Niah's spine. Here were nippers,
plnchers, cutters, clashers, scissors,
tooth pullers and wringers. Re-
membering certain poor tooth in his
possession, Nah now arose and ssmelt-
ed into the distance" as artists say.
The little girls sat still until grandpa
went away. When his big horse, Thun-
der, had kicked up a cloud of dust and
hid his long legs in it, Rachel Winches-
ter, the small Puritan, whose ancestors
came over in the MAY Flower" she
forgot all the good in both catechisms
and said: l-.t4
"Margery Campbell, let as go inr'
"But your gran Their said we mustn't
2" That's just why want to. What
is the use of always behaving well?
Let's peek around a little bt-Niah's
out of the way" .H,el .a.a lHE
Margery consented. In they went.
First they opened queer little drawers
full of cloves, spice, slippery elm and
alum. Then they took hold of hands
and took a respectful view of the skull.
"What is in the inside of ii when it
is inside of a1s?'' 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 our brains be?" asked
Margery. r b.. .........-
"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" ..
"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
poisons and, for wonder, did not
taste. They put their tongues, how
ever, to a 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. "~
CHOW, Just let's take the tin cup of
water" said the enterprising Rachel
and swallow first one of these, and
then drink and then nuther, and see
which can swallow the mostr'
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 forelathers were very thor
ough-well, so were our little fore
mothers.
Perhaps if these children had not
taken so many, / might have had to
end my story with dreadful account
of their funerals; as it was, they over
did the matter, and their folly saved
them. e Whit
Margery had not once WINGED; but
Rachel did not take time to wink, and
so came out three pills and choke
ahead of her friend When all were
down they went out and sat down in q
vacant lot near the house. 1t was cool
and pleasant under the fence, and they