Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-02-04


age where John had tied it i'll hard
| knot.
Now. John said Sarah, calmly
"twist the stick till you tighten the
| bandage so that the blood shall stop al
| together
Bv this time poor Mrs. Wait, tremb.
| ling and terrified, arrived on the scene
with little, old. fashioned pocket bot
| tie Of smelling salts, and cruet of vim
| egar wherewith to battle her husband +
head. These restoratives answered
we'll enough until the doctor arrived.
You're a right smart, sensible girl, "
said the doctor, when he heard what
Sarah had done. ANY one of you fell
lows" continued he, "could have
stopped the blood. or mostly have
stopped, by pressing the limb, above
the wound, with your fingers, till help
could be got.'
Next morning Sarah stopped at the
squire's gate to learn how he was. job n
was spreading hay in field close by,
and he came out to the road to speak to
her.
81 say he said, contemplating her
slight form with genuine admiratio n,
"such little creature as you be to ha'
ben so KNOWN and smart! Why, you
can't be more'n fourteen, or fifteen at
the outside"
"Only fifteen, answered Sarah, with
queer little smile. "Just between
hay and grass"
II never did see the beat!' responded
John. How'd you know 80 well what
to dew? That's what I'd like to
know!'
ooh! I learned it at school, an
swer ed Sarah with little air of patron
age and humility combined. You
see, John, the blood that comes from
the heart ia bright red, and comes in
jets, as the heart beats; didn't you no.
tice that ?"
"Yes' yesl see his life was beatin
away, but nothin' we could dew
wouldn't suit him; and, in fact, there
didn't seem to be nothin' we could
dew"
"Well," continued she, finding that
his wandering thoughts had come home
again, " when the blood corses that way
and is bright red like that, you must do
something at once. You must put your
force on q knot, as I did, between the
wound and the heart. And while a
knotted bandage is getting ready you
must hold the limb up as high as = on
can. That will check the blood. I
forgot that at the time"
81 never did see the beat" answ cred
John, his limited vocabulary allowing
no more elegant phraseology in which
to express his wonder and admira
tion.
Sarah was moving on wher John
called after her, saying
"Say, sis, it's shame, but those
numheads went to work and tore that
pooty muslin thing of yours all to
pieces, thinkin' because you asked for
one bandage you'd want twenty more.
Missus Wait was dretful sorry. Said if
there had been enough left for an apron
it wouldn't ha' ben so bad"
Sarah laughed and went on, smooth
ing down dusty alpaca overskirt-an
old one of Jenny's cut down.
A few days after, the Earle family
were all in the kitchen OF tea, when q
knock came at the front door. Hattie
went to the door and returned directly
with package in her hand, reading
the outside wrapper in a rather dis
gusted tone, as she walked in:
"To the little girl who lear ms her
lessons ct school so WE'LL"
"Susie, of COURSE" said Sarah, with
lofty air, for Hattie had looked at her
while Susie was aged six.
I don't know why it maynt mean
you," retorted Hattie. 1T looks like
Squire Waits hand, though little
shaky."
Sarah had half mind not to take the
proffered bundle. As she took off the
newspaper wrapper, she saw a note
slipped under the string of brown
paper parcel, from some city store as
was evident by the advertisement. The
note was directed to "Miss Sarah
Earle" and read as follows:
"DEAR SARAH.-I was dreadful sorry
you lost your overskirt, and the squire
was too, and said you shouldn't lose
nothing by it. So I went to the city,
and went round and round until wa 8
tired to death and my head was all of q
daze. Finerly went into the incest
looking store, and the one recommended
the highest, and was showed the
proper clerk for such things, AMI says
to him in despairing way, I expect:
Show me the genteelest, handsome
and most suitable dress for young
lady Of fifteen years. He asked was
you dark or bland?
"Says l, Middling, with rosy
cheek, bright eye and such look as
you might CESS girl to have that tore
her bran new overskirt all to pieces to
stop nay husband from bleeding to
DEATH I can tell you the folks near
by was interested to hear all about it;
and one gentleman Civ me the book you
find inclosed, with his respects. The
end Of it all was, that the head of the
store came up and sold me the dress
very reasonable, and leave to change it
if you don'tlike it, and likewise put in
a piece of muslin for a school overskirt
as near like yours as any I could see,
free.
with my earnest hopes that you
will make as good woman as girl,
remain, your humble servant,
IN. E. WATT"
Sarah had read the note out loud al
the eager request of the family. bnt II