The Portland daily press., 1881-06-20
Boston Transcript
The Sick Man.
The Wife's Way of Comforting.

"Don't tell me,'' said the man of the house,
as he lay upon the sofa and rolled his aching
head hither and thither in search of the cool
spot that persistently evaded him, and when
found only stayed cool for five seconds or so.
'I'm going to be sick, and a nice business it
will be. Eyes, look your last on everything
pretty. I've been sick before. They put you
in close room that hasn't been aired since
you were little boy, and they shut the blinds
and put down the curtains, and set table
loaded with bottles and sticky tumblers at your
bedside, and put on squaking slippers and an
ugly gown and take care of you.' 1 know all
about it-every bit. don't mind the pain of
being sick, but having my dinner brought up
in a cracked bowl and served out with medi-
cine spoon, and seeing persons dropping tine
lures all day and buryng pills in jelly all night
isn't to my taste, my dear"
The woman of the house smiled little smile
as she listened, and Strengthened the pillow as
she said, "Never table loaded with bottles
will you see in my house. Your doses will be
brought to you in glass"
"Am an elephant?" demanded the invalid
in tone strongly suggestive Of another mem
Der of the menagerie. "Do you expect that I
am going to take whole wineglassful of
strychnine or aconite or prussic acid, for in
stance2 Don't you know that the doctor will
be more likely to order drops than anything
else?"
Exactly" said the woman of the house,
''and here is this little glass in which you will
take your drops, glass marked on the side
from drops to ounces But perhaps you won't
need any medicine, dear"
Perhaps l won't; l dare say Pm shamming;
trying to get rid of doing my work; nothing
ails me or ever did; Pm salamander for har-
diness am. Don't mind me. What has the
glass to do with the matter. anyway, and what
is the use of that case?"
"The case is part of my Summer outfit" the
woman OF the house answered, producing it
from her travelling bag, ''and it holds the glass
OF which spoke. This bigger case holds eight
ounce bottles, which is as much medicine as
one needs, unless one is going to take very
long journey, or to run small private hospi-
tai. Quite enough for your case, my DEAR"
"And what's that little porcelain spoon for?
Going to give coffee party in my room?"
THAT is for any acid medicine that the doc
tor may order you, and which might corrode q
metal spoon. 1t isn't part Of my coffee set; it's
expressly made for medicine"
"You seem to have everything ready. Per-
haps you've been anticipating this sickness for
some time. Is your mourning made up, mad
am? Have you spoken to the undertaken? But
l forgot; I'm not sick; I'm only pretending.
What's that antique lamp that you're excavat-
ing from that drawer? Going to fill it with
oil and set it smoking to make me think I'm a
dying Antony?"
"That is a feeding cup" answered the wo-
man of the house; "you must have seen dozens
before, but this is decorated with pretty
painted picture on the side, and really orna-
ments the table. If you should become too i'll
to raise your head you can drink from the
spout of this"
"Yah!" was the only reply, unless kick
and a toss can be called an answer. The wo-
man of the house smiled knowingly at the cup,
and then brought her own vaporizer from her
dressing table and sweetly suggested that it
would be refreshing to use it every few min
utes to keep the air perfumed "And I've the
loveliest broth set down stairs" she added.
"What kind of an engine of iniquity is a
broth set?" demanded her lord; I've lived no
matter how many years without one, and l
guess can die without one. What is a broth
Set?'