The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1882-11-16
JOHN JUDsON's NURSE

JOHN JUDSON'S NURSE
"a dozen tea biscuit, did you say
Mrs. Rooney" said the bakers wife;
"and loaf of bread? and a card of
black gingerbread? Just let me take
your basket, ma'am, and I'll pack 'em
in a deal better than you could. Yes,
as I was saying, there he lies, clean
ont of his head and raving, and no
body to take care of him but me. And
you may guess how much time I get,
ma'am, what with the shop and the six
children and Feathertop's old mother
to look after"
"But why on EARTH" said the GUS
toner who had ordered the tea biscuit,
bread and black gingerbread, don't
you send the poor fellow to some hos
pital?"
HJust what the doctor advised his
ownself," said Mrs. Feathertop. "But
Ia! the minute you mention the word
hospital you'd think he would 60 out
of his head, poor soul. NO, no, no,
he says, over and over again, 'and he
holds on to the side of the bedpost un-
til one must have heart of iron to
try and get him away. And the worst
of it is he's just been turned out of
this placer
"Turned out of his placer" repeated
Mrs. Rooney, while Miss Price, the
pale little seamstrcss who rented the
top back room of Mrs. Featncrtop and
kept herself on infnitesimal morsels of
bread and meat which she picked up
nobody knew where, paused to listen,
on her way through the shop.
Gle was getting good wages in a
manufacturing jewelers." said the
bakers wife, evidently-ee -eeaajeyyiirs,-rih,ccrr rhcrr
small audience. "and Mr. Goldilove
store BY hiR, ,S feS he'd q way of
@4kHlS that he'd dlearned in foreign
parts, and they tell me it's quite an art
to set them precious stones in the gold
so as they's stay firm and show off
their colors to good advantage. And
there was particular choice jewei
sent there to be set as a wedding pres
ent for some young lady-a sapphire,
&hey say it's called-and it was gin
into his charge. And from that day
to this, ma'am and Miss Price, there
hasn't nothin' ever been heard of that
sapphire. If it had been any one else
Mr.. Goldilove would have had him ar
rested; but this John Judson had al
ways borne so good character end
was such an out-and-out respectable
man, as he hadn't the heart to do it.
But he discharged him, of course
who wouldn't? And here the poor
fellow is, out of place, with no refer
. ence, and so far as 1 know without a
penny in his pocket. And what we're
to do I don't know, for its downright
sure I can't spare the time to give
him his drops and look after him as a
sick man should be looked AFTER
HAS he no friends?' said Mrs.
Rooney.
BLESS your heart! no." said the
bakers wife. "He is a stranger in the
country. And poor folks, mind you
ma'am, don't pick up friends here and
there and everywhere like the mil
honaires we read about"
Just here Miss Price stepped for
ward, with her little splint basket on
her arm.
"Mrs. Feathertop," said she, diff
IDENTIFY, ~ am quite alone in the world,
with no ties to keep me busy. If you
don't object I'll take my sewing down
into Mr.. Judson's room and take care
of him days, if Mr.. Feathertop won't
mind the night charge"
"Pm sure, Miss Price, it would be a
deed of Christian charity" said Mrs
Feathertop.
And as she afterward said to Mrs.
Rooney:
at wasn't as if Miss Price were
young and pretty. She's forty, if she's
aday," said the bakers wife. "And
she's had smallpox, as you may see
for yourself, Mrs. Rooney, ma'am; and
her hair is red and her eyelashes are
white, and often think, ma'am, of
what Feathertop said when first she
engaged cur top story back; Peggy