News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-01-18
TAKING COLIC MEDICINE.
How Ben,s Wife Forced Him into Smash
ing the Demiiohn.
rFrom the Virginia ChronicIe.]


lates with great 9lee how a neighbor o
his was cured of too frequently tippin,
the oin bottle. This neighbor married
q Young, handsome and spirited lady
and for month or two all went well il
the house and about the farm; then thc
husband fell back into his old tricks
The wife demonstrated, and for time
the husband reformed.
Presently, however, she became salts
fed that the ''bottle tipping" was again
going on. When she spoke to her hus
band about tle matter he swore that the
aroma she detac,sl was that of a colo
medicine he We taking, he having de
veloped most .satactable colo, for the
relief of which hehad brought home ano
paraded bottle of medicine.
The wife was confident that there was
kept somewhere about the premises q
considerable store of a very different kind
of medicine.
She kept her own counsel and at the
same time strict watch. In day OF
two she discovered under manger III the
barn the secret hoard. She said nothing
of the discovery to her husband.
Soon after the husband had business
at neighbor's some two miles away.
On his return home he was somewhat
surprised at seeing note pinned upon
his front door. Hastily advancing he
read as follows:
''BEN:-You will find the key of the
house where you kept your collie medi-
cine. I have taken Kitty and gone home
to my mother. Father and brother Bob
will come tomorrow for the trunk in
which [ have packed my things.
"NELLE."
The husband rushed to the barn. AT
a glance he saw that Kitty, his wife's
mare, and the side-saddle were gone.
Darling to the manger he hauled out his
corpulent demiiohn of gin, and suspend
ed from its neck found the key of the
house.
Securing the key he sent the demi-
john whizzing and crashing against q
post of the barn.
Bounding forth, he ran to and mount,
ed the horse he had left standing IL
front of his house.
Away he dashed.
1t was ten miles to the house of his
father-in-law, and he was determined tc
overtake his wife before she could reach
it. OF kill the horse in the attempt.
Said the butter man: ''Now, [ seed
Ben's wife come over the hill half a mile
south Of my house on her little mare.
Kitty, and begin to perform some queer
ablutions.
''After she'd got over the brow O the
hill she paced up and down the road fol
a time; then she rid up and looked ove1
the brow of the rjdge for awhile Aftel
iUu'hiu.- =. bic y > -ty@ned about and rit
up and down thee road few times, ant
went up to the brow O the hill again
So she kept doing, and once or twice she
got off and led Kitty to the top Of the
hill.
II was puzzled as to whether she was
waitin' for somebody or had lost some
thing while on the way to her father:
place, some four miles beyond my house
[ was lust about to walk out that way
when I seed her wheel Kitty arounC
from the brow O. the hill and begin tx
ply her whip.
''In half minute she was flynn past my
place like a wild woman. [ stood at my
front gate by the roadside ready to hole,
out at her to know what was up, but bless
YOU, she never looked toward me. Hel
ewes seemed sot in her head, her fac'
was pale, and at every jump she let into
Kitty with her whip. [ swar her rldln
skirt fairly cracked as she bounded pas
me-
"Just then I heerd tremendous clat
ter behind me. Turnin' about L see(
Ben q comm over the pitch of the hill OF
his big black horse like a wild Co
manche. He was ridin' with loose reins
leanin' away to for'ard, and diggin' HI
BIG spurs into his horse like he'd rip hi
insides out
''He passed by with his hair and coat
tails sailin' back in the wind, and neve
turnin' his head to right nor left.
thought seed murder in his eye. L tel
you, million thoughts ran through m.
brain in a second. All the stories L eve
heard about Jealous husbands and msan
husbands. went through my head IN
lump, an [ do believe if I'd had my gu
in my hand I'd have taken awing sho
at him on suspicion.
81 seed Nell look back once, and thel
lay the whip to Kitty hottn ever. Be
was goin' like the wind. [ knowed Mel
was headed for her fathers, and [ see
plain as day that Ben would get her for
she was safe landed.
cat last he was upon her. 1t was the.
neck and neck for a time, with Be
reachin' out for Kitty's bride. At las
he got it, and the two horses gradual
slowed up till they finally stopped.
mounted my gatepost all Of tremble
expectin' to see somethin' dreadful haE
pen.
''They stopped in the road talkin' mig
one half an hour: then l seed Ben lea
over and Nell lean over, till thar tw
heads came together.
g What the mischief = says L, 'klssn
instead of KILN. Well that sort OF fraca
gifts me 7
"After the headbumpin' the pa
turned about and came slowly joggn
along back.
Gas they passed me, called out t
Ben to know what in the livin' jingolt a
meant. Ben began to stammer some
thing, bout half of which never got OF
through his big beard, when Nell sing
out to me: Only race for a kiss, an
givin' Kitty a cut that made. her boun
ten feet, she called out to Ben, Com
ON A race to the top of the hill for al
other ? and away they both went.
THAT was five years ago and nevt
lnowed the true meanin' of that wilt
harum-scar1m ride till about thre
months ago, when the story bout IL
ic medicine leaked out among IL
wimmen folks. For good while att
the ride, howsumever, [ remember OF
of the neighbor men wonderin' whaE ha
come over Ben that he had shut down {
his gin all of sudden and wouldn't
much as take a glass of o Oregon eide
''To this day, no doubt, Ben thinks
had desperate chase after Nell, and
na1rer escape O her gettin' into the hon