The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-05-01
BETSY HAMILTON'S LETTER.
Old Miss Green Doctoring the Sick.
liUanta Constitution.

atlanta Constitution.
DEAR Cousin: You'll never hear o.
nobody that's sick dyin' for the want o.
company in this settlement; but a sight
of 'em has pegged out from havin' toe
much. It's the talk now that that's what
kilt old Marthy Skipper, and | know in
reason it helpt off old Ridony Rountree
for they crowded in thar in gangs and
droves the Sunday afore she died, and
the women folks all thought they had to
do sumpen for her, and she never lasted
no time after they sot to work on her
After they had done all the devilment
they could a dostin' of her, then they
turned in and sent after the dock, but il
was too late. Some of 'em thinks they'll
20 to ole Miss Green when they die; they
never has the toe ache lesson they send
after her. Nav she believes in her like
the gospel, and alters sends alter her.
Pap lowed if she didn't have nine lives
like a cat old Miss Green would er done
kilt her long ago. She had turrible
spell here tother week after she stood
thar in the wind round the pot and dried
up the hog fat, and Miss Freshours and
Aunt Nancy both told her then if she
didn't mind she'd be on the lift, and shore
enough it layed her up. Nothin' would
do her but she must send after old Miss
Green. Old Miss Freshours was already
here when Miss Green come, and she
wanted to rub her with this here Wizard
lie you buy out'n the store. 1t reads on
the bottle that it will k'yore everything.
Meet old Miss Freshours when you will
and you can smell the sassy-fack out'n
the Wizard lie. But old Miss Green has
her own barks and roots and YARDS, and
she won't gin nothin' nor do nothin' no.
body else tells her; and her'n is all a
secret; she won't let you see her tnake
the yarb tea nor nothin'. Nav she had
the wheezins and the sniffles and the
year ache besides, and a turrible hitch
and mizry in her side and twist and
ketch in the spine Of her back. Old Miss
Green wheeled in hurry and slapped a
pine-pitch plaster to the spine of her
back and one to the mizry in her side,
and soused her feet in hot mullen tea,
and creased the bottoms of 'em with tai
Ter, and then turned in and made mix.
try for her to swob out her thote with,
out'n sorgum lasses aud honey, and win.
egar and red pepper and hohound, and
mullen billed down strong. Pap lowed
he reckined if it didn't kill her it would
k'yore her. Hit wasn't no time tel the
house was full of women folks, and they
all:wanted to do sumpen for Nav, and if
she'd done all they said do and drunk
all the mixtries they talked er lixin' she'd
er been dead afore night. Miss Gooden
come, and she was a power of help, but
out'n as big a gang as that thar's most
alters one that's got no sense, and yit she
thinks she knows it all. Hit was Jim
Hazel's wife; she STAYED right up to the
bed and lowed: "She haint dyin' is
she ?" and Nav she was already skeered
to death and that sot her all in the trim
bles. Miss Hooker fetched box ofsalye
and bottle OF cough mixtry ana gin her
a swaller, and | seed in a minute it made
ole Miss Green mad Ole Miss Potter
lowed she had orter drink The water off''n
some lair, and Miss Robertson wanted
to take of Miss Green's plaster and put
a mush poultice to her side; old Miss
Strong lowed hot ashes would be the best,
but old Miss Green wouldn't do nairy
one-lowed "Ef you'll jis gimme a rag
III sacrifice it in turkentine and rub it,
and 1 lay hit'll sarcl that mizry. ! knows
that mizry up and down, and thar's moth
in else but turkentine that's gwine to
wrench it out" Old Miss Pinkney KEEP
askin' for whiskey to gin her, but Maw's
fernent whiskey; last l seed the ole
'oman jis naitcrly wanted q dram herself,
so went out in the loomhouse and got
Pap's flask whar I hid it when he was q
soberin' up, and I gin her good "stifi
swig" of it, as Pap calls it. She taken a
seat slider the fire and I jes watched her.
After awhile she lowed: "We'uns had
ortcr sing some hines for sister Hamil-
ton, and she let in 10 singin'; the whis-
key had made her happy. Nav she is
so tender hearted she never could stand
to hear no hines 'thout cryin'. and she
layed thar and cried. Miss Stroug she
lent over her and tried to talk scriptur,
and ole Miss Freshours she jined in too,
and she knows as much about the Bible
as hog does about Sunday. Fust one
then tother jined in to hep Miss Pinkney
sing, and she left them all with the tune
to hold while she drapt off to sleep.
But thar wasn't no sleep for Nav. They
had made her believe her time had come
to die; her fever riz and her mine go. to
wanderin' and Flurridy was skeered all
but into fit. They sot and smoked tel
the room was plum blue, and them that
didn't smoke dipped snuff and spit on the
hath, and old Miss Freshours's tongue
never stopped minute. l kaowed SO
much company and fuss and singin'
mixed longer all that terbacker smoke,
and all ole Miss Green had done for her
would kill her or run her distracted, so |
named it to Pap, and he riz and went in
thar and lowed: Ladies', one and all, l
haint overly 'ligious myself, and don't
mean no harm, but I'd be glad if you'uns
would les wait tel Sunday fore you
sing airy mother hime. Partheuy needs
a little sleep. Flurridy go longer the
ladies to the loom'ouse. haint so over
ly 'ligious, as 1 tell you, but don't mean
no harm, and hope you'uns wont take
no inceptions to nothin' | says; but Par.
thcny must have little sleep;" and you
orter seed 'em scatter.
She never taken no turn to git better
tel Sunday, and they jes poured in III
gangs all that day. Miss Gooden lowed
sbe'1 er been back sooner but her Anouy'
mouse had the year ache (he's the baby
that's named after the great poet in Nc
GutIeys fifth electrified reader and she
lowed Sammy had stone-bruIse on his
loot, and she had been turribly bothered
with the petriied sore tbote herself aud
was feared to stir about in the wind,
and Gooden lie hadn't been well sense the
rain sot in and was jst dragsin' around
The house gruntin' continuerly putty
nigh all the time, and hit looked like she
jis couldn't git off, and it raincd besides;
Quick rs Nav riz and was OH the mend
| was tuck with the sore thote-but III
tell you about that next time. "Round
as a ring that has no end, so is my love
r. ,,,, rr;op1 ~ That's what XIV