The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-06-13
For THE ARKANsAw TRAVELLER MRS. KIMBLE'S TUSSLE WITH
 "MENGITTUS."
BY JENNIE PORTER ARNOLD.

| Dt JENNIE POkTER ARNOLD.
 had been one of the victims of cere-
 bro-spinal meningitis, which swept so like a scourge through the country a few
 years ago, and after months of life and
 death struggle, l was slowly convales.
 cing, when one day received visit from
 Mrs. Kimble, my sturdy-loeking marke,
 woman.
 For the lands sakes, Miss Mannin, D was her first greeting. "You don't mean ter say you've bin sick with mengittus for nigh onter eight months2 We'll, de- clare ter gracious you does look mighty kinder peeked and mauger, ennyhow Guess you've he'd tough time on't2 It's one O the worst kind O sicknesses ever hearn tell on. he'd CT putty smart tus- sle with it myself"
 looked up in astonishment. What form of disease could it have been to take a firm hold of such tough, sinewy frame as hers. Long years of outdoor labor, with the combined action of sun and wind, had transformed, what in ordinary women would have been skin and flesh, into mass of tough muscle and fibre, covered with substance resembling tanned leather. The face reminded one of a dried water course, furrowed by raging torrents and baked by torrid suns.
 "lt was last fall," ," continued my interest ing visitor. "jest the time when evrybody was gittin' scared half out O ther lives by the mengittus. Mrs Irvin-she that was the Wilder Cumminses darter-that lives about CT mile from me, she had it bad all summer, and we was expectin' that evry day would be the end O her. Then Mrs. Davises darter, the one Joe Mixes son had bin courtin' all along for years, she'd jest died arter bein' CT crazy ez CT loon for nigh onter six weeks. But, lands sakes the poor crittur had better died than married that shiftless scamp! Takin' him jest ez he run, he was about the slimp- siest kind O CT crittur ever did see. But, howsumever, ez wuz sayin', evry body wuz jest scared outer ther seven senses, an if they had enny aches an pains, or felt kinder queer ennywhere they jest dosed theirselves putty lively, Il can tell ye! dunno ez ever wuz sick afore in my life, an didn't know what ter make ont when fust begun ter feel so kinder womble-cropped an down at ther heel. wuz bound tho I wouldn't give in, an kep' round all one day CT dig gin' pertaters, when evry mint it seemed ter me must gin clean out. It wuz jest when we wuz bizziest CT gittin' in corn an' pertaters, an ther rest e the garden sarse, an knew it 1 left Sam an Toe alone they'd never git thru, so thort must keep up my end O the yoke sum way CT anuther but land O Goshen didn't l ache that night when went ter bed
 "Next day felt wurse ern ever, but jest set the boys ter diggin' pertaters an picked up, but tell you it wuz awful tutf work. When it cum dinner time, we he'd pork an cabbage for disner, an if thar's one thing banker arter morn an- uther, it's jest billed pork an cabbage but wuz so orfully used up couldn't eat scarce mite-not nor n half CT din l ner. You'd better b'leve then l begun ter think sumthin' putty bad he'd got hold | O me, for mother allus used ter say when | enny on us Higginses got where we couldn't eat, you might know we wux putty nigh onter our last legs. wouldn't giv up, tho an jest set up my lander that l want goin' ter be sick, an dragged myself back inter the lot an wec. ter work agi'n. But, o, my senses wasn't sick tho'l My head jest ached CT if it would split, an' evry lint in my backbone seemed outer kilter, sumhow, an my bones felt CT if pins an needles wuz stuck in 'em. Sam and Joe, both O lem, see how nightly beat out l wuz, an' told me two CT three times orter 50 inter the house. an bime-by, Sam ser, sez he: How do you know, ma, but it's that pesky mengittus you've gotr
 "I declare ter grashusl I never'd thort ont aforel But knew in CT mint wuz sick jest e Mrs. Irwin an Mrs. Davises Matilda wuz taken, an jest made bee line for the house an sent Sam for the | doctor. knew jest CT likely CT not it l might be nigh onter two hours CT more afore he'd git thar, an couldn't afford | ter run enny risk by waitin', so jest set |