The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-06-20
THE STlLT.FEvER.
It's First Violent Svmptoms-How "Jot'
Was Cured.

"WO NUECus
One spring Jot Brown (his name
was Jonathan) had the stilt-fever.
Was it any thing like scarlet fever?
Bless you, no! But it was almost as
bad. and awfully contagious. Why,
Jot caught it by just hearing Of anoth-
err boy who had it more than three
miles of. And from him it spread
and ragged through the neighborhood
all summer, not only the boys taking
it, but some Of the girls, too. aud
their mothers just had time Of it!
Did any of 'em die? Not quite. but
one OF the boys-Jot Brown-came
pretty near it, and it scared dear
grandma nearly into spasms.
Jot's fever came on the first of April,
and for nearly a week he was confined
to his chamber over the kitchen the
greater part of the time, with a
couple Of ash saplings. his fathers old
draw-shave, and big jack-knife.
After time strange Earrings and
thumpings and jolts would sometimes
make the kitchen quake and the dishes
clatter in the ''dressers.
''What upon earth is the boy up top
grandma would cry out. hopping
nimbly out Of her chair, as a heavier
jolt than usual would threaten TO break
hole through the ceiling, and let DOT
through upon her head.
But no one could find out, for Jot
locked his door and hung his hat over
the key-hole. An length, one morn.
ing. as grandma was up in the cham
Der looking over the dry apples, Jots
round, freckled face came bobbing up
to the low window under the caves.
Grandma caught sight Of it as she took
her head out of long bag.
Mercy! What--how-stilts! Oh
dear mel" and grandma sat right down
on, the bag and laughed till her cap
border trembled, rs Jot went prancing
gaily off on his long wooden legs.
At sight Of his young master the
hair on old Towsers back stood up
stiff and straight, and he grOwled and
barked and bic the stills till Jot
tumblcd of into the mud. The cows,
all with tails in tho air, ran for life
every time they caught sight OF him.
But DOT had n jolly time. He could
go right through all the deep pools
and mud-holcs dry-shod, his head was
away up in .hc branches of the apple
trces-for he kept frightening his legs
he could peep into the birds nests
without climbing, and put his hand in.
to all the swallows nests under the
low caves Of the old barn.
The other boys soon had stills, too.
then races were run, resulting 10 many
misfortunes. One boy got a twist
in his ankle, another sprained his Ell.
bow, and, alas, one broke his nose by
!, falling against the caves OF q one-roofed
shed.
But nothing worse than severe
bruises happened to Jot till near mid.
summer.
He used to 60 after the COWS on his
!, stills, for they had now got quite ac'
customed to his odd appearance. One
night they had strayed away to the
farther side of the pasture beyond
Black brook. He could not think oil
going away up to the bridge. half I
mile. to get across. So into the brook
! Jot splashed. thinking how convenien,
| stills were. nxSSsha
He reached the middle when one oil
his stills plunged into q deep hole
Jot tottered. gave wild lurch and
! down he went into the stream with
great splash, sending a whole row
Of "paddpcks" into their holes under
the flags, while his wooden legs sale.
away down stream.
JOt scrambled upon stone in tn,
bed of the brook, thus bringing hi
mouth out of water, and his cries an,
shouts soon brought grandma, VIII,
was strawberrying in the "burn
patch" not far off. 1t put her in
great panic, but she tore her shawl il
two aud tying her shoe on one end
threw it with all her might out ut Jot
1t came down plump on the top Of hi
head SO hard that he tumbled off tn
rock, but at the same time selling tn
end of the shawl, he was pulle
ashore half-drowned and quite gidd
from the bump of the heavy shoe
That bath in Black brook ''broke up
Jot's stilt-fever that year.-Youth'
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