Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-07-25

bed I'll cover We wild me warrum fan
MIN petticoat, ashore. Yell be bet
Their in tn mornin'."
But when Mr.. Finn came home in
the evening he was sent off in haste
after ''Dr. Chorker, the doctor as amt
hazard on tn poor" as Mr.. Finn said.
For little Mike had high fever and
was raving about the 'slittle yalla
BIRDS which in fancy he saw sitting
on the foot of his trundle bed. When
the doctor arrived he felt of the bound
ing pulse and heated brow of the suf-
ferer.
srm afraid it's case of pneumon-
la"
s.Newmonyal" exclaimed Mrs. Finn,
in horror. ''Faith ye're mistakin' wild
all yer larnin'. Thare's no dog afther
bitin' my Mickey. No, no, docther,
dear. Fax yer smart man, so ye
are, an devils the wan'll deny it; but
it's not the newmonya, it's not that.
Arrah, doctor, say it's bad cowled he
has jist, an no more!"
The doctor smiled at Mrs. Firms
misconception, but his face became
tender and grave when he looked
into the anxious mothers face raised
to his. He did not violate the truth
or his skill as physician when he re-
piled:
That's just what ais him, Mrs.
Finn. He has bad cold and nothing
more"
''Oh. thought We were foolin' me,
docther, dear. Settled in his bones, l
supposeP'
''In his chest"
"Ah, ha! in his chest is itP Well,
I'll soon have it out of thare with flax
seed. But, dye know he has some
thing on his moind, dye see, docther?
His lips is mutterin' an he's that dis
thressed he does be kickin' the nice
warrum fannin' petticoat off the bed,
so he does"
He isn't in love, is hep" joked the
doctor.
mo. It's all about tn little yalla
burds he seen down be Pether Dol
ans. l think if he had wan o. thin
he'd be cured entoirely without the
faxseed."
In few minutes the doctor was in
possession of the whole story about
the canaries. He knew that the sight
of one of the feathered songsters
when the boy awoke from his delirium
would do more to hasten his recovery
than any medicine from the mineral
or vegetable kingdom. AS he drove
slowly up the Old Point road, thinking
how a canary or two could be procured
for the boy, an idea came to him which
seemed like an inspiration. He slap
ped his knees gleefully and laughed
inwardly, as he said, 'It's just the
thing. It's cheap, and the mother and
boy will be delighted"
Many were the sleepless vigils OF
Mrs. Finn at the bedside of ner boy.
Tenderly she soothed his heated brow.
Carefully she watched the cracked
kitchen stove and saw that the room
was kept at the proper temperature.
How exact was she as to the time
for giving him his medicine only a
mother similarly situated can fully ap-
preciate. Many a morning did the ell
der Finn go without his breakfast rath-
er than to disturb the fevered slumber.
er. Even the goat seemed subdued
during that critical period. At least
Mrs. Finn thought so, although it was
probably a fancy on her part.
! The crisis came at last. One morn
ing the light was trying to steal
through a crack in the closed blinds
when the doctor came. He carried a
bird cage in his hand, which was GOV.
cred with paper. He looked at the
sick boy and told his mother that g
few hours would seal his fate.
While little Mike slept the doctor
stepped on a chair and hung the cage
on a nail over the window. The blinds
were open now so that the cage and
| its contents would be distinctly visible
| from the bed
Worn with her long siege of sleep
less nights, Mrs. Finn dropped asleep
| in her chair, and was awakened by 8
| feeble chuckle of delight. Raising
her eyes to the bed, they rested on
the wan face of her boy, radiant with
| light. He was looking at the cage.
LUX, lux, mother" he cried, feebly
but excitediy. There's three O thin
| burds from Peter Dolan's-a yalla wan
an red wan. an a blue wan. Die
you buy thin, mother?"
mo, tn doctor brung thin, lad
Now, you must go to Shape"
The crisis had passed, and little Mike
improved rapidly. When the doctor
/ came that evening Mrs. Finn met him
at the door with her finger upon hel
lip.
AS the door of the sick room opened
to the doctor the goat slipped in be
fore him and nosed around among the
medicine bottles standing on chair
till they all fell upon the floor and
broke. Then Billy contentedly ate
several hundred pellets of aconite anc
bella donna, while the boy sat up in bee
and grinned in delight.
"How is hep" said the doctor.
''Shure, he's worth tin dead b'ys,'
said the delighted mother. 1T wa:
tn little burds as did it But amt you
a foine decaiver t be paintin' little
chicks wild red an blue an yaller pain
an passin' 'em off for canaries!"-
Omaha World