Frostburg mining journal., 1890-06-07
THE MAGIC BOTTLE,



"Tl ignorance of the average peasant
in Ireland. in regard to simple remedies
to alleviate pain, is dense as a New
fouHdIand fog, said a resident of New
York city, who had recently returned
from a trip through the Southern and
Nrs.crn portions Of the Emerald Isle.
"ih common ills of humanity, he con-
tiuu" l. such slight feyers, colds, rheu
M ir twingeS and headaches. are borne
viii the stoiCism of the North American
Indian. In some ca es a physician has
never entered the thatched cottage. even
in times of direSt stress. This is partly
GU" TO ignorance, but in a greater meas
uly % poverty. An incident illustrating
tn lack of knowledge Of the peasants in
th" county of Kerry Of a simple drug in
ordinary Use in America came under my
notice in the town of Tralee. | had been
suffering from catarrhal headache.
To relieve it | bou5 small heart
shaped bottle of green glass, with a
plated silver top, containing concen-
trated ammonia. | used it very care
fully, for the PREPARATION was strong.
While seated in my hotel before turf
tirp taking a sniff now and then Of the
ammonia and experiencing the usual re-
lief, a brawny peasant named Daniel
Siattery, from the hamlet of Lackabeg,
came in. AT sight Of lhe bottle his cur
io,ity was aroused Said he:
"'Ihats a quare little bottle ye hav',
sir
Oh, ii is common in America, | re-
pli>i,
And do ye tell me so,' exclaimed
Da .iel, with an accent of surprise.
'Fwhat good i,i,?
"'It will alleviate headache
"'Usla, is that thrue Shure and if ye
were alin' me, sir, | hav the headache
mcseIf !.
What kind of a headache is it,
NJ, ,uus?'
"'Divil's the wan o me knows fwhat
ki Il headache is it, sir ; bat as shure
a. nails is nails hav' it right under me
hair
~ he truth was that in all probable
ity Daniel had never had the headache
in his life. His object was to get hold
OF the bottle. All the time the conver.
sation was going on he had been look
ing longingly at it, and his fingers were
itching TO ger possession of it. To pro-
long his suspense, and also 10 give him
an exaggerated i,ca of the curative
powers of the contents of the bottle, |
took a dainty sniff at it, and then showed
signs of lively satisfaction, Daniel sat
on nettles. He squirmed with ardent
desire to handle the bottle, and yet his
sense of politcness reatraine him from
making direct req ieSt / it, 1t was
as good as play to watch hi II. AT last
he became reused to such Il pitch of de-
sire that his scrupleS melted like butter
in the tropic' He blushed like a school
girl stammcred, and then with an
apologize smile blmrted out
Akin yecr pardon, sir; but w'u'd 70
give me a trfle of a shmell o the weeny
bottle, till see w'ud it make me feel
any betther"
Il handed him the bottle and he re-
ceived it with dainty touch, as if it had
been a fragile flower. He held it up to
the light and Iuol, d through the green
glass at the contei .'
"'Faix, he excl imed, the sthuff in
the bottle is Crane
"'He unscrewed the silver top and
twirled it around on the end of one of
his callou.ed fingers, When he had
amused himself for few minutes, Ikea
child with anew toy, he received the bot
tie between his thumb and forefnger,
raised it to his nostrils, and drew in
deep breath. There was almost
vacuum i'll the room after that inhala-
ton. lie was seated when he made it.
The effect was electrical lie gasped