The rustler., 1891-11-06


have = little chat about eropz an
church matterN I s'po-s we'd hen
taikin' : much ~ twenty minutcs
when I'll says Too Rod 'i-nut Clarin-
dy' Il forg0t 10 tell yo1. Eiviry. that I
hadnt seen her on the ridge the nlrht
before. although Jabs waited for her
some time. an I'd been kind q worry-
I'M ever sence.l 30 when he said that
of course / was AL alive % know what
was the matter Well men are Gurus
bcin's'." and Mira Stctson laid down
her knitting while she looked ahsently
al the old bud cat who had crept back
on the porch. and was now playing
with her ball % yarn In the most barc-
faced manner. There's Eli; you know
he's deacon. an can pray In meetin'
most - well ~ the minister. an
knows the Bible an the Farmers' Al.
manac through and through; then. he's
got a good head for business. too. and
can drive as sharp bargain down 20
the store as anybody; but he could
Mt give me the least idce Of what was
the matter with Clorindy. Men don't
seem 10 have any carryin' power in
their heads about sickness an such
things: although I knew Elfd heard all
the particulars from his wife. First
he said she'd got 'chills all over. an'
they couldn't get her warm nohow. an
then. the next minute. that she was
'burnin' up with fever an he contra
dicted himself twice. about sore throat
I tried 10 pin him down 20 somethin'
but 'twa'n't no use. Finally, he rot all
muddled. an commenced scratchin' his
head, an tryin' 10 make out he reck.
; oned twas the measles When Ell
commences scratchin' hia mead. YOU
may know there isn't any use talkin' tC
him any longer; so, 5 soon's I'd done
shellin' my peas, | put my hat on an
went over to Clorindy's.
There lay Clorindy on the bed
loo'sin' 50 pale and sick. just as II she
; was all tuckered out, an want never
goin' 20 get up again. Her mother sci
, at her side with a campfire bottle N
one hand an a vinegar bottle in In,
I other; which she was applyin' to Clor
l indy's nose promisc'ous. / declare. 4
E Just went to my heart to see her a
7 doin' that, an not n smell o. boneset
' tea In the house, when anybody whS
I knows the least about sickness know
{ boneset's the thing to give, no mGstel
9 what's the trouble" Here Mrs stet
Y son twitched the stocking and theI
+ looked pityingly at IL, AS though sh'
Q had Clorindy's mother before her. %
, didn't say nothin', but I'd taken th'
e precaution TO bring 4 small basket o
! medicines with me, an can tell you
! II didn't take me long TO whip out tina
: boneset an go into the kitchen an
I make a good, strong cup o tea whicl
D give to Clorindy immediate. Then
' set down and inquired what was tn
G matter"
, "Well. II does take you TO know hov
= TO do things" said Miss Elvira. admir-
c ingly.
81 do calc'late TO know somethir
about sickness" answered Mrs. Stet
= son, plaeidly. "Clorindy's mother sal,
the best she could express it was to sa.
: that Clorindy seemed to go all TO piece
the mornin' before. Those were he
y very words, all to pieces So sh'
4 Just KEEP her bed; but when IL cam
: time TO Po TO meet Jabe, as usual, sh
. tried to struggle up, an seemed awfu
disappointed when she found she wa
; so weak she couldn't stir. So sh
turned her face toward the west win
d dow, an lay there with that wistfu
y expression on her face she's had S,
! much lately. She was lyin' there jus
the same when first see her but sh,
, turned her eyes on me once when | en-
= tered with such a longin', questionin
look. | knew what IL meant; so. ,
soons | had chance, l drew he
mother into the closet, an says
d Hasn't he been here?' An she only
d shook her head and swallowed hard.
"Well, we did everything we coul,
!. for Clorindy. l don't knows we left
single stone upturned, workin' over he
all the time. We tried a-sweatin' her
: an soaiSin' her feet in mustard water
: an lots of other things; but nothin
I seemed to do any good l think sh'
D grew weaker, II anythin', an finall,
3 begged to be just let alone. So W.
, tidied her up, an fixed her as comforta
BILE as we could, propped up on pillows
SOS she could catch glimpse o. tn,
A ridge when the wind blew the branches
: apart Then her mother an me SCI
/! still, for there wa mt nothin' more to do
; 80 the time went by; but when 1
came toward sunset, we both noticed
how big her eyes were CROWN. an
, now an then tear'd run down hel
cheek. | was watchin' her pretty
close, thiuSin' any moment she NIGH
faint away. when seen her lean for
' ward little, an the mex thing
knew, Jabe had bust into the room n
wavin' n paint-brush, an calm out
oh, Clorindy! the pig .stys all finished
an the barns painted a beautiful 'red
His clothes was all covered with paint
but he went right down side o. tn,
bed, an put his arms clean round
Clorindy, an they both cried like two
! children. Then he sat an held hel
hand while he told us how he'd beer
: workin' more stiddy on 'em lately. an
l.. =. n