New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-11
MRS. HOLLANDS NURSES.
THE WAYS AND MEANS OF THEIR GENTLE
ILLUSTRATIONS.

the early part of the winter. This accident at
the moment that it occurred was not so pleasant TO
her. but it furnished most fruitful subject OF
conversation, and enabled her to exercise her de
scriptve powers upon every one that cailei
thereafter And everybody called. There was
not woman within walking distance who would
not have felt wicked in rcfraining from visiting
poor old Mrs. Holland who had got place on
her side as big platter that was burnt as raw
as piece OF beefstcnk' Here, as well as else
where. beefsteak is the received symbol of raw
ness. although, a fault-'inding nclGhoor re-
marked she didn't know as it was any rawer
n raw picl'rcl" At any rate, Mrs. Holland
was burned by hitting against redhot stove
on her way to the floor, As she was poor anu
had no one to care for her, all the feminine
inhabitants within certain radius agreed 10
takc.turns" in staying twenty-four hours In that
little house on the lonely road that led to farn-
ham. This was felt by the participants to DE
extremely kind. and Mrs. Holland vas expected
TO show great deal of gratitude. Perhaps the
kindness may be thought to have had It's draw
backs when it is considered that each woman
who came 10 do her share Of "tendn' to Ola
Mrs. Holland had her own special theory as 10
how n burn ought 10 be treated, ana proceeuea
forthwith to put her theory into practice.
At first Mrs. Holland was greatly Upheld ana
sustained by this interest and by the necessity
she was under to tell every newcomer low snc
was Jest gOn to put the Dim wafer ii'o inv
teapot though il Want fresh tea only the leaves
that had their first stecpin' the day before. bu'
for her part she liked the second steepn frli
as we'll She'd Jest got her hand on the TEA
kettle m was thinkin she wondered where the
holder was, m sayin' 10 herself it never was
round when twas wanted, When all to once
'thout havin' time ter scream nor no'hlh'
though wouldn't have ben Of n" mortal use 10
scream, for there want soul "ltmh III" VI
her : size knew of. all 20 once she felt kind OF
queer. N kind of snkn right in the pit OF her
stummicb. m she knew s wells if she'd ben
told that she was so:n' to have one Of her fain'i
fed spells. But She couldn't git to the lounge II
it had ben TO save her life. ny she couldn't see'
m she couldn't sense notbin, m she knew the
teapot ID go all TO srna,; m then she dIdnt Khc"
nothin' at all. ~ when she came 70 she was
LAWN ON tbe floor. IN her face was all over to
tea grounds. and she didn't know what was the
matter of her hip.
She lay there till she heard bells comm long
the road from Farnham. m she knew twas the
boIier's day m she managed somehow to crawl
IA the door. bnt she never knew how she done IT,
m She cs scrcechcd: N the baker he heard her'
m She told him she was scalded TO death n he
drove over 10 Mis- Randal'S N fetched her rlgh'
back. N Mis- Randall she put on great slices Oh
hard soap n bound um on Mis- Randall salo
there want anything 10 he compared TO haru
soap for n wownd made from burn.
Mrs Holland always drew a long, shudderlng
breath at the end of this recital She enjoyed
telling the story with an intensity that seemed 10
increase with the telling. When in the full tIde
Of narration she almost forgot the ache ana 'he
smart Of what she proudly called her "wownd.
There was something sustaining 10 her IN the
knowledge that she was the only person III the
vicinity who had ever fallen on stove ana re-
crivcd lust thiS KIND OF an injury. she was
sort of pioneer in this variety Of accident she
used to remark with proud satisfaction that when
Jeremiah Marcy's second wife got burned WIN
that karosine lamp, it want much OF purn
and never affected her hip at all. And fldeha
Guilds Dnrn was on her arm
II WAS i fortunate thng that there was mys-
ferrous satisfaction. n certain distinction IN ne
ing burned on In" hip. Mrs. Holland lay on the
bed which had been hastily put up in the
Kitchen She watched all the operations OF COOK
inc and sweeping that were carried on there. she
EAGERLY counted the tumblers Of jelly ana the
" floating Islands that began 10 come IN aDou'
,bc third day after the acct 'ent. FloathS
island" is the most popular dish IN ms part OF
the country to send TO a person who IS Ill ~
i, even more approved than "bumon@e' though
the latter is in good reputc among the more sceh-
tiGc rs a food which can build up the TISSUES
The BaptiSl minister's wife thinks good deal
about the tissues and sne sent several MOUNDS OF
blame mango. But this food was Favored with
vanilla. which Mrs Holland declared always
went right to her Stummlck
one might perhaps have thought the stomach
WAS the propcrc>t part of the human frame 10
receive a flavor Of vanilla. but evidently Nancy
Holland did not think 50. 40 the bumohGe was
eaten by the woman who happened 10 he III
charge AZ the time it arrived
The volunteer nurse who followed Mrs. Randall
was deeply shocked that hard soap had been APP
plicd but she was hhcralmndcd enough TO say
that she s'poscd Mis- Randall had acted up 10
her lights still
She informed Ms Holland that She conld not
con,cientiously stay with her, even day ana
NIGHT, knowing all the time that that mp was
,,ore No In SOAP. i bread and milk ponltice was
the only thing she was surprised that there was
per,on in the world who didn't know that.
Mrs. Holland eroancd. Ms. Marsh said II was
mo wonder She .roancd, with So much soap on to
her as She must have.
The brcadandmlik poultcc was applied. Mrs
Marsh told Mrs Holland that, while it was a
soothin' Of her, she Mrs Marsh would wash
the winlcrs; for, in case there had 10 he a tun
,ril, she for one, couldn't abide dirty winder>.
She'd ruther see dust in the cracks behind the
Doors"
Mrs. Holland groancd again. She asked her
nurse whose funcril SIZE was thinkin Of
~ Mrs Marsh was already vigorously applying
soar suds to the small windows of the kitchen
She answered rs she wrunc out her cloth That
there want no tcllln' what II happen when soap
had ben put on to a raw burn. She'd known
things to strike to person, inwards on far less
proyocation \ persons inwards was delicate
things when anything struck into them
Mrs Marsh was very tall and very large; she
was extremely darI; Completed" and had mus
tache She was so large that it almost seemed
.. 10 .Lo ,,,ouId naturally knOW what application