Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-10-29

Wncn Ell says: 100 bad bout ClOr1n-
dy.' Il forgot to tell you, Elviry, that
hadn't seen her on the ridge the night
before, although Jabe waited for her
some time; an I'd been kind o. worry
in ever sence.) So when he said that.
of course was all alive to know what
was the matter Well, men are Gurus
bein's'," and Mrs Stetson laid down
her knitting while she looked absently
at the old buff cat, who had crept back
on the porch, and was now playing
with her ball of yarn in the most bare
faced manner. There's Eli; you know
he's deacon, an can pray in meetin'
most as well as the minister, an
knows the Bible an the Farmers Al
manac through and through; then. he's
got good head for business. too, and
can drive as sharp q bargain down to
the store as anybody; but he could
MT give me the least idee of what was
the matter with Clorindy. Men don't
seem to have any carryin' power in
their heads about sickness an such
things; although I knew Eli'd 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
l tried to pin him down to somethin',
but 'twa'n't no use. Finally. he got all
an commenced scratchin' his
head, an tryin' to make out he recl-
oned twas the measles When Eli
scratchin' his head, you
may know there isn't any use tall1in' to
h
shellin' my peas, I put my hat on an
went over to Clorindy's.
''Elviry Woodhouse, Pm never one
to cry much, as You know, but if you
could have seen Clorindy, I believe
you'd have done the same as did-had
a good cry And Mrs. Stetson en-
phasized her remark by removing her
glasses and weeping quietly. in which
act she was followed by Miss Wood
house, whose emotions were easily
swayed.
''There lay Clorindy on the oed.
loolxin' SO pale and sick. just as If she
was all tuckered out, an want never
goin' to get up again. Her mother set
at her side with campfire bottle in
one hand an vinegar bottle in the
other; which she was applyin' to Clor-
indy's nose promisc'ous 1 declare, it
just went to my heart to see her a.
doin' that, an not a smell O. bOneset
tea in the house, when anybody who
knows the least about sickness knows
boneset's the thing to give. no matter
what's the trouble" Here. Mrs Stet-
son twitched the stocking and then
looked pityingly at it. as though she
mad Clorindy's mother before her. Il
didn't say nOthin', but I'd taken the
precaution to bring a small basket OF
medicines with ME, an can tell you.
it didn't take me long to whip out that
bonese6 an go into the kitchen an
make a good, strongscup O tea which
give to Clorindy Immediate. Then ]
set down and inquired what was the
matter"
well, it does take you to know how
to do things" said Miss Elvira, admir-.
ingly.
81 do calc'late to know somethin;
about Sickness" answered Mrs. Stet-
son, placidly. ''Clorindy's mother said
the best she could express it was to say
that Clorindy seemed to go all to pieces
the mornin' before. Those were her
very words, all to pieces So she
just KEEP her bed; but when it came
time to 20 to meet Jabe. as usual, she
tried to struggle up, an seemed awful
when she found she was
so weak she couldn't stir. So she
turned her face toward the west win
dow, an lay there with that wistfu1
expression on her face she's had so
much lately. She was lynn there just
the same when 1 first see her but she
turned her eyes on me once when l en-
tered with such longin', questionin'
look. I knew what it meant; so. 8
soon's 1 had chance, I drew her
mother into the closet, an says:
Hasn't he been here?' An she only
shook her head and swallowed hard.
"Well, we did everything we could
for Clorindy. I don't knows we left a
single stone upturned, workin' over her
all the time. We tried a-sweatin' her,
an soaxin' her feet in mustard water,
an lots of other things; but nothin'
seemed to do any good. 1 think she
grew weaker. if anythin', an finally
begged to be just let alone. So we
tidied her up. an fixed her as comforta-
bic as we could, propped up on pillows.
SOS she could catch a glimpse O the
ridge when the wind blew the branches
apart Then her mother an me set
still, for there want nothin' more to do.
$50 the time went by; but when it
came toward sunset, we both noticed
bow big her eyes were CROWN, an
now an then tear'd run down her
cheek. / was watchin' her pretty
close, thiukin' any moment she might
faint away. when 1 seen her lean for
ward a little, an the mex thing I
knew, Jabe had bust into the room a.
wavin' a paint-brush, an calm out;
oh. Clorindy! the pig -sty's all finished,
an the barns painted a beautiful red. ,
His clothes was all covered with paint,
but he went right down side o the
bed, an put his arms clean round
Clorindy, an they both cried like two
children. Then he sat an held her
hand while he told us how he'd been
workin' more stiddy on 'em lately, an
that when he heard Clorindy was sick,
he made up his mind he wouldn't look
her in the face till they was both fin
ished, an the other jobs about the
place. An he'd only finished the barn
just that minute. Then he says:
'Clorindy, when IL you marry me?'
An she says: Tomorrow, Jabe.' Then
he kissed her an went away.
s'Her mother an me never sus-
picioned she'd be able to even get up