St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-02-28
How to Cure a Cold.

The first time that began to sDe.za,
friend told me to 60 and battle my feet IN
hot water, and goto bed. l did SO Shortly
after friend told me to get up and take
q cold shower bath. | did that alro.
Within the hour another friend told he it
was policy to feed a cold and starve few
er. l had both so l thought it best to
fill up for the cold, and let the fever stsrve
q while in case of this kind seldom do
things by halves | ate pretty heartily.
conferred my custom upon stranger who
lad Just opened q restaurant on Cortlandt
street, near the hotel, that morning, pay
ing him for full meal. He waited near
me in respectful silence until had finished
feeding my cold, when he inquired wheth-
er people about New York Were much af-
hicted with colds told him | thought
they were. He then went out and took in
his sign l started up towards the office,
and on the walk encountered another bos-
ON friend, who told me that quart of
warm salt water would come as near curing
a cold as anything in the world. |
hardly thought had room for it, but |
tried it anyhow The result was sur9ris-
ing. | believe threw up my immortal
soul. Now, as give my experience only
for the benefit Of those OF your friends
who are troubled with this distemper,
feel that they will see the propriety of my
cautioning them against following such
portions of it as proved inefficient With
me and acting upon this conviction l
warn them against warm salt water. II
may be a good enough remedy, but l
think it rather too severe. Ii Dao an
other cold in the head, and there was no
/ course left me-to take either an earth
quake or quart of warm salt water,
would take my chances on the earthquake.
After this everybody in the hotel became
interested and took all sorts of rene
dies-hot lemonade, cold lemonade, pep
per-tea, boneset. stewed Quaker, boar
hound syrup, onions ana loaf sugar,
lemons ana brown sugar, vinegar ana
laudaEum, FIVE bottles of fir bIlsam, ejgat
bottles of Uncle Sans remedy, but ali
without effect. One of the prescriptions
given by an old lady was--well it was
dreadful. She mixed decoctlon Gem
posed of molasses, cAtnip, peppermint,
squafortis, turpentine, kerosene, and W.
rious other drugs, and instructed me TO
take a wineglassful of it every fifteen
minutes. never took but one dose that
was enough. had to take my bed, and
| felt q little better, more things were
recommended. was desperate. and will
ing to take anything. PLAIN gin was
recommended aud then gin and molassas
then gin and en- ons. | took all three, l
detected no particular result, however
except that had acquired breath like q
turkey buzzard, and had to change my
boarding place l had never refused a
remedy yet, and it seemed poor policy to
commence then; therefore l was deter
to take sheet-bath, though had no ide q
what sort of an arrangement it was. 1t
was administered at mid night, and the
weather was very frosty. MY back and
breast were stripped and sheet here
appeared to be thousand yards of i1)
| oaked IN ice water was wound around
me until resembfed swarb for a co'um
bad, 1t Is q cruel experiment. When
the chilly rag touches ones warm flesh it
makes him start with a sudden Violence,
and gasp for breath, just as n en- do in the
death-agony. 1t f,oze the marrow in nv
bones, and stopped tie beating of my
heart | thought my time had come
| When l recovered from this, friend
ordered the application of mustard plss.
ter to my breast. I believe that would
have cured me effectuslly, if it had not
been for young Clemens. When | went
to bed, Tut the mustard plaster where
could reach it when should be ready fo1
| it. But young Clemens got hungry II
the night and ate i; up. never saw any
child have such an appetite. l am cont
Dent that he would have eaten me if hae
cen healthy.