The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1893-10-04

feelings. And the upshot Of il washe
said he'd come, and they shook hands on
it-Abe givin' his other hand of course.
Well, Abe kept his word and took up
schoolin' as if nothing had happened,
and schoolin' as there was that winter
don't believe any regular academy had
more lesrnin' and teaching that winter
than what that district school had. Seem
ed as if all the scholars had turned over
a now leaf. Even wild, ornery, no ae-
count Ephe Dodge, couldn't help but get
ahead some-but then he was crazy to
get the schoolma'an, and she never paid
no attention to him, just went with Abe.
Abe was teaching her mathematics, see
ing that was the one thing where he
knowed more than she did-outside of
farmin'. Folks used to say that if Ephe
had Abe's head or Abe had Ephe's face,
the schoolma'am would have halfof the
Dodge farm whenever old man Dodge
got through with it, but neither ofthem
did have what the other had, and 50
there it was you see.
Well, you've heard Of Squire Cation of
course. Judge Cation they call him since
he got to be judge of the supreme court
and chief justice at that. Well, he had a
farm down there lot far from Fox river,
and when he was there be was Just q
plain farmer Ike the rest of Us though
up in Chicago be was high up lawyer,
leader of the bar. Now itso happened
that young doctor named Brainard,
Daniel Brainard, had just come to Chica-
go and startin' in, and Squire Cation was
helpin' him gave him desk room in mis-
office and made him known TO folks
Kenzies and Bulterfields and 0gdens and
Hamiltons and Arnolds and all those
folks-about all there was in Chicago in
those days. Brainard had heen to Paris
Paris, France, not Paris, H., you IN
derstand-and knew all the doctorin'
there was 70 know then.
Well, come spring, Squire Caton had
Dos Brainard down to visit him, and
they shot ducks and geese ana prairie
chickens, and some Wild turkeys and
deer Game was just swarmin' at that
time. All the while Cation was doin'
what law business there was TO do, and
BTainard thought he ought 70 be doin'
some doctorin' 70 keep his hand in, SO he
asked Cation ifithere wasn't any cases
he could take up-sargery cases especial
ly he hankered after, seein' he had more
carving tools than you could shake
stick at. He asked him particularly if
there wasn't anybody he could treat for
"strabismus" The squire hadn't heard
of any body dying OF that complaint, but
when the doctor explained that stTabis-
mus was French for erOsseyes he natural
ly thoughtof poor Aos Dodge, aud the
young lawyer was night up on his ear.
de sneiled the batde afar OFF, and most
before you could ssy Jack Robinson the
squire and the doctor were on horseback
and down to the Dodge farm, too, chest
and ALL
Well, $50 happened that nobody was
at home but Abe and Ephe, and it didn't
take but few words before Abe was ready
to TO set right down, then and there, aud
let anybody do anything he was mind
TO with his misfortunate eyes. No, he
wouldn't wait till the old folks come
home He didn't want to ask no advice
He wasn't afraid Of pain nor of what any
body could do 10 his eyes-could not be
made any worse than they were, what
ever you did to 'em. Take 'em out and
boil EN- and put 'em back if you had
mind to, only 90 to work. lie knew he
was Of age and he guessed he wSs master
of his own eyes-such as they were.
There wasn't nothing else TO do
but 20 ahead The doctor opened up his
killing tools and tried to keep Abe from
seeing them, but Abe. just come right
over and peeked at EN-, handled 'em and
called EN- splendid" and SO they we're,
barrin' having them used on your
own flesh and blood and bones.
Then they go. some cloths and basin
and one thing another and set Abe n -ht
down in a chair. No such thing as
ehloroform in those days, you'll remem-
berl And Squire CAton was to hold an
instrument that spread the eyelid wide
open, while Ephe was to hold Abe's
head steady. First touch Of the lancet
and first squirt of blood, and what DO
you think? That ornery Ephe wilted
and fell fiat on the floor behind the
ehairl
esquire" said Barnard, "step around
and hold his head
Il can hold my own head" says Abe
as steady as you please. But Squire
Cation he straddled over E pine and held
his head between his arms and the two
handles of the eye-spreader with his
hands.
Ii was all over in half minute, and
then Abe leaned forward and shook the
blood off his eyelashes and looked
straight out ofthst eye for the first time
since he was born. And the first words
he said, were:
Thank the Lord She's mine p'
About that time Ephe be crawled out
doors; sick as dog, and Abe spoke up.
SIys he:
"Now for the other eye, doctor"
"Oh," says the doctor, wed better
take another day for that.
"AIl right" says Abe. IF your hands
are tired of cuttin' you can make another
job of it. My face amt tired of bein' cut
can tell you"
"Well, if your game, l am."
50, if you'll believe me, they just set to
work and operated on the other eye,
Abe holding his own head as he said be
would and the Squire holding the spread
er. And when it was all done the doctor
was for putting a bandage on to keep
things quiet till the wound all healed up,
but Abe just begged for one sight at him
self, and he stood up and walked over to
the clock and looked in the glass and
says he:
$50 that's the way ] look, is it?
Shouldn't have known my own face
never saw it before. How long must |
keep the bandage on doctor ?"