Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-09-24
4 MUSTARD PLASTER MISPLACED

town taverns, said the Washing
ton Post. An Old gentleman and his
wife arrived from a western city and
took up quarters on the third floor.
The husband was an invalid, having
suffered from stomach troubles for
many years. He came to this city to
press his claims for the Office of post
master in his city, and brought his
wife along for the purpose of taking
care of him. The first night the cou-
pie were in the hotel, the old gentle
man was siezed suddenly about mid
night with violent cramps.
1t was an old affliction with him,
and, knowing that her husband was
likely to be SO afflicted at any minute,
the wife had come prepared for an
emergency, having quantity of pow
dered mustard and cloths in her satch-
ell. Very hot mustard plasters, it
seemed, were the only thing that af-
forded the sufferer any relief in such
attacks. Accordingly, when her hus-
band uttered his first groan the good
wife sprang out of bed, slipped on a
wrapper, and dived into the depths
of the gripsack after the mustard. She
produced a small tin box filled with
the harmless looking yellow powder,
and a roll of soft strips of muslin,
then glided softly out of the room,
remarking to her husband, who lay in
the bed bent up like a jacknife, "pll
have your plaster ready in a moment,
dear"
Noiselessly she hurried along the
corridor until she reached the toilet
room, where, by means of a flow of
hot water, she prepared a plaster
about the size of a dinner plate. When
everything was ready she clasped the
plaster tightly in her hands to prevent
it's cooling before she reached her
husbands side, and hurried back TO
the room.
The gas in the room had been turn
ed down, but there was light enough
for the faithful wife to see what she
was doing. She approached the side
of the bed very gently, and with all
the tenderness of her nature applied
the plaster to the pain-racked abdo-
men of the man. Then she crossed
to the other side of the bed and, lying
down, carefully awaited results.
"Do you feel easier, dear?" she in
CURED sweetly, after a few minutes.
No answer.
"Don't you feel better, pet?" she
asked again, as she turned over to
gently caress her husband.
"Ugh!" was the reply, as the male |
form turned and stretched. Then
there was yell and scramble such as
never before or since disturbed the |
peaceful quiet of that hotel. The wo-
man had made the astonishing dis |
covery that the man to whom she |
had applied the mustard plaster was
not her husband, but instead was to-
tai stranger. She had entered the |
wrong room.
Bounding out like frightened an
telope, she rushed into the adjoining
room wringing her hands and half
dead with fear and excitement. Her
sick husband, who by this time had
grown easier, was sitting upright in |
bed, and as his wife entered the room
and sank exhausted on the floor, he |
said:
"What on earth is the matter, Mar !
tina? Has anybody hurt you? Speak, |
quick, woman!"
90, 10, 1 got into the wrong |
room!" moaned the wife, vainly en-
deavoring to calm herself. She then |
explained fully what had happened,
and when she had completed the story |
of her embarrassing mistake, the hus-
band inquired:
"Wen, where is the mustard plas
ter?''
Ell left it on the mans stomach"
sobbed the poor woman, again burst
ing into tears.
Before the astonished husband had |
time to realize what his wife had said
there came a sound from the next
room: "Clerk! landlord! bellboy!
help! Oh, my!"
The gentleman in the ABIDING room
had discovered the mustard plaster.
He was a commercial traveller, and as
it afterwards developed, had been la
boring under a heavy flag" when he
retired that night. He had left his
gas burning dimly and had forgotten
to bolt the door. The drummer rep
resented a wholesale whiskey house,
and had been sampling his samples
very freely. He afterwards said that
when he awoke and felt that terrible
burning he Thought be chad lem y