The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-07-09
GETTING READY
DIE
BY MINNIE W. DAINEs MILLER.

by MINNIE W. DANES MILLER.
In an idle hour Mrs. Donaldson picl
ed up "a patent medicine advertise
men; ana ran her eye over its voiumi-
nous list of loading questions. go
you zee black specks floating before
your eyesy" docs your heart beat
violently after unusual exertions ?o
do you dream uf disagreeable
things Z" ETC., etc.
Certainly h did. Yes her heart
had pounded away like q Dlacksmith's
hammer only this very morning after
the exertion of telling Mr.. Donaldson
what she thought of his coming home
so !, To the night before. Disagreeable
things? Mrs. Donald on smiled Bit
terly. Hadn't she dreamed last night
that her neighbor and social rival had
bigger sleeves than hers i'm her newest
silk waist And tho night before
hadn't she fancied she came back, af-
ter being dead "a year, to find that in
CRATE, Charles Donaldson, happily
married to u mere chit OF % girl AS
for that tired feeling" nobody could
tell her anything about that. She
could give pointers on that subject to
any Dusty Rhoades Or Weary Waggles
who ever asked in vain to saw wood for
his breakfast.
off" said the advertisement, "you
are aMtcted with these symptoms, any
or all OF them, you are suffering from
u well-developed case OF - and are in
u dangerous condition."
Mrs. Donaldson's heart began knock
ing %furiously against her ,ibs at the
bare suggestion. She had feared She
was not quite we'll when she felt 50
drowsy aiIcr dinner, and u what
u yellow tinge there vas to tho whites
of her eyes, but she had hardly
thought 1t was SO bad as this. A sud-
den resolution came over her. Sho
would go down and consult DR.. Strange,
She would not attempt to administer
upon her w case with any patent
remedy. She must have the best of
medical advice, have it '.on the.spot."
DIR. Strange felt bored when he saw
her coming into the Office. He was an
enthusiast on bacteria, and was read
ing an exceedingly interesting article
on u certain form of germ culture, in
which she interrupted him. General
practice was IL nuisance of which he
intended to rid himself as soon MS he
should become famous through the
publication OF his monograph on brain
diseases u establish himself as a
great specialist. SO he heard her in
uuiSSh'iJ WIN ulo nuSef SnuC between
the leaves OF u pamphlet, while she
amplitied upon tue subject of her
symptoms, and with u fur.otf look in
his eyes, which she considered the
proper Hsculapian expression, as of
one communing with the ancient
father of his order. Az least, he
seemed to hear her, which was the
! same to all intents and purposes, So
, far as she was concerned. He felt
relieved when she got through talking,
and looking at her for The first time,
, her eyes. eyes," said he, ~ under.
t stand. Always we'll to act in time, as
. you say" Then he gave her some
: thing in a bottle with directions ON
. the label, and told her to be sure IL
shake it well before taking.
"Doctor"-she paused ut the door
$ and looked back at him. . He had
already become immersed in the germ.
culture treatise-''do you think my
condition dangerous ?"
; Why didn't the m go?'
Thought he, i~rritably, preparing t.
!. turn a leaf. MOT turning it, us he
spoke, necessarily" "But--you
! think 1T wise for me to be-prepared -
Well" greedily following a sentence
with his eyes, "it is always wise Il
have ones house setin order.n Thank
goodness She had shut the door
Now Tor peace and quiet in the perus,t
: Of his book
l. But Mrs. Donaidson's head was i'm .
whirl rs she made her way home. She
e felt ike one on the eve of long journey
with so many things to do. Strange
to say, Mrs. Donaldson's thoughts die
not dwell for any great length Of time
on necessary spiritual preparation t.
oe made. She had never givon much
attention to that phase Of preparation
either Tor life or death. She con
sidered herself quite as good rs hel
: neighbors, which was quite goo(
enough, according to her way o
thinking. She did not know what the
doctor had meant by Setting oLe's
house in ORDER" but she knew what
F, literally. Three stories and an attic
Mrs. Donaldson had never been one o
those ambitious souls spoken of us q
: good house-keeper," who is known
by the way she keeps her brooms
, and her unseen rooms :" no one could
tell her by tho way she kept her Gel
= lar" She was not what She called
; "nasty-nice." She relied much upol
| hired help. She liked her easy chail
better thar her knees and IL scrubbinu
brush.
b did the orthodox "house-clean.
, Ing " twice IL yearly proxy. They
,lved very comfortably, but no one
knew better than Mrs. Donaldson that
the attic wus u catcn-basin for all the
) iiotsam and jetsam of house hold
wreckage that the cellar, very likely,
was the cold-storage place Of the de.
caylng vegetables left from the Win.
ter's supply that moth and rust we, @
NJ work on the useless "plunder" w.