The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1895-01-17

his pay in Mountain Dew You may
whistle for money of any color" this
last being q thrust at the already de-
clared temperance proclivities of his
guest.
But" urged the man in self.de.
| fense, 'the ould docther's that drunk
he'll not be after stirring the night ;
and it's good silver Ill pay ye, and
bring yo back meself in the morn
ing"
DR.. Nelson looked doubtfully at his
wife. Could he possibly leave her
| alone all night in a country tavern, of
which he knew nothing? She would
| not meet his gaze with her eyes full
OF fast gathering tears. Had she not,
by Stiffness and cowardice, interfered
with his previous career? At least
she felt very guilty over her secret
rejoicing whenever the night passed
| without summons to some bedside !;
but in assuming a matron's bonnet
she really meant TO turn over new
leaf and bravely act her part as the
doctors wife in their new home. Be-
sides, in novel surroundings women
are often more venturesome than men
so she said, cnconragingly: at may
be the tide Mt its flood, dear"
The night was dark and threaten
ing, and the rough bride paths over
the mountain seemed nearly over
grown in places, Judging from the
boughs that at times almost swept the
doctor off his horse. Gusts of wind
blew the coming rain in his face but
his taciturn companion still stalke1
clumsily along, leading the horse,
which gave evident signs of disap-
proval. After tedious climb of an
hour or more a faint glimmer through
some opening announced their arrival
Mt a human habitation, even before
furious barking of dogs greeted the
unacoustomed footballs of the horse.
Dismounting. the half-anxious doc
tor followed tho lrishman into the
Lighted cabin, whose ono room seemed
entirely empty. But there was an in.
mate--.a woman clad in faded calico,
who, with her face hidden in limp
sunbonnot, sat rocking her thin, spare
body backward and forward before
the big fireplace, where pine knots
gave forth glaring light and
warmth that was pleasantly apparent
after the crisp night air.
1t needed but a glance at the fixed,
strained muscles of the sallow face to
convince the doctor that lockjaw was
the cause of the silent tongue, which
had impressed the husband as some
thing dreadful and altogether un-
canny, to the exclusion of any special
concern about badly hurt and very
painful ankle, whfh had been en-
tirely neglected.
But a few days before, the doctor
had chanced to read in torn scrap of
Newspaper thai .cblsr, TOXIN was III in
valuable renreay for lockIaw, Sir
james Simpsons experiments with
chloroform having recently called the
attention of the whole world to its
and development as al
aesthetic. Fortunately, he had
small wal in the leather saddle-pock-
cts which were tho inseparable COM
panions of doctor in the days when
druggists were found i'll large towns
only, and patent medicines were not
among the stock in trade OF every
crossroads store.
A moment suiliced for him to un-
stop the vial and saturate his own
handkerchief, the appearance of the
cabin hardly warranting the forth
coming of such II luxury. The look
Of relief on the woman's face was sec
opd only to that which overspread her
husbands countenance, rs soon after
ward she found her tongue sufficiently |
TO berate him soundly for having |
brought her that "spalpeen of doc
tor, instead of their old friend and |
fellow-toper.
After settling his patti ent in the one |
bed of which the cabin boosted, the |
doctor slept off his fatigue, as best he
could, by dozinS and dreaming in u
straight backed. hard bottomed chair. |
Under the circumst lnces, breakfast
seemed so doubtful quantity that,
with the early dawn, he wended his
way back down the mountain, accom-
panied to the edge of civilization by |
the presumably grateful husband who,
in parting, gingerly counted out two
quarters and gruiiiy said "Good-by,"
with no word of thanks or praise.
The young man pocketed the first
fee and grlmly vowing to keep it for
luck, returned to the tavern thor
oughly disheartened at the prospect |
of similar night journeys and their i'll
proportional recompense. II was n
bad beginning. but hearty breakfast
and a sympathetic wife caused him to |
decide that one must not quarrel with |
ones bread, even though It be unbut-
tered. During the day, call from
miner further confirmed him
in the resolve TO waive his preiudices
for the time being, and after that he
really had no time to think any more
about them.
Somebody. either the taciturn hus-
band or the shrewish wife, told won
drous tales of tho "spalpeen" doctor,