The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-17
OLD MIS- ABIGAIL.


kindness dropping from her hard, brown
| hands, and she sat in splnt-bottomed
rocker, in the shady old kitchen, mending
| pocketbook. The brass clasp had broken
| away and with strong black patent thread
| she was economically trying to place 1t
| again. Her old figure was straight and
alert; dusky of skin as a gypsy; black eyes,
| sharp yet shrewdy kind, and her mouth
was drawn constantly into an elongated oval
| of establishment at the '.scan'lous ways of
| men and things beyond her ken.
| Gowned always in China blue calico. ging-
| ham-apronei on week days, dimity-covered
\ on Sundays; 1.-THE of body and lean OF limb.
| she. carried jauntily her summers and win
4 tiers of seventy odd. A girl in the charming
| furbelows of a more fashionable locality
| than slumbrous old Cattle Creek came slow
| ly up the tagged and narrow path bordered
| with hollyhocks in their stately dignity of
4 ancient family descent, and overhung with
| tangles of sweet briar in rosy cascades.
AS she reached the shelter of wide.
| vine-covered porch, she tossed aside her
! lace-trimmed parasol, and depositing on a.
| table two jars she had been carrying she
| flung herself on the wide, red settee, and
| began to thank the old lady volubly for
| the elixir which had been contained in the
| jars, and which had proven a specific help
| to her mother. The leaf shadows danced
| gayly ON the floor, stray sunbeam
| cleaned through them into the open kitchen
door. while without the sun peat nouy On
| "Ole Mis- Abigail lived here alone, now
| that the strange old man had died-once her
husband-who had made every pair OF boots
| alike with the boys to hobble about In nign
| calfskin boots cobbled with his own hands
| cognomen of lust .'ole Mis- Abigail Soper,"
and finally Mis- Abigail" though svith 10y
ing esteem the name was always spoken
For years She had brewed on her hearth
stone magic potions. ointments and saves;
secret; and did a stubborn bruise refuse
| to yield to the allopaths, who dosed and
carved at will the few inhabitants of the
under the delicate treatment of the one
| homoepath with his infinitesimal grains,
then "ole Mis- Abigail" was turned to.
and in nine cases out Of ten the saw" the
"linnyment," the 'black ile,' accom-
plished cure where the colege-bred men
| had failed.
Coming out of the eclipse of the sun bon
net, pushing the steel-bowed spectacles to
the top of her sleek black head. Mis-
| Abigail prepared for long visit with the
city-bred girl. who represented to her "a
branch plucked from the burning" in the
exchange of c. for this solemn little
town.
With an appraised hand emphasizing her
words in warning shakes. still holding the
long needle in her fingers, she checked her
| visitors thanks in this wise.
"M,y-y,y child, m-y,,y-y child" in slow
darwl, don't say nothin'-not word; IL it
been that kind to my Sary that's growed up
and gone, away-always was she good to
other bottle Don't say word, ye' will.
PAY for it.? No, We won't; spiles the
ae Mother ans she bs told a9 an she
I'll tell my Sary, but only one Twin soul
must know it at a. time, and soft won't be
till the good Lord calls me that, sary,i IL
know single pint O. the perscripshuns."
In the old days of Massachusetts Gallows
morsei, with her heaiings. her heipfulness
to mankind, but withaI her mysteries.
BEN Take pre them f fhinsg yaef wtn
shake Of her wise old head. mo, I don't
take .'em. Pills. that's what I take-jest
pills."
Like her brethren in the craft, she care
fully avoided her own curatives and pinned
truthfuiness and " pound 'I packages at tRe
drug, store, rostoffice and booksellers COM
bined.
!" Had the grip wust kind, that I did.
tor?' Well, the children they cum home
hear bout Mr.. soper and now he Jest use t
| live on em? One time he had the nurology
would go out and make some boots In
that shed when twas ralnin'. Wei. he
get any docor no Sir them G ps
KEEP the children a-runnin' ID the orug
store for 'em It'll that man who kap' It It
l
his legs but it knocked that nurology.
mar wen. no; child not; does fer
some-some it doesn't. She's pretty poorly,
sna 9t be best ta S them to eeae pa h
not she couldn't stan it, an she'd jest slip
away from yee gettin' o the nurology
"soper he cured all the folks round here
in time o. cholery with jest them pills.
Soper, he'd jest step in and he'd say, viii
ye take my pills, er will we not? Some on
died Them as ito took EN- t''i got Wen every
time. Broke out first in the bakery over on
opposite the old 1a market tS
Baker died and two children. Then t skps
over to Church street. an five O them Skin
[ see the miller drive by in the mornin' well
and hearty; Died that night, burial next
round. and soper. they called on him night
| an day to help, and he worked with 'em
and he saved I've gisa e ot a Ct soper he eo
| himself when t was most over, but he
swalIered them, pills like they was green
.sThe time he got the 'numony was the
wust. First he took a cold. jest trifiin.
breathe like, and on top o. that he got the
,numony. Ny child. I tell you, ! thought
Better be eo takn ei them pills ali the time too
| reglar 'Soper.' / says kind O. 'greeable SOS
not to scare him, .yere sick, We got to c send
|
answers cross-like but if ye're bound t
| send why--sendv
"WelI, Dr. Corey, he come. When Soper
see him he whispers lookin' up as bright
81 an sassy as he could, bein' 70 low, and he
| says Doctor I don't want We to give me
| no medcine-jest want We to look at me an
tell me what We think. know what tt
take rnyself.' Doctor he examined him
| careful an listened with his ear to the
| rattlin' in Soper's throat. and he says yer
| a pretty sick man, but we must eat plenty
| o. nourishin' things and get a poultice or
your chest, and I'll send you some things
from Sklllard's you jest naturally must take.
Then he beckons to me and whispers loud
like, come out in the hail. Then he says
he seems UNI countable weak, not bein
sick long-wha.t's he been takin'? Pills.
| / answers him, ito purify his blood We'll,
says the Doctor, don't let him take no more
L or he's a dead man. He's most past say
| in anyway Then I went in. Soper, hs
whispers again. 'What'd he say?' TN tel
We mustn't take no more pills er yen be q
| dead man. Give them pills. says
Soper s. hoarse he could hardly speak, and
good land, / handed him the box an he
| Jest poured out thirty-two pills-yes, he die
and swallered 'em down like hghnin.' II
four days he out o. doors, a gettin
well. When he meets DIR. Corey he says
XIII me. will they? Dead, be I? I'm 9
better doctor than any o. you fellers now.
Coin? Well don't forget. nurology