The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-01-31

From foreign shore
He had a bottle of rum under his
arm. and the brethren and sisters hur-
ried home, feeling that the end of all
things couldn't be far away. When it
got out, though, that the dominic was
simply suffering from the third stage of
the kicking fever, they excused him and
rejoiced. But the dominic always de-
clared that he never hadSuch pleasing
antidote for pain. Then it began to be
noticed that this last peculiar stage Of
the ailment seemed to have no regular
period of existence, and il is noted as
fact that the afflicted district wasn't
entirely able to be out and around as
usual until the tavern keeper gave
notice that there wasn't drop of any
thing left that the last stage of the
kicking fever called for.
During the time the fever lasted
three leading citizens of the Sinnema-
hone were carried off in their bloom by
it, not one of whom even had the con-
ISOLATION of enjoying the treatment for
the last stage. First, there was Abiram
Hinlxle. When the kicking fever first
struck the district, the doctor said that
the harder the victims had to kick the
better it would be for them, for If they
couldn't kick hard it would strike in
ard that would be the end of EN-. The
kicking always came in the right leg.
Now Abiram Hinkle didn't have any
right leg, it having been taken off clean
in the saw mill. When the attack seized
him he couldn't kick. 1t struck in and
away he went.
''Next was Simon Shelly. Simon
swore by Elijah Pink, the horse doctor.
who could cure anything, according to
Simon's belief. Elijah hadIcured kick
ing horse for Simon one time by riggin 6
him to some sort of contrivance
that threw him every time the horse
kicked. Simon made up his mind that
he was just as apt TO have the kicking
fever as his neighbors were, SO he sent
forElijah to royide against it. He had
Elijah fit him with a rigging some
| thing like the one that cured the kick
| ing horse. The very next day the all.
ment seized him. Simon was standing
by window in his house. He gave one
tremendous kick. The rigging worked
| II threw Simon. 1t threw him out of ths
window and head first into a barrel o.
rain water that stood beneath it. They
| didn't discover Simon in time, and tina
made two fellow citizens the epidemi'
carried away.
"Its third victim was Erastus Sleeper
/ Erastus went out to milk his COW on
evening, and Just as he began the kick
| ing fever took hold OF him. Heshot on
a kick. It hit the cow in the shin. TIL
| disease was so very contagious that jus
that one kick gave it TO the COW. Tn
| cow kicked Her kick landed in Erastus
stomach. and knocked the wind out o
him so far they couldn't get it back
| Erastus' widow married JEFF Roner, tn
sheep-pelt buyer.
well. this brings me round to m
own deep disappointment. Jephenia
Bifkins had been paying more after
ton to Deacon Peeler's daughter Mar
ey than seemed to me safe, and when
came back home that time I made u
my mind I'd settle the matter RICH
then and there and know whether Mar
cy was destined to be Biffkins or
Pettibone. I went straight to the des
cons that very evening, before / ha
been home half an hour. This was jus
st the time the kicking fever was gei
ting in its best ticks, but didn't knov
a thing about it. Nancy was home, an
I hadn't been there long before she ha
promised that her name should
Pettibone. was happy, tell you, an
just before l got ready to go Deaco
Peeler himself came in. We had yer
cheering talk for a minute or two, and
, started to go. Just as | opened the doc
] felt tremendous shock, and at th
same time I rose in the air more tina
three feet. When landed l was s;anc
ing out in the yard. Before had com
entirely to felt the shock again Agai
!, was lifted and swept several fec
further out in the yard. Then locke
back. Nancy's father was just benin
me with a.queer look on his face. 81
right foot rose up and shot out, and th
shock came a third time. Deacon Peele
was as strong as an OK, and his foo
! was shod with q No. 10 cowhide4 boo
This time the shock lifted me over II
gate and set me down in the road. Nal
: cy had come running from the hous
and she cried out:
FEATHER amt kicking you. Praxy
It's only the fever that's workin' Q
himl He ain't kicking you'll
: We'll! If he wasn't kicking me
= didn't know what they called kickin
; along the Sinnemahoue, and | think
made remark TO that effect as l hu
ried home in sorrow and went TO be
:, Next day l heard about the kickir
= fever for the. first, and then | knc
!. what Nancy had meant when she d
: clared that her father wasn't kicl<ir
me. l went right back with hea
: lighter than feather, but Nancy MAJ
: it heavy as lead in less than half mi
= ute.
= 'Praxiteles Pettibone!" she sal
= you went and ran away from faith
: last night when he was sick and SUITE
= ing! You're too heartless for mel
!. THAT ended it all between Nam
n Peeler and me. The kicking fever h;
q done it-although, as | remember
n now, / saw Deacon Peeler out in
IT garden hoeing potatoes that mornin