The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-01-31
KICKING In SINNEMAHONE. F.:
NOTHING LIKE THAT FEVER EITHER
BEFORE Or sIHcE.
If any of you on this side

If any Of you on this side
the mountain remember the
ailment that visited US folks on
the other side when | was young
man?" said the man from over Slime
way. "A strange ailment 1t
was indeed. Sort of an uncomfortable
of the muscular tissues
of the leg, the doctors called it, but II
was known as the kicking fever of the
Sinnemahone. I wonder il any of you
remember it?"
Maturity, it amt likely that any
body Does" said the man in the red,
blue, green, pink, yellow and purple
Mackinaw jacket, "but any fever that
ever got mixed up with folks on the
Sinnemahone an didn't kick must
been of setch mild an forgivin' dis
position as TO make it shame to feed
quinine to it,"
Thanks, Mackinaw," said the man
from over Sinnemahoning way. Your
gentle humor goes far toward dissipat-
ing a certain sadness and tendency to
abstraction and a fit of the blues that
always assail me when / think Of that
kicking fever of the Sinnemahone, and
I thank you! When I see the fertile
acres Of the Jepheniah Biffkins estate
spreading along the Sinnemahoning's
classic bottom and think how they
would now all be mine but for that
kicking fever ! am prone TO sadness.
But you've knocked 'em silly this time,
Mackinaw.
eyes. yes. Those rich Jephenizh
Biffkins acres would now be mine but
for that kicking fever that came to the
Sinnemahone country. These acres
then belonged to Deacon Judd Peeler.
and the deacon's daughter Nancy had
promised to be my wife, and Nancy was
heir to all the wide Peeler estate. So
when I think-but let that pass. 1t is
all over now.
wherever that most singular all
ment could have come from no one ever
knew, but ii certainly cut wide swath
along the Sinnemahone. was off down
the river when it began its attack, and
consequently l didn't know anything
about it until got back home a couple
of weeks later. The first person il struck
was Uncle Billy Tope. Uncle Billy was
a mild and -easy-going citizen that nc
one would have thought had any life
in him at all, ard he was strict tee.
totaler. Consequently you may imagine
the establishment of Squire Bunker
who owned the sawmill where Uncle
| Billy worked. to see the old man com
ing up the road one day, giving tire
| men6ous kick every two or three steps
he took. sometices to the right ard some
times 10 the left, as if he might hav,
started out to kick all creation into th'
middle of next week. Squire Bunker
was scared. and he edged off TO one sid,
of the road as Uncle Billy came along
kicking and scuffing and looking al
wild as an Indian. The squire venturet
10 say as the old man was cavorting by
whats up, William
"Uncle Billy only shook his head, an,
| giving a kick that didn't miss tn
squire's jaw by more than half an inch
went on his way toward home, kicking
as he went.
'Astoundingl' exclaimed the squire
I never thought I'd live long enougl
10 sec Uncle Billy Tope turn out to be
drinker!'
Then the squire started for hons
He hadn't gone hundred yards befor
he began to feel a little muIish himseli
and the first thing he knew he wa
kicking away as uDreasonably as Uncl
Billy. He couldn't stop it any NOR
than he could have stopped his mill rae
with three-ineh plug. The SOUR
didn't have for TO go, and before h
could reach out and open his door h
had kicked it open with bang, and hi
wife came running out of the kitchen
see what was the matter.
"'Clear the way, motheri' the spur
hollered. Give me rooml Don't get
my way or I'll make a widower of M
self at one swoop!
"The equire's wife, scared almost
death, locked herself up in closet, an
the squire kicked his way out of ii
back door and brought up in the gardel
where he yelled for some one to CON
and tie him down, or else turn him I'M
ten-acre lot where he could have roor
And that's the way that most una
countable kicking fever started alor
the Sinnemahope. In less than wee
it had taken whack at almost ever
man, woman and child in that bail
wick. The kicking was only the pr
monitory symptom OF the fever. Aft
tie victim had kicked high and kickt
low. and TO the windward and to IL
leeward, for half an hour or so. the
would pass away, but it would con
back again after awhile. The kickir
stage of the epidemic lasted two day
and then the second stage came o
This was a scorching fever. Sam Bet
when he got over his attack. declare
that his fever was so hot that his wi
/ had to keep the sheets wet to preve'
their catching fire, but Sam wasn't
native of the Sinnemahoning countr
He was from this side Of the mounta
somewhere. and folks didn't belle
him. The fever lasted day. and lie
behind it a consuming longing 4
something to drink-not water n
coffee nor tea nor milk. but rum, ry
apple juice, anything that had too
and edge to it. This strange sympto
J of the malady was discovered in Stal