The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-04
A VERY NATURAL MISTAKE.
A New England village story.
A New England Village Story,

tie; it was one that had held an acid
preparation for removing fruit stains. AL
most any other woman would have thrown
it on the ash pile as soon as il was emp
tied, but to Miss Deborah the natural
thing was to clean it and store it away
on shelf in her woodshed cupboard with
an army of other bottles, large and small.
No article ever seemed to Miss Mark
ham to have outlived its usefulness. there
was always a possibility that lit might
come in ohandy sometime" and 1t was
treasured for the expected need. The ell
of the great white house on the main
street of East Elmore which had come
into die possession Of Miss Deborah at the
death of her father more than twenty
years ago, was a veritable junk shop, but
il differed in one essential from ordinary
repositories of worn out and worthless
| odds and ends Miss Deborah's storerooms
were scrupuiousy clean and well ordered
they furnished no retreat for moths or
| cobwebs, and the floors and windows COM
pared favorably with any kitchen in the
village in their freedom from dust.
People might by turns feel amused and
exasperated by Miss Deborah's exaggerat-
ed love of economy, but their comments
upon her always ended with, After all,
she's dreadful good-hearted, there's no.
body in the whole town more ready TO
| If she takes any comfort in being so saw
ing, that's her own affair; she can afford
TO De over particular" For she had the
finest house and the largest income in
Elmore
| 1T would be pity not to keep this bot
tie" she commented, holding 1t against
the light, its such convenient size end
the glass is so clear. wonder what sort
of glue that label was stuck on with,
after all the hot water it's been in 1t
hasn't started mite. I've a good mind
not to screpe il off but keep the bottle
Just as it is: like not shall want a
bottle sometime for holding poison and
then this one will be all labeled and
ready :"
Not long afterward Miss Deborah de-
cided that she must have the advice of
the village doctor All summer she had
been tormented by nervous headaches and
sleepless nights; she had doctored herself
and. had tried one kind Of diet after an.
other without relief, end her one servant
an old woman who had been kitchen maid
in the house since the days when Miss
Deborah had been little Debby Markham
had experimental upon her mistress with
all the potent mixtures she knew how to
compound, but she, too, had failed to
work a cure.
Accordingly DR.. Bascom was summoned.
The result of this professional visit wasa
slip of paper thet Miss Deborah twisted
between her fingers as she watched the
doctor climb into his high buggy before
her gate She noticed that Mrs. Prescott
also was watching from her side piazza.
where she sat sewing and the shutters
in one window of Mrs TreadWay's vault
like parlor were rolled open. sure indica-
ton that the lady herself was sitting be-
hind them
1.-THE neighbors will be running in to
see what is the matter over here. so I shall
have to send Hannah to the drug store
for the medicine" thought Miss Deborah
realizing that for few hours she was 20
be the most interesting parsonage in the
village. Her prediction was a true one
within half an hour both Mrs. Treadwey
and Mrs. Prescott were established in
comfortable chairs in her sitting room.
making anxious inquiries about her health
and going over the last bits of neighbor-
hood gossip. Other ladies followed them
for the doctors team hitched before the
house had advertised to every one the
fact that either Miss Deborah or Hannah
were i'll, and the last callers did not leave
until Hanreh's chatter over the tea table
informed them that the old woman con-
sidered it time they were well out of the
way and her mistress at supper.
IT was after sunset when she found her
self at liberty to prepare the medicine for
use. DR.. Bascom had informed her that
ID was preparation of bromide which
would come in the form of a white DOW
der and would require solution. ITO be
dissolved in eight ounces of water" she
read on the slip of instructions.
"Then the first thing I want is an eight
ounce bottle" she thought, land that
ought to be very easy to find in the shed
cupboa I'd"
The twilight was almost darkness in the
shed but she did not take a light and
her hands CROPPED about among the bottles
I Al ~.
shouid tell her was of the required size.
In the very front row she came upon one
that she judged would answer the pur-
pose. The kitchen was very dimly lighted
by its north window, but Miss Deborah
did not stop to Night lamp before Sitting
the powder through a little funnel into
the bottle and filing IL with cold water
Not until she was ready to take the first
dose of the new remedy did she discover
that there was small white label pasted
across one side of the bottle; a skull above
two crossbones and the word Poison"
ornamented the label.
1t was a startling occurrence. but her
sense of humor came to the rescue. I've
no doubt it fits well enough" she re-
marked grimly ''Most drugs are poison.
shall have to show Dr. Bascom the name
I have given to what he call "a harmless
remedy"
She found the "poison" so efficacious
mat a week later NneH f1dnnHn came
down i'm the morning with white face and
dull eyes, complaining of sick head
ache her first thought was of the med-
cine thet had helped her own headache.
Go and lie down on the sitting room
| lounge" she commanded. "I'll give you
a spoonful of bromide, and YOU needn t
! give a thought TO the breakfast, for IN
! see to that myself
Hannah gladly allowed herself to he
tucked up on the big lounge that ives in
| fact a couch. and she swallowed the med
icine obediently, then lay waiting impa-
tiently for the pain to abate, but the head
| ache was not 20 be routed so easily.
When Miss Deborah peeped in through the
kitchen door. after she had finished her
breakfast expecting TO see the old wo-
man asleep. she saw instead Hannah's
wide open ewes gazing at her from con-
fused pie of pillows and shawls
zone dose doesn't appear to be enough;
you must take another" was her de-
csion. land If you don't feel much better
in an hour l shall give you third
|