St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-04-13

said. Everybody in the building has
been smelling smoke for an hour and
we've finally traced it down here"
The Fond Father smiled weakly
and said he supposed it was new
cure for whooping cough they had
been trying which had caused the
trouble. He was sorry il the other
tenants had been disturbed. E
Next morning when he got up he
had slight tickling in his own
throat, due. no doubt, as he conclud-
ed, to the effects of che tar vapors OF
the night before. But, the, tickling
did not leave him during the DAY. In
fact. it was worse when he got home
that night. After dinner he even
coughed little. Then an awful
thought struck him. al s.r4sks -
"Whooping cough is exclusively .
child's disease, isn't it?" he asked
his wife, artlessly.
20, no." she promptly answered.
"When, l had it my father caught it
from npe. and I remember he alfaost
coughed his head off before it was
cured"
He. spent the next two or three
days in trying to prevent himself
from coughing while at home, though
on the streets and downtown he gave
free vent to unmistakable whoops.
Finally, he confessed to his wife. and
then he felt free to add his deep bass
whoops to the treble explosions OF
the Child. Shortly it dawned upon
the Fond Father that whooping
cough was not joking matter. He
| coughed sometimes till he was purple
and black in the face, and finally. in
shame and despair. he called ono
evening ut the doctors Office
Doctor. ."[he began, Il think I'm
going to die. l."
| A~spasm of coughing seized him
just then, and he gave demonstra-
tion in the wnooping line which was
| strong and convincing.
20. whooping cough is just a joke.
you know" said the hard-hearted
! physician. at does a boy good to
| have IT,"
But the Fond Father was beyond
feeling any insult. He begged for
something to help his cough, and
finally he got it.. Then things went
on a little more easily for few
days. Finally it got SO that if either
the Fond Father or the Child corh-
menced to cough in the presence Of
the other the second invalid would
Immediately start whooping as If in
sympathy. r7i tfs-~
But not even yet had the climax ar
rived. 1t was when the recent corn
corner was at its height and tho
Fond Father had accumulated fair
| " large line Of the cereal, which he
was waiting to sell at a big advance.
One night he got "tip" that the
corner would be broken the next
day. He went down to the board the
next morning prepared for action.
He knew that he must dispose of his
stuff in the first few minutes of the
session if he wished to clean up the
handsome profit which he had on pa
per. Finally business began in the
corn pit, and he plunged into the
thick Of it.. The first sales showed
that the price was still at the top
notch, and he determined to unload
without moments delay. The king
of the corner had just sold $4,000 at
the top, and everything seemed
propitious. His hand was raised and
he was about to shrek out his offer
when he felt that terrible tickling
in his throat. lie crushed it down
with mighty effort.
Zone hundred thou"
The cough seized him in its re-
morseless grip. He bent over nearly
double with the paroxysm. The other
frantic brokers pushed and showed
him out of the way. He stood on the
bottom step of the pit and whooped
for solid minute. In the babel OF
voices the sound Of his coughing was
entirely swallowed up and lost. He
could hear. even as he shook and
strained with effort. the pit break out
into a fresh riot of confusion. The
corner had broken. Corn had dropped
Is cents in two minutes. The Fond
Father was barely able TO save his
distance by letting go his holdings at
the low figure.
The family has now recovered its
normal condition of health. But lit
tie Charley is now being reared on
the sheltered and protected" policy.
while the Fond Father sees nothing
approaching humor III jest about the
diseases of children.--Chicago Trib-
| une