The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1902-03-06
A NATURAL MISTAKE.

woman would have thrown it on the
ash pile "a soon as it was emptied,
hut to Miss Deborah the natural
thing was To clean it and store it
away on shelf in her cupboard with
IN army ot other bottles.
No article ever seemed to Miss
Markham 10 have outlived its useful
ness; there was always possibility
that Iii might come in handy some
time, and it was treasured for the
expected need
People may by turns feel amused
and cNasperated 10y Miss Deborah's
exaggerated love of economy, but
their comments on her always ended
with: After all, she's dreadfully
gnal,hearted; there's nobody in the
whole town more ready to lend a
hand than Deborah Markham, and
II she takes any comfort in being so
saving, that :, her own affair she
ran afford to I've overparticular,' y
For she had the finest house and the
largest income in East Elmore.
at would be Il pity not to keep
this bottle. she commented, holding
it against the light; its such IA con-
seiiieHt size and the glass is So clear,
| wonder what sort of glue that label
was stuck on with; after all the hot
water it $ been in, it hasn't started a
mite. lvea good miudnot to scrape
it off, but keep the bottle just as tits,
Like as not shall want a bottle
some time for holding poison, and
this one will be all labeled and
ready
Not long afterward Miss Deborah
decided thatshe must have the advice
of the village doctor. All summer
ske had been tormented by nervous
headaches and sleepless nights, She
had dostored herself and had tried
one kind of diet after another with
oat relief. and 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 tocompound,
but she, too, had failed to work a
cure.
Accordingly, DR., Bascom was sum
moned. The result of this probes
sional visit was a slip Of paper that
Miss Deborah twisted between her
fingers as she watched the doctor
climb into his high trap before her
gate. She noticed that Mrs. Prescott
also was watching from her window,
where she sat sewing, and the shut
tiers liz one window OF Mrs. Tread
ways vault-like parlor were rolled
open, sure Indication that the lady
herself was sitting behind them.
THE neighbors will be running in
to SET what is the matter over here,
40 shall have TO send Hannah to
the chemists for the medicine,
thought Miss Deborah, realizing that
for few hours she was to be the
most interesting person in the vii.
lage Her prediction was a true one.
Within hall an kour both Mrs Tread
way and Mrs. prescott We're estab,
lished in comfortable chairs in her
sitting room, making anxious in
quiries about her health and going
over the last bits of neighborhood
gossip. Other ladies followed them,
for the doctors trap stopping before
the house had advertised to every
one the fact either Miss Deborah or
Hannah was i'll, and the last callers
did not leave until Hannah's clatter
over the tea table informed them
that the old woman considered it
time they we're we'll out OF the way
and her mistress at supper.
1t was after sunset when she found
herselfat liberty to prepare the medi-
cine for use DR.. Bascom had in
formed her that it was a preparation
of bromide, which would come in the
form OF n white powder and would re-
quire solution. "To bp dissolved in
8 ounces Of water" she read on the
slip OF instructions
Then the first thing ] want il an
S-ounce bottle" she thought, "and
that ought to be very easy to find in
the cellar cupboard"
The twilight was almost darkness
in the cellar. but she did not take
light. and her hands CROPPED about
among the bottles i'll search of one