St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-03-25
IN A CONVENIENT VEHICLE

copyright, 1902, by the 8. s. Mcclure
Company.]
The young doctor took the sick mans
temperature, scanned his tongue, felt
his pulse and lifted the eyelids to scru'
tinize the optics, After a few, seconds
of profound meditation-or was it hest !
tation ?-he prescribed for his patient in
,blindly scrawled Latin, adding in Eng
llish the direction, ITO be taken twice
a day in any convenient vehicle"
''Be there any show fer me to git
we'll, doctor?' quavered the sick man.
"Sure there is, Mr.. Simmons. You'll
be all right now in no time. These pills
will set you up at once"
Then the sapient young disciple of
Esculapius drew on his glo-'es and
gave a reassuring grasp to Ben Sim
mons outstretched hand. With an en-
couraging smile all round upon the
staring little Simmonses and the pallid
wife, over whose face a CLEAN of hope
seemed to flicker, he departed, tearing
down the road at breakneck speed,
as if bound for a dying patient.
Hanged if 1 know what ails the old
chap" he unused as he galloped along.
"How is a doctor going to prescribe
for an idiot who can't give clearer &C
count of his feelings than a dull, heavy
misery in his bones?"
But Ben Simmons mended from the
hour that DR.. Bledsoe took charge of
his case. Strength and courage and
health seemed rolled up in those Won
derful pills, the fame Of which spread
through the backwoods Missouri town.
The doctors visits soon ceased at the
Simmons cabin, for Bob Simmons after
long months of diseased liver, indis
eliminate patent medicine taking and
confinement within the four walls Of
bedroom into which the breezes of
heaven were never permitted to enter
had come forth a we'll man. To the
doctor, be it confessed, Bob's conva-
lescence was as great wonder as to
the community at large, though of this
he kept silence.
One evening DR.. Bledsoe was waiting
for his mail at the little postotfice seat
ed in an inconspicuous place behind a
newspaper which he had spread out
before him. Suddenly his attention
was reused by hearing his own name
spoken. The tone he recognized as the
drawing one of Mrs. Ben Simmons.
Yes; Ben were in a powerful bad
way when DR.. Bledsoe TUX hold of
him. We lowed he couldn't git well.
| His liver were all out O whack an he
were that thin it looked like it wouldn't
be long fore his hide'd be on the fence u
"You don't sayw calculated her inter.
locutor.
His narvous system were all gone
an his blood were turned to water, an
his mind We're 'fected, an he were
threatened with the fairfield fever
an"
what did the doctor dew fer him
Dew tellv'
"Jes' some little teenty pills, Mr.
Slivens, not big as pea. But the way
they he'd to be TUX was the quarest
He writ it out to be taken in any con
venient vehicle We didn't hev nc
idee of the meanin' of that word, so we
borr'ed the schoomarster's dictionary
an sir, we foun' out at vehicle meant
coach, wagon, cart, carriage. Well
sir eff we didn't jes' bun'le up Bob an
! take him out twice day in the ole
buggy out inter the country to give
him them pills. In less'n week ht
We're mendin' fine, an in less'n {
month he were plum we'll"
"Waal, | dew declare. It's Wonner
full! interpolated Mr. Slivens.
ooh, tell you, DR.. Bledsoe's a stem
winder, he is, fer DOCTOR Mr.. Slivens
Them pills has cured half the people
in Simmons Landin. Eff folks didn'
hev no buggy, they'd wheel their sicl
uns out in WheelbaTers to take TIT
pills, an sure's you're Dawn the,
didn't none of 'em die. You see, tn,
schoolmarster said the wheelbarre
were vehicle though in course i
warn't ekal to a up an down buggy"
IL reckin the doctors fortin ar,
made in Simmons Landin' count o
them pills" dsscverated Mr.. Slivens.
AS DR.. Bleds0c rode home that even
ing he INDUCED in loud outlaws, inter
spersed with frequent CALCULATIONS o
"Pll be dogged!' and emphasized wit
slaps on his horses neck.
Now the extensive practice which b
had achieved in the three months tim
he had been in Simmons Landing wa
explained, as was Bob Simmons mi
raculous cure.
A girl down east received letter il
which her lover announced his unparal