The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1907-01-04


her brother. a dictatorlal big man with
hairy hands and brusque ways.
by godfrey glngerl" he roared in
the parlor conference Of relations
you're a nice set OF clam fritters to
let a woman lay up here and hlccup her
lungs out. Why. every ten-year-old
child ought to know enough to cure
hlccups. She needs to be scared ~
He impatiently stopped their ex-
plantations with a disgusted flourish OF
his hairy hands and started for the
front stairs.
"You stay here. he commanded "all
Of you stay here"
They could hear him creaking from
tread to tread on the stairs as he adj
vanced with the caution OF a stealthy
elephant. They heard the slow whine
OF a door on its hings and then:
"Gr-r-r-wer-eo That yell
in the upper regions would have
drowned the howl OF fire-boat's siren.
A plaintlye squeal and moan fol-
lowed and then the fall Of a heavy
body. When the troop OF breathless
relatives arrived in the room the big
man was Just lifting his sister back in
10 bed. She was deadly white and her
eyes were closed.
She's dead" beloved her husband.
He ran to the bed gazed on her and
then faced the brother with the fury
Of him who confronts the murderer Of
loved one.
"You miserable whelp,' the husband
howled. you've killed Phoebe. I'll
break you into inch pieces. I'll
"She hain't dead I'll bet she hain't
dead" said the big man. nervously
Il don't blleve she's dead. She's just
tainted Throw water on her"
One OF the female relatives obeyed,
and soon a futtering Of the pale eye
lids cheered the anxious group.
Told you she want dead" declared
the big man with new confidence
Course she amt dead. But I've cured
them hiccups. There don't none Of the
rest Of you know enough to handle a
case of pip"
He went along and ioggled the ell
bow Of the reyiving woman.
"All right now, amt you, Sis?' he
cried, jubilantly.
"Oh, Joe you-ick-you-ock-you
scared me dret-uck-dretfully." " she
quavered, and then began to cry weak
". her sobs alternating with hiccoughs
that seemed fairly to lift her of the
bed. The big man looked at her
aghast, passed his hairy hand across
his sweaty and corrugated brow and
calculating, "Well, I'll be" he walked
from the room, clumped down stairs
and went out OF the house.
He came back at supper time and
said with sheepish demeanor Il still
insist that scarin' 'em out is the right
way to handle hiccups, friends, but !
amt fitted to doctor folks, / reckon.
To make up for what did to-day I'll
be the watcher tonight. All the rest
of you 60 to bed"
The suspicious husband protested
but in the end the dictatorial brother
prevailed. He pushed all OF them
bluffy out Of the room at eight
o'clock, his hairy hands against their
shoulders. He locked the door behind
them. Then he went and sat by the
open window. gazing impatiently out
into night, his fat silver watch in his
hand. The woman lay croaking hic-
coughs and moaning softly. Her eyes
we're closed. At nine o'clock there was
a hist" in the darkness outside.
Get that ladder side O. the barn, "
whispered the big man.
In a few moments a face came mp
into the gllmmer Of the sick-room
light. 1t was a queer and rectangular
sort OF a face. A tufty beard was
dotted around 1t. The eyes were fiat
and fishy and "toed out" Another
man came on the ladder close behind
and urged on the hesitating fellow in
the lead.
Hes about due for one, is he?" in
qulred the big man Of the individual
| farthest down the ladder.
Its his regular day." replied the
other, his tones muffled by an abnor-
NAL chew Of tobacco. "The poor farm
superintendent says he alwa's has one
on Tuesday and one late Friday. lie
hain't had his Friday one yit You
can reckon on him all right"
The big man eased the rectangular
faced man into the room and gently
pushed him into a chair near the bed
"set there" he hissed. The woman
in bed, absorbed in her own troubles
did not open her eyes. The big man
backed to the window and gruntingly
clambered out onto the ladder.
"I don't want her 10 see me when II
happens" he whispered. IF she git
her eye on me when it's goin' on she
won't be so scared"
He remained with his head JUS
above the sill. The other man calmly
reversed his position on the ladder
put his back against the rungs anC
chewed luxuriously.
"Northln' to do but wait" he muir
mured.,
The minutes passed slowly TIT
new attendant on the sick woman sa
hunched in the chair in the position
in which the big man left him. One
In a while he shut his mouth with
moist "soofe" and then relaxed the
jaw muscles again.
The big man shifted from foot to
foot and grunted softly.
This is gettin' mighty tedious ne
growled, discontentedly. "Aint there
somethin' that will jounce him along
a bit?"
wal, no one on the poor farm has
ever practiced on pokin' him up t'
have one. He has enough OF 'em with
out bein' encouraged. Howsomever'
sudden little start might set him on