Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1910-05-19
CARING FOR
CLARISSA

was over and the Honeywells were at
home again.
The Honeywells were young, so, nat
urally, their child was young. They
had named her Clarissa, and she was
little over two years old and quite
the most wonderful infant in the
world
Mrs. Honeywell said it seemed prov
idential that her younger sister, Bess,
should have chosen to come to see
them just at the time Honeywell had
to take business trip east and want
ed his wife to go along
Mrs. Honeywells sister took Clar-
lssa very seriously, her acquaintance
with children being only theoretical.
Clarissa surveyed her aunt specula-
lively. Experience had taught her
that you can never tell. This person
had large blue eyes and pink cheeks
and lovely shiny things on her dress,
yet she might not turn out so we'll,
after all. So, as it was warm day
and access to the yard was permissible.
Clarissa started things by running
away.
If only she had eaten more break
fast!" her aunt walled as she pre-
pared to dash out upon the street, at
tlred as she was in negligee and
with no rat in her hair. How could she
wait to attend to her toilet when her
niece probably was being destroyed by
blood-thirsty automobile or was I'M
der the hoofs of raging horse? Her
apparently wild remark was really
more sensible than it sounds. The
Honeywells have an iron fence around
their home and always keep the gate
shut, so that their child may not wan
der. But the space between the bot
tom of the gate and the walk. is SO
large that unless Clarissa lately has
eaten hearty meal she can wriggle
under.
She was found enthusiastically eat
Ing unripe apples at a corner stand,
for the good-natured owner of the ap-
pies rocked not of the awful aches
contained in the emerald fruit.
Promptly Clarissa was led home in
disgrace. The disgrace was accentu-
ated by the fact that as captor and
captive turned in at the Honeywell
gate young man passed and bowed,
after some hesitation, to Clarissa's
vexed and disheveled aunt. Clarissa
could not know that the young man
was very particular young man,
whose acquaintance her aunt had
made on previous visit, and who
should have seen her again only in all
the glory of new gown and the cor
rect number of puffs and having the
proper air of languid ease.
"Clarissa," said her aunt as they en-
tered the house, sometimes wonder
how you can do it when you have such
an angelic expression!"
Two nights later the young man was
calling and Clarissa's aunt had on the
gown and the puffs, and the young
man was properly impressed and
things were lovely until cough
sounded from above.
Listen" said Clarissa's aunt, trag-
ically. Doesn't that sound like
croup?"
docs it?" asked the young man,
looking appropriately alarmed. Does
she-is she subject to croup?"
"All children are subject to croup!"
declared Clarissas aunt, grandly.
She flew upstairs and the young man
telephoned to doctor and then fol-
lowed Clarissa's aunt He found Clar-
lssa clasped in her aunt's arms, very
sleepy and pink-faced and coughing.
She does it-just like that-every
time tell her to-" walled Clarissa's
aunt in terror. What shall l do?
The-the cooks out! Run next door
and ask Mrs. White!"
The young man ran. He paused to
shout back from the foot of the stairs
that sometimes when babies were sick
they put them into hot water. Then
he slammed out of the front door,
When he returned with Mrs. White
and another woman, dinner guest,
and the respective husbands, Clarissa's
aunt was discovered putting the pro.
testing Clarissa into a steaming bath.
tub.
| 81 thought they couldn't make any
noise when they had croup!" said Mrs
White. II don't know anything about
Group, anyway-but brought this bot.
tle-they gave the medicine to my lit
tie dog when he coughed just like
that. 1t won't hurt her to swallow
some!"
I'LL hold her head" said the dinner
guest "There-it's down."
please go downstairs and get some
from the kitchen!" cried Clarissa's
aunt. Doesn't she look awfully
queer-and red-and she screams so,
How l wish the doctor would hurrv,,
PUT cold water on her chest!" said
the dinner guests husband. "That,u
cure anything!"
THANK you'll" cried Clarissa's amt
81 will, as soon as she's had the lard,,
Presently the doctor came. He ex
amined the child.
"Will she live?" her aunt asked
breathlessly.
"She will, if what you've already
given her doesn't kill her." said the
man of science. Group? Your grand