Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1911-08-16
AMANDA'S
TOOTHACHE
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1911. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

be twenty-five years OLD. she WASH
an angel or a sylph. She didn't have
high school education. and she
couldn't sing and play. She was just
a good hearted, affectionate country
girl who could make the incest kind
Of buckwheat cakes in winter and
turn out the finest soft soap in the
spring.
Amanda had a beau. She might
have had half a dozen. but she dis
couraged all young men except Phllo
Brown, and Philo had been counting
her for two years and had never ap-
preached the subject Of matrimony.
He was the hired man on the next
farm. and he had tidy sum saved up,
and when he was with men he had no
lack of CAB. 1t was when in the pres
ence Of women. and more particularly
in that of Amanda Jones. that words
failed him. 1t was his bashfulness.
Some young woman would have
brought that young man to time with
in six months. but Amanda Jones was
also little bashful, and she was pa
tent and kind. Farmer Jones had
nothing to say. and all that Mrs. Jones
had to relate was:
We'll. l hain't saying nothing e1-
cept that an earthquake may come
along some day and stir Philo up"
The earthquake came. It's name
was Mary Skinner. sister to Mrs.
Jones and a widow. She saw Philo
and approved of him. She saw the sit
uation and didn't approve Of It at all.
She watched and waited for a couple
Of weeks, and then one June morning
she said:
Amanda, come out into the orchard
| with me. / want to have a talk with
YOU
And under the white and pink apple
blossoms they talked-that is, the
aunt did most Of the talking, and
Amanda did all the blushing
That evening when Philo "jest drop
ped in for a minute he found Aman-
da suffering from the toothache He
wanted to swim across Lake Erie to
show her how He sympathized with
her, but Lake Erie was 400 miles
away. The Widow Skinner was right
on the spot, however, and she took
PhilO outdoors and said:
I'm nightly concerned about Aman-
ola and that toothache'
but it's only tOothache," he replied.
Only! Only! Why, man, don't you
know that she may have lockjaw or
brain fever or get paralyzed all over?'
but what can l do?" he anxiously
asked
HIN! You come in tomorrow night
and I'll tell you. I'm hoping she won't
die. but | dunno-I dunno. | saw a
star fall last night, and that's a sure
sign of death in the family
II hope not" was the trembling
reply, and Philo went home to toss
about on his bed all night without a
/ moments sleep. The next day seemed
a hundred hours long to him. and as
soon as he had finished the milking he
set out on the run for the house of
Jones. 1t was Mrs. Skinner who met
him and said:
THAT toothache is worse tonight,
Philo. I'm afraid it's striking into
Amanda's system"
You don't tell mev' he gasped.
"There's only one thing to be done
she must go to the dentist over at
Charlotte tomorrow. She must be driv-
en- over in a buggy. She must be
driven by somebody who is sympa-
thetic. Her father hain't sympathetic,
her mother is too nearsighted to drive,
and | feel one of my old fashioned
headaches coming On. Philo, you may
have to go"
And Philo didn't go to bed at all
! that night. He just roamed around
the farm and prayed for daylight to
! come. He was at the Jones farm as
| soon as he had finished breakfast, and
! the Widow Skinner was at the door to
meet him and say:
go home and dress up and come
back, and by that time the horse and
buggy will be ready. You have got
to drive Amanda over to Charlotte'
Philo was back in half an hour
Amanda and the rig were ready.
Amanda had her good clothes On and
q rag over her jaw.
Look here, PhilO," said the widow
as he was ready to get into the buggy,
you must let Amanda rest her head
on your shoulder, and you must drive
with one hand and keep an arm
around her. Talk to her and keep her
from thinking of the pain. Her life is
in your hands,
Philo was shaking like a leaf, but
he rose to the occasion. To his amaze
ment, the more he talked the higher
he arose. He had hardly got through
with the weather, the crops and Farm
er Scott losing cow when all of a
sudden he found himself saying:
Mandy, I'm going to- drive straight
to the preachers firstv'
Amanda pressed his arm.
"Yes, durn my buttons if I don't
Then as your husband can punch the
head Of that dentist if he hurts you"