Lower coast gazette., 1913-12-20

noon," continued Ellen. 1T tasted so
sour and sharp that it made my ear
ache d%readfully."
Grandmother suddenly looked up.
Come round here. Let me see your
ear, Ellen"
Ellen submitted to an examination.
Taste a little OF that,p said Grand
mother, pouring out a small quantity
Of vinegar from the cruise. Ellen did
so gingerly, and laughed at first, but
a moment later made a wry face and
uttered a Cry of extreme discomfort.
Il thought so," grandmother cried,
confidently. you've got the humps,
young LADY,"
Then Pm afraid I've got them!' ex-
claimed Addison, in dismay.
well, taste of the vinegar" said.
grandmother, and passed the spoon to
him.
Addison slipped away with a wise
look; and then he, too, made a wry
face and clapped both hands beneath
his ears. ooh! How it stings!" he
calculated, getting very red in the
face. what ails my jaws?"
You've both got the mumps!!" cried
grandmother. your jaws will have to
keep still for a while, or I'm much mis-
taken!"
The next morning they were both
quite ill. Theodore and /, too, were v
identity in it for it.
you will all have the mumps, most
likely" Pierson remarked to us that
night. 1T will re better to close the
school and let you save the remainder
of your money for the time being"
He babe us farewell and went back
to college the following morning.
The question where we had caught"
the mumps was at first obscure; later,
it was rumored:. that a. young mar
who had them had come to the sing
ing school two weeks before; and, as
it turned out, had given the disease to
nearly every one there. But grandma,
Their jokingly attributed u affliction
to the Latin Addison ,humorously up
held this opiniont. and argued that
Latin would come. mueair aesier to us
as soon as we we're we'll over the
mumps. -. &.
Before night, however, both he and
Ellen ceased to find anything humors
GUS in their affliction. They were real
ly quite i'll. Their cheeks protruded
like those Of a chipmulk stuffed with
corn. The lower lobes Of their ears
turned outward in a veTT comical man
ner. Theodore and. /, however, were
already too far under he weather to
see anything iaugnaiEt III tlrcir up
~pearance; u minds were too much
disturbed with what our W cases
promised for the morrow,
And wexall had the disease, pretty
hard, too, on both sides. For five days,
wrapped round with 31comforters," we
moped and "mumped" about the farm
house sitting room in rocking chairs.
And | hardly know how we should
have got through that dolorous week
if it had not been for the old squire's
cheering stories. He was busy with
the winter stock Of fire-wood, but
after every hour or two dropped in,
all fresh and rudy from the sharp air
outdoors, and told some new story that
had come into his mind of his own
young days, when he and grandmother
began life together there at the Maine
farm.
1t was then that he told us the his
tory of the old copper kettle. After all
these years, | cannot pretend to re-
call the exact words in which tho Old
squire related it,-for I was rather
mumpy-but | remember the parti-
culars very well.
One October, the old squire was at
work up Lurvey's Stream, getting out
hackmatack Knees" to be drawn by
oMteams to. Portland, for the keels,
or "bends" Of fishing boats. The hack
matack swamp was UP in ethe great
woods" five miles north Of the farm.
Several times Molly-ocket had come
along where he was at work, for the
stream bank was one Of her thorough
fares to and from Megantic Lake.
where a number OF the St. Francis In
dams then lived. She would sit down
and watch him pry out the crooked
%tap-roots for knees.
you work hard joe she would
say.
Time. and agair if she hung round
till noon, the, Cd squire shared his
luncheon with her,; and gave her the
choicest bits, for that was his way.
He rather. lied the strange old crea-
ture; in fact he liked all the Indians.
! and they lied him. During the whole.
time thathe and grandmother lived
there al. ne farm, they never had any
thing splen by Indians. Yet some Of
the st,Francis Indians were great ras-
Gals hat tribe was never quite friend
" t the whites.