Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1915-01-22
CHAPTER X-contlnued.

IT told yer I never could stand It
here amongst all these drafted women
folks" Abe would declare. tits all
your fault that didn't go to the poor.
house in peace"
II notice yew didn't raise no objec-
lions until yew'd lived here a year.
Angy would retort; but ignoring this
remark. he would go on:
TITS Brother Abe this an
Brother Abe that, as eff / had thirty
wives a-pesterin' me instid Of one. I
caa't kill a fly but It's Brother Abe,
lenme bury him fer yew.' Do yer all
think be baby?" demanded the old
gentleman with glazing eye. 81 guess
oace in a while. hain't so old as some
folks might think" he continued with
superb inconsistence. II be a mere
child compared with that air plagued
Nancy Smith"
Il took very little to exhaust Angy's
ability for this style of repartee, and
she would rejoin with tender but mis-
takec efforts to soothe and comfort
him:
THAR. thar, father! Don't git ex-
cited now. Seems ter me ye re q
leetle bit feverish. Eff only yew'd take
this here tansy tea"
Abraham would give one exasper-
Rted glance at the tin cup and mutter
AVE he Aonfho - &c ~
"Tansy tea an old womenl Old
women an tansy teal Tansy tea be
6urnedl"
Abe failed perceptibly during the
summer. grew feebler as the autumn
winds blew in, and by November he
took to his bed and the physician Of
the home, a little whiffet Of pompous
idiot, was called to attend him. The
doctor, determined at the start to
make q severe case of the old mans
affection in order that ne might have
the greater glory In the end, be it good
or bad. looked very grave over Abra-
hams tongue and pulse. prescribed
medicine for every half hour. and laid
especial stress upon the necessity Of
keeping the patient in bed.
"HumbuEI" growled the secretly
terrified invalid. and in an excess Of
bravado took his black silk necktie
from where 1t hung on the bedpost and
tied It in bow-knot around the collar
Of his pink-striped nightshirt, so that
he would be in proper shape to receive
any Of the sisters. Then he lay very
stu. his eyes closed, as they came tip
tosing in and out. Their tongues were
on gentle tfptoe too, although not so
gentle but that he could hear them ad.
vising: One. good. stiff mustard
plaster" one, an "onion poultice;" an
other, q Spanish blister" while Aunt
Nancy stopped short of nothing less
tnnn "ald-tashioned bleeding" Abe
Say very still and wondered If they
eaeant TO kill him. He was probably
going to die anyhow. so why torment
him. Only when he was dead, he
hoped that they would think more
kindly of him. And so surrounded yet
alone. the old man fought his secret
terror until mercifully he went to
sleep.
When he awoke there were the sis
tsrs again; and day after day they
spent their combined efforts In keeping
him on his back and forcing him to
take his medicine. The only appreciabls
good resulting therefrom being the
fact that with his tax upon their devo
don the old ladies came once more to
regard Abe az the most precious pos.
session Of the Home.
~What Of ne should der they whis-
pered among themselves. fepentant
enough Of their late condemnation of
aim and already desolate at the
thought of his leaving this little haven
with them for the great haven" over
here: and the whisper reaching the
sickroom, Abe's fever would rise. while
he could never lift his lashes except to