Year: 1876

'"N'~ A'HS e""s. ~ 20 - ply a. JNu
cannot do the few little things that /
ask of you at such an awful time as
this, when our child"


There, there, 1 will do anything
you want. But cant raise anybody
with this bell. They're all gone to
bed. Where is the se-grease2"


ION the mantle-piece in the nur-
sery. Ifyou'll step there and speak
10 Maria---"


/ fetched the goose grease and went
to sleep again. Once more l was
called.


Mortimer, so hate to disturb you,
but the room is still too cold for me to
try to apply this stuff Would you
mind lighting the fres 1t is all ready
to touch a match to-"


l dragged myself out and lit the FIRE,
and then sat down disconsolate.


Mortimer, don't sit there and catch
your death of cold. Come to bed.n


As / was stepping in she said:


"But wait minute. Please give
the child some more Of the medicine" /"


Which / did. 1t was medicine
which made child more or less live
ly; so my wife made use Of its wakeing
interval to strip it and grease it all
over with goose-oil. l was soon asleep
once more, but once more / had to ge /
up.


Mortimer, feel draft. 1 feel it
distinctly. There is nothing so bad
for this disease as draft Please
move the crib in front of the fire" !"


l did it and collided with the rug
again, which l threw into the fire.
Mrs. McWilliams sprang out of bed
and rescued it and we bad some words.
| had another short interval of sleep
and then got up, by request, and con.
structed a fax-seed poultice. This
was placed upon the child's breast and
left there to do its healing work.


A wood fire is not a permanent
thing. got up every twenty min
utes and renewed ours, and this gave
Mrs McWilliams an opportunity to
shorten the times of giving the medi.
cines by ten minutes, which was a
great satisfaction to her. Now and
then, between times, l recognized the
faxseed poultices, and applied sin
apisms and other Slisters where un.
occupied places could be found upon
the child. Well, toward morning the
wood geve out, and my wife wanted
more. l said:


"My dear, it is laborious job, and
the child must be nearly warm enough
with her extra clothing. Now,
mightn't we put on an other layer OF
poultices audi"


l did not finish because I was in
terupted. l lugged wood up from
below for some little time, and then
in and fell to snoring as only a man
can whose strength is all gone and
whose soul is worn out. Last at
broad daylight l felt a grip on my
shoulder that brot me to my senses
suddenly. My wife was glaring down
on me and gasping. AS soon as che
command her tongue she said:


"Its all over! All over! The
child's perspiring! What shall we
dor"


"Mercy. how you terrify me! Idont
know what we ought to do. Maybe
if we scraped her and put her in the
draft again-"


"Oh, idiot There is not a moment
to lose. Go for the doctor. Go your
self. Tell him he must come, dead or
alive"


1 dragged that poor, sick man from
his bed and brought him. He looked
at the child and said she was not dy-
ing. This was unspeakable to me,
but it made my wife as mad as if he
had offered personal affront Then
he said the child's cough was only
caused by some trifling irritation or
other in the throat. At this l thought
my wife hal mind to show him the
door. Now the doctor said he would
make the child cough harder and dis
lodge the trouble. So he gave her
something that sent her into a spssm
of coughing, and presently up came a
little wood splinter or so.


This child has no membranous
Group" said he.


"She has been chewing a bit of pine
shingle or something of the kind, and
got some little slivers in her throat.
They won't do her any hurt


"No," said |. II can well believe
that. Indeed, the turpentinO that
is in them is very good for certain
sorts Of digaasoa that ara naeuliar IN
children. My wife will tell you So"


But she did not. She turned away
in disdain, aud left the room; and
since that time there is one episode in
our life which we never refer TO-.
HeDee the tide of our days flows by in