Year: 1876

cannot do the few little things that
ask of you at such an awful time as
this. when our child"


"There, there, l will do anything
you want. But can't raise anybody
with this bell. They're all gone to
bed. Where is the goose grease?'.


"On the mantel piece in the nursery,
If you'll step there and speak to Ma-
ria-"


l fetched the goose-grease and
went to sleep again. Once more /
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 fire? 1t is all
ready to touch match to-"


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"


As l was stepping in she said;


"But wait minute. Please give
the child some nnore or the medi-
cine"


Which I did. 1t was medicine
which made child d-more or less live
ly; so my wife made use of its wax
ing interval to strip it and grease it
all over with goose oil. was soon
asleep once more, but once more |
had to get up.


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


/ did it and collided with the rug
again, which | threw into the fire.
Mrs. McWilliams sprang out of bed
and rescued it and we had some
words. l had another trifling inter
val of sleep and then got up, by re,
quest, and constructed hax-seed
poultice. This was placed upon the
child's breast and left there to do its
healing work.


A wood fire is not 4 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 daxseed poultices, and applied
sinapisms and other blisters where
unoccupied places could be found
upon the child. Well, toward morn
ing the wood gave out, and my wife
wanted me to go down cellar and get
some more. | said:


"My dear, it is a laborious job,
and the child must be nearly warm
enough, with her extra clothing.
Now, mighn't we put on another layer
of pOultices and"


| did not finish. because | was in
terrupted. | lugged wood up from
below for some little time, and then
turned IN and feb To snortng.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 brought me to my
senses suddenly. My wife was glar
ing down on me and gasping. AS
soon as she could command her
tongue she said:


"It's all over! All Overt The
child's perspiring! What shall we
do?' -i.i! ~


"Mercy, how you terrify me! 1
don't know what we ought to do.
Maybe if we scraped her and put
her in the draft again"


son, IDIOT There's not moment
to lose. Go for the doctor. Go
Yourself. Tell him he must come,
dead or alive"


l dragged that poor sick man
from his bed and brought him. He
looked at the child and said she was
not dying. This was joy unspeaka-
BILE to me, bus it made my wife as
mad as if he had offered personal
affront. Then he said the child $
cough was only caused by some tri-
fling irritation or other in the throat.
at this 1 thought my wife had a
mind to show him the door. Now
the doctor said he would make the
child cough harder and dislodge the
trouble. So he gave her something
that sent her into a spasm of cough
ing, and presently up came a little
wood splinter or so.


''This child has no membranous
Group said he.


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


"No," said l. 81 can well believe
that. Indeed the turpentine that il
in them is very good for certain sorts
of diseases that are peculiar to chill
dren. My wife will tell you So"


But she did not. She turned away
in disdain, and left the room; ano
since that time there is one episode
in our life which we never refer to-
Hence the tide of our days flows by
in deep and untroubled serenity.