Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 12, 1927 — page 52: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Sg 5 sy i aa 46 light I looked in the glass, and it scared me! Mebbe it’s smallpox,” he added, at which Jennie, who was just then fetching in the scrambled eggs, screeched thinly, and leaned against George Bangs for support. ‘Looks to me like poison ivy,” Ellen re- marked, ‘“‘ though as you never stir outside only to keep to the road, I dunno how you’d get it. I better send Jake to Dr. Roberts, to make sure. If you’ve got to be took to the pest house, the sooner we know it, the better!” “You don’t seem to take it very hard,” Ernest grumbled. ‘“T don’t aim to take it, if it’s catching. Jennie, you see that everything Mr. Sproul touches, plates, forks, spoons, and things, is scalded in boiling water. And you tell Jake to run over to the doctor’s fast as he can make it, and tell him to come at once. It’s serious!” Dr. Roberts, the only practitioner with- in five miles, was at liberty, having just breakfasted, but not yet started out on his rounds. He was over within ten minutes; and a very quick examination satisfied him. “ Tt’s poison ivy,” he announced. “ Don’t care if he never did go into the fields; the ivy’s come to him, somehow. Anyhow, that’s what it is.’ And he gave such sim- ple directions as were already known per- fectly well to Ellen, as to the treatment for the sufferer. Ernest was a terrible nuisance to his wife, as well as to himself. Her sense of duty forbade her to neglect him; and she was kept busy applying cooling and healing lo- tions for several. days. Her sleep also was much broken. The third day she spoke privately with George. “Are you responsible for this?” she asked. ‘I want to know, for my own peace of mind. When Jennie made up Mr. Sproul’s bed, she found what looked like a sort of greenish dust scattered on the sheets. We couldn’t figure how it come there, but ’ maybe you can tell me?” George straightened up proudly, his eye lighting. “Ves, ma’am. It was me thought it up. Jake told me about it, and so I went and put gloves on my hands and gathered me a mess of the seaves, which | was pee hard ro ‘ nee 7 ‘ r roe <. Sell - — = —— — ee <3 . = aa q a . A out as a pees been oes By + * poor: dear ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. and dry, so I could pound ’em up into a sort of powder. And I sneaked up into Ernie’s room and scattered the dust where ’twould do the most good, I thought.” Ellen’s lips set grimly. ‘Well, it’s certainly made me a nice job! I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since he broke out with the rash. And lucky it didn’t take on me, too. There ain’t any manner of doubt but what you done was mean enough, but how you think it is going to influence Ernest to leave home, is more’n I can see. He don’t even know how he got it; and if he did, he’d likely murder you, and be justified. Next plan of the sort you have, you speak to me first. You'll end by driving us all away from here.” George felt grieved. He had been proud of this idea, and its success. It was, he felt, one of the high tides of his achieve- ments in meanness; and instead of being praised, Mrs. Sproul was making dirty cracks about it. Showing no appreciation whatever. The incident reawakened his anxieties. How long before he would be banished from this homelike Eden? In view of which ca- lamity he must save up all the money pos- sible, He went to his little hoard and counted it over. There was nearly a hundred and fifty dollars now. But that would not last long back in the big city. He must find some way of increasing it. to him a few days thereafter. The attic of the old Miller place was like most such areas, a regular museum of past generations. Among much that was worthless save from the sentimental point of view, there were a few really valuable pieces of furniture. George, to kill time, had wandered about the floor more than once. On one occasion, Elien had been up there, straightening things, and she had called to his attention sundry articles. Not having any taste for antiquities, and being, of course, indifferent to the early history of the Millers, George had paid scant attention; but he did happen to recall an old high stool that Ellen had pointed Comiebooke: com | One way came x ee - >