Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 26, September, 1880Various
Science
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 26, September, 1880
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
The child lay pale and unconscious in the arms of the distressed little
foreigner. Miss Featherstone tore off her gloves; her purse, unheeded,
fell on the floor; she led the way into the nearest room, which proved
to be the dining-room, the helpless group following. "Bring a tub of
hot water for his feet," she said in calm, decided tones. She was
seated, and had taken the child in her arms.--"Now, monsieur"--to the
Frenchman--"will you be kind enough to give me some ice from that
pitcher on the sideboard behind you?"
She drew a delicate little handkerchief from her pocket, and, putting
pieces of ice in it, held it to the child's head. "Some one," she
continued, "take off his shoes and stockings."
Her composure restored a degree of order, although no one seemed to
have recovered their senses sufficiently to obey her as to the child's
shoes. The boy who had acted as her driver knelt down and proceeded to
accomplish it. When the poor little feet were up to the knees in hot
water and the child was evidently reviving, she said, "The doctor
should be sent for immediately. As this boy has a horse and wagon at
the door, it would be best to send him. What is the name of your family
physician?"
"Doctor Harris."
"You know where he lives?"
"Oh yes, ma'am, very well."
"Stop a moment: some one write a line, so that there shall be no
mistake."
The foreigner flung up his hands with a gesture of despair. "It is so
difficile for me to write l'Anglais--" he began.
With the child lying on her left arm she opened her bag with her
right--the little driver, the most collected person besides herself of
the party, holding it up to her--found a scrap of paper and a pencil
and wrote a brief, urgent appeal to the physician to come immediately,
mentioning that the mother was from home, and signing herself "Laura
Featherstone, governess."
Sooner than she would have believed possible Doctor Harris appeared: he
came in his own gig, the little driver who had been so active in the
events of the evening vanishing entirely from the scene, and, as it was
afterward remembered, in the confusion without his douceur.
Doctor Harris, a comparatively young man, was cheerful and reassuring.
"There will probably be no recurrence of the convulsions," he said,
examining the child, who was sleeping tranquilly in the young girl's
arms; "but what was the exciting cause? what has he been eating?"
"I find him with a grand heap of the raisins and the nuts," replied the
French tutor excitedly. "Madame goes to town this morning and takes la
bonne pour s'en servir--le pauvre enfant est abandonne, voila tout!"
Gesticulating with much vehemence, he sat down at the conclusion as if
exhausted by his efforts.
"What has been done for the child?" asked the physician in a cautious
whisper.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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