Mrs. Jocelyn soon became convinced from the mother's account that
the child's disease was cholera infantum, and some previous experience
with her own children taught her just what to do. Before very long
the little one gave evidence of a change for the better. After the
crisis of danger was past, and while her mother and Mrs. Ulph were
working over the infant, Mildred began quietly to put the room into
something like order, and to dress the other children that were in
various transition stages between rags and nakedness. As the German
woman emerged from a semi-paralyzed condition of alarm over her
child she began to talk and complain as usual.
"It vas von shudgment on der fader," she said querulously. "He care
more for der schpots on der sun dan for his schilder. For der last
veek it's all peen schpots on der sun, notting put schpots. Vat
goot dey do us? Dare's peen light to vork py, put efry minit he
schtop vork to run to der roof und see dem schpots vot he says on
der sun. He says dere ish--vat you call him--pig virl-a-rounds up
dere dat vould plow all der beoples off der earth in von vink, und
ven I tells him dat he ish von pig virl-a-round himself, runnin'
und runnin', und lettin' der vork schstand, den von of der schpots
come outen on him und I dink he plow my hed offen."
By and by she began again: "If it ish not schpots it ish someding
else. Von year he feel vorse dan if I die pegose vat you call
a gomet did not gome ven he said it vould gome. He near look his
eyes outen for it, und he go efry morning 'fore preakfast for der
bapers to get vord of dat gomet. I dought we all schtarve 'fore
he got done mit dot gomet, and ven he give oup all hope of him, he
feel vorse dan he vould if dis schild die. He vas so pad to me as
if I eat der gomet oup, and we had not mooch else to eat till he
sure der gomet gone to der duyvil. It might haf been vorse if der
gomet come; vat he done den der goot Lord only know--he go off mit
it if he gould. He tink notting of sittin' oup mit a gomet, put he
get der schpots on him ven I ask to nurse der schild in der night."
Mrs. Jocelyn and Mildred paid little attention to her plaints; and
the former, having done what she could, returned to her own family
cares. Mildred took the little sick boy in her arms, saying that
she would hold him while Mrs. Ulph prepared breakfast.
It was at this stage of affairs that the door opened, and the
pinched and grizzled visage of Mr. Ulph appeared, followed by the
burly form of a German physician whom he had insisted on finding.
The former stopped short and stared at Mildred, in grim hesitation
whether he should resent an intrusion or acknowledge a kindness.
His wife explained rapidly in German, with a deferential manner,
but in a sub-acidulous tone.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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