Early one summer morning, while practising in Plymouth, Conn., the writer
was startled by a loud knock at the front door, which I hastened to
answer. There stood an Irishman, well known as living in a little hut,
down on the "Meadows," whose name was Fitzgibbon. He was all out of
breath, and the great drops of sweat were rolling all down his rough face,
which he was endeavoring to mop up with a huge bandanna handkerchief. As
soon as he could possibly articulate, he exclaimed,--
"O, docther, docther! take yourself--down to that sha-anty as quick as ye
conva-niantly can, plaze."
[Illustration: "O, DOCTHER, DEAR, I'VE PIZENED ME BOY."]
"Why, what's the matter at the shanty, Fitzgibbon?"
"O, docther, dear, I've pizened my boy; what will I do intirely?"
"How did it happen? Don't be alarmed, Fitzgibbon." For his manner was
frightful.
"Will, I'll till yeze. He's been sick wid the masles. Will, he's ate
nothin' for a hole wake, and in the night he wanted some bread an' sugar,
do ye see? an' I had no candle, an' I wint in the dark, an' spread him
some bread, an' he ate it intirely, an' it was saleratus I put on it,
instead of sugar; an' it's now atin' him intirely! O, dear, dear, that I
should iver give him saleratus instead o' sugar!"
"Well, Fitzgibbon, if the boy is so big a fool that he don't know the
difference between saleratus and sugar, let him die."
"O, docther, don't say so!" exclaimed the poor fellow, in agony.
Then I suddenly recollected that the sense of taste was always vitiated in
measles, and thus excused the matter, adding,--
"Now, run home, 'Gibbon, and give the little fellow a tea-spoonful of
vinegar in a little sugar and water,--not saleratus and water, mind you."
"No, by the great St. Patrick, I'll niver mistake the likes again," he
earnestly interrupted, when I went on, saying,--
"Then in half an hour give him another tea-spoonful, and that will relieve
the 'gnawing at his stomach,' and by an hour I'll drive round there and
see him, on my way to Watertown."
"I'll trust to yeze to git it out of him. God bless yeze;" and away he
darted, saying, "O, howly mother! that I should give him saleratus for
sugar!"