Page:The Pacific Monthly vol. 14.djvu/89

 Am I? Great heavens! why do you ask such a question ? You know he is the college chum who is coming from Alaska. I am going over to Victoria on the Robert Boyd to — Great God ! The Eobert Boyd went down. Tell me/' he cried, wringing his hands, "tell me if that is so, or is it another phase of my insanity ?"

His wife had fainted, so I replied.

"The steamer sank three years ago."

"Three years !" he gasped. "Where have I been all this time ?"

"With me; and you were called John Bixbee."

A STRATEGY IN PHYSIC

By CLarles Ellis Newell Author or A Xip irom Jupiter, An Artistic Vengcnce, Etc.

WHILE the majority of the pioneers to the southern part of Oregon were stampeding around in search of pay dirt, a few who had brought their families, possibly being more inclined to settle down and likely attracted by the richly pine-wooded district, con- ceived the idea of starting a sawmill, the product of which they saw — with true Yankee sagacity — would soon be profitable and more permanent than the elusive pay streak.

There proved to be no error of judgment, for the rapidly increasing demand for lumber soon swelled, what began as a mere logging camp, into a thrifty village of some forty families with numerous offspring, which — "race suicide" then being unheard of — multiplied to such an extent as to demand a temple of learning.

This edifice was erected about a quarter of a mile from the cluster of houses surrounding the mill, in a grove of trees. Here were held all social and public functions, from the Friday afternoon declamations to the grave matters of munici- pality and the welfare of the public weal.

For a time all seemed to run on Arcadian lines in this embryo metropolis, until a long continued spell of cold, wet weather developed a disease that threatened ex- termination of the infantile population of Wilcut, which was diagnosed by the anxious mothers — there being no doctor nearer than a hundred miles — as croup.

Application of such remedies as the limited knowledge of Wilcut suggested proving ineffectual, and the stock of castor oil in Lank Peters' general store ex- hausted without avail, a consultation was held in the school house to devise ways and means for the extermination of the fell scourge.

If all the remedies proposed at this council had been recorded, they would probably have proved the foundation for a new school of "materia medica." How- ever, Mr. Peters, with an inspiration born of stress of circumstances, suddenly remembered that syrup of ipecac was the one thing needed for such an emergency; the mere mention of which brought such a flood of remembrance to the others that the remedy was adopted immediately, and Mr. Peters commissioned to procure a supply as soon as possible by special courier, regardless of expense.

But here Mr. Peters' knowledge of medicine came to an abrupt halt, for by no amoimt of exercise of his mental energies could he satisfactorily determine what amount of the drug to send for or what constituted a dose. But the exigencies of the situation requiring immediate action, and diplomatically comprehending that a critical crisis demands heroic treatment, he therefore resolved to be on the safe side, and sent for ten gallons of the saving compound, which duly arrived in various sized packages, which the faithful messenger explained by saying that 'Tie had to scour the hull damned town of Portland over to get it."

Whether it was owing to the eflficacy of the treatment, or the influence of the balmy summer air, the end of June saw the end also of the last case of the mem- branous menace. It was resolved to celebrate this event with joy and thanks-