Page:The grandmother; a story of country life in Bohemia.pdf/151

Rh cooking and in bread, and the straw for the children's bath; the agrimony is very useful as a gargle for sore throat. The neighbors know I always have on hand some of these medicinal herbs, so they send to me when they need them. It is well to have something of this kind in the house, for if one does not need it oneself, it may be of use to others."

"Is there no apothecary in the village?" asked the Countess.

"Not in the village, but in the town, an hour's journey from the village. But suppose it were in the village! A Latin kitchen is an expensive kitchen, and why should we pay dearly for what we can make ourselves?

"I suppose the physician gives you a recipe how you are to prepare the medicine?"

"No, indeed! What would a person come to, if he called in a physician for every little illness! He lives an hour's journey from here, and it would be about half a day before he would come after he was called; in the meantime the patient might die, if there were no domestic remedies. And when he comes, what a fuss! Several kinds of medicines plasters, leeches, and what not? The family become almost distracted, and the patient is sure to become worse from fright. I do not believe in doctors; my herbs have always proved sufficient for me and the children. Still, when others are ill, I say, 'send for the doctor.' But when God visits one with heavy illness, the doctors themselves know not what to do, but leave nature to take her course. And after all, God is the best physician; if one is to live, he will get well without the aid of the