Taking Pills.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XI, Issue 550, 25 May 1880, Page 7

Taking Pills.

Of all medicines a cathartic pill is the most obnoxious and difficult to take, particularly with the tender sex. Liquid doses, no matter how bitter to the taste, or how long their effects linger in the throat, or how nauseating they may be to the stomach, they can swallow with cool indifference, but when it comes to taking a pill, albeit it is thickly coated with sugar and polished off to take away its repulsiveness, the woman would rather be excused. It is amusing, however, to watch one of them in the act, and just for the fun of the thing, we will picture the performance : HOW SHE TAKES A PILL. All of a sudden the smiles which have illuminated her countenance give place to an earnest and solicitous look as she approaches the bureau drawer, and takes therefrom the box containing the odious pellets. Cautiously raising the lid, she gazes at them for a time, trying to discover the smallest one in the box. Timidly she places her fingers within, and selects it, and as she does so a large lump rises in her throat, and she makes any quantity of smirks and grimaces. Then she lays it on the mantlepiece, and studies awhile over how she shall take it. Takes a glass of water in her right hand and the pill in the left, and looks at both till she gets sick at the stomach, and with a shudder" puts them on the table. She then takes a piece of apple, makes a grave for the pill and inserts it, covers it over, holds her nose with thumb and forefinger, opens her mouth, poises the apple before it for a moment, shudders a little, and then places the apple on her tongue ; an under commotion in the stomach takes place, and she endeavors to get rid of the whole affair. But it is a failure. In a few minutes she descends to the kitchen, gets a little jelly or jam in a teaspoon and places a pill in it, and piles the jelly about it with

a match or her little finger until it is obscured from view, holds the spoon first in one hand and then in the other, then lays it down, seats herself on the edge of the bed, and surveys herself in the mirror in order to forget the thing, you know. Suddenly she grasps the spoon, throws back her head, opens her mouth, rams the spoon down her throat as far as it will go, and after many spasmodic efforts the jelly and pill disappear. She grows deathly pale, lies down upon the bed, gets up again, and walks about the room, lies down again, opens the window for fresh air, and is simply miserable for several hours after. HOW HE SWALLOWS IT. Seizing the box, he picks a good-sized pill therefrom, puts it into his mouth, walks to the water pitcher, takes a mouthful of water, and lets the whole thing slide over in a jiffy; lights his pipe, gets into bed, opens the evening paper, and then puffs himself to sleep. And that's the end of it—at least for the time being.