WHEN ARTHUR HAD THE MEASLES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume X, Issue 24, 17 June 1893, Page 575

WHEN ARTHUR HAD THE MEASLES.

It was quite fashionable to have the measles, butlittle Arthur Moldon thought he would rather have been out of that particular fashion than in it. He had to go to bed, and his mother took up the carpet in his room and removed the curtains, because, she said, she did not mean that anyone else who slept in that room afterwards should catch the measles. She nursed him very carefully, and kept him warm in bed for a few days. He had a little table bv his bedside and some fruit on it, for he was not ill enough to be forbidden fruit. His little sister, Annie, found some lovely late roses against the north side of the house, and gathered them for him. But she was not allowed to go near Arthur’s room. His mother always wore a loose blue wrapper when she was with Arthur, and slipped it off and put on another when she went amongst the other children. Arthur liked to watch her pouring out his medicine so carefully, though he pulled a little face at it. If he had taken homoeopathic medicine, he would not have tasted it at all.

‘ If you drink this nicely, Arthur, I will tell yon a story,’ said his mother. So Arthur swallowed his medicine like a brave boy, and his mother pulled a chair near the bed and began her story, which was called DOCTOR JOHNNY. * Johnny’s papa is a doctor, and sometimes Johnny thinks he is one, too. • He and Annie, his little four-year-old sister, had a great many happy hours playing with their breadcrumb pills and bottles of sweetened water ; but they do not play so now.

* One morning Nellie went to the nursery, but soon came rushing back with an empty bottle in her hand, and a very white, scared face. * “ O mother, come quick I Johnny and Annie have l>een taking laudanum !” * “ Rnn for your father, quick !” said mamma. * How those children were trotted about to keep them awake until papa came ! Then how sick they were for papa made them swallow lots of medicine. * Everyone was so excited that Johnny could not get a chance to speak, though he tried very hard. At last papa said he thought they were all right, and could rest awhile, and mamma tucked them both into her bed. * “ How do you feel, Johnny ? Better aren’t you ?” asked papa, and Johnny answered indignantly : * “ Better ! I should think so ! Nell saw us drinking sweetened water out of an empty laudanum bottle 1” * Papa tasted the drop that was left in the bottle, and looked at mamma with a queer smile. ‘ “ I think they hardly got a fair dose of it,” said he. “There is just a little taste of the laudanum, but not enough to hurt them.” * “ I’m glad,” said mamma. * “ I’ll never touch another bottle so long as I live,” sobbed Johnny. * So they haven’t any Doctor Johnny at their house now, and Annie enjoys remarkably good health—for her.’ And by the time Arthur’s mother had finished her story the medicine he had taken was quite forgotten ! Cousin Kate.